Published in Pawtucket Times on October 28, 2002

Hundreds of people gathered Friday evening at Bobby’s Banquet Hall on Newport Avenue to celebrate the honors bestowed to six people with strong ties to Pawtucket who became the latest inductees into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame.

Since 1986, the Pawtucket Hall of fame Committee, ably led by Raymond S. Dalton, Sr., has recognized more than 60 persons for their love and positive contributions to the City of Pawtucket.

Over the years, the Pawtucket Hall of Fame Committee has selected and recognized those who were either Pawtucket-born residents , persons whose reputations were made while they resident in the city, Pawtucket business owners or those persons who have made an impact on the community.

The varied life experiences of the new inductees to the Pawtucket Hall of Fame can be an inspiration to both young and old, but more importantly to the city’s younger generation.

Although Abraham “Cappy” Asermely, 73, excelled in his life long profession as an educator in the Pawtucket School Department, he was recognized by making the city of Pawtucket a better place to live through organizing sports opportunities for all ages.

His love for basketball led him to create the first “three-on-three” elementary school basketball program in 1968.  Several years later, the three-on-three basketball concept would be used by Asermely when he created an “over-21 league” for the Pawtucket Recreation Department.

Like Asermely, William “Billy” Hulme, 92, had a very strong work ethic, working as a service man at Blackstone Valley Gas and Electric for 35 years. Hulme’s great love for music began at age 5 and continues to this day, when at the drop of a hat, he would write a song or pull out his harmonica and play. The World War II veteran is a shining example that creativity can be tapped during your later years. Although in his 90s, his creativity and passion for his music are still strong.

Born in Pawtucket in 1922, the late Captain Conrade E. LaGueux would later leave to defend his country during World War II. Parachuting into Nazi-controlled southern France, the Pawtucket resident and his fellow commandos joined up with the French underground to destroy a German supply train.

Meanwhile, LaGueux would later go into China, where he was given responsibility of training China’s Parachute Division. With the war ending, the Pawtucket war veteran would eventually join the CIA, where his French language skills and experience gained in the Chinese theater would be valuable for the CIA’s East Asian Division.

In the early 1970s, LaGueux would become the deputy chief of station in Saigon. Ultimately, he would be responsible for the planning and implementation of the evacuation of key Vietnamese leaders.  While residing outside of Pawtucket for most of his adult life, LaGueux would never forget his early ties to is hometown, his wife told the crowd in the room during the induction ceremony.

Last Friday, Patrick McCabe also joined the rank and file of the Pawtucket Hall of Fame.  Called the “Father of Irish in Pawtucket” the 96-year-old inductee was a strong supporter of his church, St. Mary’s Parish in Pawtucket. His work at Kaiser Shipyard during World War II brought him to Pawtucket.

His love of his Irish homeland led to purchase the Irish Social Club in Pawtucket, and the place quicky became the focal point of Irish get-togethers and events. As the grand marshal, McCabe led Pawtucket’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Commitment to his Irish heritage and to the parade led him to save the popular Pawtucket event when support for it dwindled.

At age 53, Louis C. Yip is one of the youngest inductees into the Pawtucket Hall of Fame. A native of Hong Kong, Yip came to America and now stands as Pawtucket’s shining example of the American dream. Along with running one of the best Chinese restaurants in New England, the China Inn. Yip has brought vitality to the city’s downtown by turning an old bank building into the Registry of Motor Vehicles and an old vacant mill into a thriving commercial property.

As a promoter of his Chinese culture, Yip provides strong support to the Rhode Island Association of Chinese Americans. He continually looks for ways to promote his adopted hometown, Pawtucket.

Lastly, William Meiklejohn, born in 1861, became a historical inductee to this year’s Pawtucket Hall of Fame. Coming to Pawtucket from Scotland, Meiklejohn was the founder of the Pawtucket Board of Trade, which ultimately became the Pawtucket Chamber of Commerce.

The new inductees in Pawtucket’s Hall of Fame provide us with a road map on how we can make positive changes not only to Pawtucket, but to our daily lives. That is quite a legacy that they leave us and the future generations that come after us.