(Sept. 4, 1848 – Dec. 11, 1928) Latimer was an American inventor and patent draftsman whose inventions included an evaporative air conditioner, an improved process for manufacturing carbon filaments for light bulbs, and an improved toilet system for railroad cars. Born in Chelsea, MA, Latimer married Mary Wilson Lewis in 1873 in Fall River and his final resting place is the City’s historic Oak Grove Cemetery.
(Aug. 31, 1924 – Nov. 13, 2017) Hudner was a United States Navy officer and naval aviator who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in trying to save the life of his wingman, Ensign Jesse L. Brown, during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. Hudner’s official biography—Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice—was released in October 2015 and later released as a motion picture, Devotion, in 2022. In September of 2021, the Visitors Center building at Heritage State Park was dedicated in Hudner’s name.
Nov. 8, 1952 – Oct. 30, 2021) Born in Fall River and raised in nearby Somerset, Gerald Peter Remy was an American professional baseball player and sports broadcaster. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman for ten seasons—seven of those with the Boston Red Sox (1978–1984). After retiring from professional play, Remy was a color commentator for televised Red Sox games for 33 years until his death.
Born and raised in Fall River, Moniz is an American nuclear physicist and former government official. From May 2013 to January 2017, he served as the 13th United States secretary of energy in the Obama administration. He is currently the co-chair and CEO of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), as well as president and CEO of the Energy Futures Initiative (EFI), a nonprofit organization working on climate and energy technology issues, which he co-founded in 2017.
(Aug. 20, 1884 – Feb. 27, 1979) was an American architect from Fall River, who, in addition to completing over 100 homes, contributed theaters, schools, places of worship, and other public buildings. Notable projects include the Adams House (north wing), Durfee Theater, Rialto, Capitol, Bijou, Strand, Park, and Empire Theaters, the Baptist Temple and Temple Beth EL, Mills Building, Sullivan Building, Buffington Building, Mohican Hotel, People’s Cooperative Bank, Fall River Trust Company, the Women’s Union and the Fall River YMCA. Darling-Parlin is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery.
(June 29, 1844 – Nov. 10, 1912) Born in Fall River, Eames was an American banker and historian who served as president of the New York Stock Exchange for four years. In 1894 he authored History of the New York Stock Exchange, which was published in 1895.
(Dec. 9, 1806 – Dec. 12, 1899) Chace was an American activist in the anti-slavery, women’s rights, and prison reform movements of the mid-to-late 19th century. Born in Smithfield, RI to one of the oldest families in New England, she grew up in a Quaker household that was anti-slavery, with her father being president of the New England Anti-Slavery Society. The family later moved to Fall River, where she married textile manufacturer Samuel Buffington Chace. In 1835, Elizabeth helped to found the Fall River Female Anti-Slavery Society, after the original group struggled to integrate the free black women who wished to join as members. Chace also focused on expanding the rights of women, and in her later years, she also advocated for prison reform and education for disenfranchised groups.
(Nov. 4, 1909 – Nov. 4, 1974) Bertrand “Bert” Arthur Patenaude was an American soccer forward who is officially credited by FIFA as the scorer of the first hat-trick in World Cup history. Born in Fall River, he played for a variety of clubs, including the Fall River F.C. While playing with the ‘Marksmen’, Patenaude formed a lethal striking partnership with another local Massachusetts player, Billy Gonsalves (scoring 112 goals in 114 appearances with the Massachusetts club). Patenaude was inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 1971. He died in Fall River on his sixty-fifth birthday.
(Aug. 10, 1908 – July 17, 1977) Adelino William Gonsalves was an American soccer player, sometimes described as the “Babe Ruth of American Soccer”. He spent over 25 years playing in various American professional leagues and was a member of the U.S. squad at the FIFA World Cup in 1930 and 1934. While playing with the Fall River ‘Marksmen’, Gonsalves formed a lethal striking partnership with another local player, Bert Patenaude. The two led Fall River to the National Challenge Cup title in 1930 and 1931. Overall, Gonsalves won the tournament a record eight times. Gonsalves was part of the inaugural induction class into the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950.
Born in Boston and raised in Fall River, Eugene Joseph Dionne Jr. is an American journalist, political commentator, and long-time op-ed columnist for The Washington Post. He is also a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, a professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at the McCourt School of Public Policy of Georgetown University, and an NPR, MSNBC, and PBS commentator.
Eagan is a talk radio host and a frequent guest on CNN, ABC, Fox News, and the Imus in the Morning radio show. For many years she was a columnist for the Boston Herald. Subjects of her commentaries include gender/women’s issues, Catholicism, and politics. Born in Fall River to an Irish-American family, she began writing stories as a child and was encouraged by her English teacher at Durfee High School. After graduation from Stanford, Eagan took a job at the Fall River Herald News and did stints at other regional publications. Today, Eagan co-hosts the Jim & Margery Show with Jim Braude on WGBH Radio, a Boston NPR station.
Born in Fall River, Leite is a Portuguese American food writer, cookbook author, memoirist, and founder of the two-time James Beard Award-winning website Leite’s Culinaria. A humorist, Leite brings a skewed and funny sensibility to the world of food.
Born and raised in Fall River, Megna is a former professional American and Canadian football linebacker and defensive end in the National Football League (NFL), NFL Europe League and Canadian Football League (CFL). In his seven-year pro career he played for the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL, the Barcelona Dragons and Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe, and the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL.
Born and raised in Fall River, Herren’s family’s history at Durfee High School includes his father, grandfather, older brother, and three uncles who played basketball. Herren finished his career at DHS with a total of 2,073 points, the most career points in school history. He was also the central figure in a book about Durfee High basketball entitled Fall River Dreams. He played professionally for the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics and later for international teams. Herren now travels the United States sharing his story of addiction and recovery through Herren Talks, averaging 200 talks a year. In 2011, Herren founded the nonprofit Herren Project and in 2018, he founded Herren Wellness, a residential drug rehabilitation and treatment center.