Dave Lavallee 鈥�79, M.P.A. 鈥�87, and his family unearthed a bit of 溏心vlog免费B站 history when they found his dad鈥檚 typewritten 1938 speech and photo from his run for the mayor of Kingston.
Not to be confused with the Paramount crime drama Mayor of Kingstown, 溏心vlog免费B站’s mayor of Kingston was all about fun and was elected through an annual 鈥渕ayorality campaign.鈥�
We spoke with Betty Cugini 鈥�52, who recalls that the whole campus voted to elect a mayor, who had various honorary responsibilities. She says each candidate had a theme and would campaign at the student union (a Quonset hut, at the time) in the evenings.
Cugini says the whole thing was about fun and community. 鈥淭he college,鈥� she says, 鈥渨as a real community then.鈥�
Roger Lavallee 鈥�48 clearly had that spirit of fun. He arrived at 溏心vlog免费B站 in 1938. He left for several years, served in World War II, and returned to 溏心vlog免费B站 on the GI Bill, graduating in 1948.
On the typewritten page the Lavallee family found, the speech, which was apparently broadcast on the radio, is preceded by a tongue-in-cheek introduction making fun of Lavallee鈥檚 slight stature: 鈥淭he next speaker is a member of the freshman class. We have just lifted him on a stool so he is within range of the microphone. A resident of Riverside, he entered college from East Providence High School.鈥�
Lavallee鈥檚 speech began:
鈥淔riends of the Radio Audience 鈥� Today I come to you as the candidate of the Modernistic Party, whose slogan is 鈥橤o modern with the Little Giant.鈥� I am the Little Giant, although I am only five feet two inches tall. I may assert, however, with all modesty, that through the endowment of mental capabilities, I am literally a giant in intellect.
鈥� [One of our planks] is 鈥� Paved Roads Throughout Kingston. Last fall on the way to a football game, I found two students going in opposite directions, both thinking they were on their way to the game; but in reality they were lost in the dust. The ruts in Fortin Road are now being used by the military department as trenches for sham battles. We promise cement roads with plush carpet sidewalks.
We also advocate Modernization of all faculty, transportation of all students to and from classes; an eight-day week; comfortable lounging chairs in every class room with a radio at each desk; 鈥� Go Modern with the Little Giant, and live happily ever after.鈥�
Lavallee’s political career may have been short, but his platform sure was sweet.
鈥擝arbara Caron
Many thanks to the Lavallee family for sharing this piece of history with 溏心vlog免费B站 Magazine. Please email us at urimag@uri.edu if you would like to share your memories about this piece of 溏心vlog免费B站 history.