2020 -- S 2155

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LC003804

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF BARRY M. SULLIVAN

     Introduced By: Senators Gallo, Goodwin, Felag, Lombardi, and Ruggerio

     Date Introduced: January 30, 2020

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, Barry M. Sullivan passed away on December 22, 2019, after a courageous

fight against cancer. He was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, the son of the late James and

Claire Sullivan, and had resided in Cranston; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Sullivan, a graduate of Somerset High School and Providence College,

was one of the greatest athletes this region has ever produced. In high school he was a three-sport

star who excelled in baseball, football, and basketball. Baseball was the sport where he made his

mark, especially at Providence College where he compiled a record of achievement on the

baseball diamond matched by few in the history of Providence College Baseball; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Sullivan was a four-year baseball player at Providence College. He was

an outstanding defender patrolling center field and was nearly impossible to strike out at the plate,

striking out only twelve times in four years. In his stellar Junior Season, he compiled a

phenomenal batting average of .429, was the New England College batting champion, and was

named a third-team All-American. In recognition of his sterling baseball career, he was inducted

into the Providence College Hall of Fame; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Sullivan also played for three seasons in the prestigious Cape Cod

League, where he tied for the league lead in runs batted in during the 1975 season. He signed as a

free agent with the Chicago Cubs in 1977, but an arm injury shortly thereafter ended his baseball

career; and

     WHEREAS, After his playing days, Mr. Sullivan served as an Assistant Coach at Brown

University and Harvard, and was the Head Coach for one year at Bristol Community College. He

also served as an Assistant Coach in the Cape Cod League and famously served as the batting

practice pitcher for Hall of Fame Red Sox Star Carl Yastrzemzski; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Sullivan was a Certified Appraiser and Real Estate Broker for many

years. He owned a successful real estate appraisal business and served the City of Providence

with integrity as its Director of Real Estate; and

      WHEREAS, Mr. Sullivan leaves behind his wife, Rachele Sullivan. He also leaves

behind his children Justin Sullivan and Jessica Sullivan. He is also survived by his sister, Betsi

Oliviera and her husband, David, his brother Brian Sullivan and his wife, Maureen, nephews

Brady and Ben Oliviera, and niece Elizabeth Camara. He was the brother of the late Brad

Sullivan; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Sullivan was a devoted husband, father, brother, uncle and friend. He

always went the extra mile to help others and showed appreciation to the hard-working men and

women he encountered in life. Examples are many and include helping a homeless man to find

shelter in Providence and paying for him to live in a halfway house, to buying donuts for the

nurses who were taking care of him when he was enduring surgeries for his cancer. He was a

shining light who will be sorely missed by all of his loved ones and many friends; now, therefore

be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby expresses its deepest condolences to the Sullivan Family on the passing of Barry M.

Sullivan; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Rachele Sullivan and Family.

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