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Celebration of the Humanities
2008 Celebration for the Humanities will take place on Monday, October 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, One Avenue of the Arts, Providence.
This is an annual event for fun, socializing, and raising the critical funds that enable RICH to fund and develop programs that inspire and support intellectual curiosity and imagination in all Rhode Islanders through lifelong learning.
This year, the recipient of the 2008 Tom Roberts Prize for Creative Achievement in the Humanities is Robert D. Billington, Ph.D. The Tom Roberts Prize is given to an individualor group whose work blends the wisdom and methods of the humanities in an inventive, original, and imaginative way, and is distinguished by public appeal.
Dr. Billington's appeal has been proven with many diverse audiences---from local merchants and manufacturers to world leaders. He has accepted awardsd from the Pawtucket Foundation as well as the United Nations World Tourism Organization, where he was presented with the Ulysses Prize (considered the Nobel Prize of the tourism industry).
From his cabinet-making days in the family business to his role as founder of the award-winning Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and creator of the Sustainable Tourism Planning and Development Laboratory, Dr. Billington has acquired a broad spectrum of knowledge, talents, and approaches.
We embrace his visionary thinking, applaud his ability to communicate the value of the humanities with an engaging flair, and celebrate his many achievements.
"The humanities and tourism go hand in hand. Both studies are concerned with inspiring the human spirit." ~Robert D. Billington, Ph.D.