EDITORIAL: Bigger Than Life, and at Other Times, Remarkably Human

EDITORIAL: Bigger Than Life, and at Other Times, Remarkably Human

This week, Rhode Island saw the passing of three of the most influential men in the state over the past 40 years.

 

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Former Governor Ed DiPrete, former Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld, and one-time North American union leader Arthur Coia all died in a span of days.

 

Throughout their lives, the three hit the highest level of achievements and faced significant professional and personal challenges and, in some cases, falls from glory.

 

Their influence was mammoth in Rhode Island, but their reach was even further. 

 

DiPrete, who served as a three-term governor in the late 1980s, once had an approval rating of nearly 90%, a level that may never be reached again in this era of political divisiveness.  His first two terms were among the most successful. His third might have been amongst the worst.

 

His achievements in managing the economy, protecting open space, cutting taxes, and improving schools were top-tier. His failures were epic, but like many, he bounced back to have a de facto wonderful life. He had a family who adored him and was a Rhode Islander to the very end.

 

Hassenfeld led the highly successful Hasbro toy company to greater heights than it had ever achieved and transformed the local business into a large-scale media powerhouse. Hasbro, under his leadership, became the biggest toy company in the world.

 

In addition, he spent great time and energy working to improve Rhode Island’s ethics.

 

“I’m embarrassed to be from Rhode Island,” Alan confessed to Phil West, then the Executive Director of Common Cause. “When I’m in New York or Los Angeles or London, people ask why our little state has such terrible corruption. They can’t believe we keep our company here.”

 

He worked to change that.

 

Later, after stepping down as CEO of Hasbro, he continued to support efforts to improve Rhode Island, but his philanthropy moved beyond his native state. He left for Florida, as many of Rhode Island’s wealthy do, to avoid the taxes.

 

The third in this trio is Arthur Coia, who took over at the head of the Laborers International Union and helped drive it to become one of the most powerful unions in America. It was Coia who led the national union effort for President Bill and Hillary Clinton in their endeavor to create a universal healthcare system.

 

Coia’s influence stretched across North America and directly into the inner sections of the Clinton White House, but he, too, fell from grace. He pleaded guilty to federal charges.

 

While Coia stepped down, the union that he helped build was never larger or more influential.

 

The three will always be remembered as titans — at times bigger than life, and at other times, remarkably human.