When Gloria Vanderbilt Went to Wheeler School in Providence - And Left to Marry a Mobster

When Gloria Vanderbilt Went to Wheeler School in Providence - And Left to Marry a Mobster

The Wheeler School in Providence has weighed in on the passing of one its most famous students -- Gloria Vanderbilt.

Heiress and fashion icon Vanderbilt died on Monday at the age of 95. 

"Legendary artist, fashion designer, and Class of 1942 alumna, Gloria Vanderbilt passed away today at the age of 95," wrote the Wheeler Alumni Instagram account. "Gloria has credited her love for the arts because of her Wheeler education."

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Wheeler on Vanderbilt

"She would have graduated with the class of '42 -- but she left at 17 to get married," said Laurie Flynn, Director of Strategic Communication at Wheeler, in a phone interview with GoLocalProv.com on Monday. 

The New York Times elaborated on Vanderbilt's marriages on Monday. 

"She married and divorced three men — a mobster who beat her; the conductor Leopold Stokowski, who was 42 years older and preoccupied with his own career; and the film director Sidney Lumet," wrote the New York Times, referencing Vanderbilt's first marriage to Pasquale di Cicco, an "actors’ agent and associate of the mob boss Charles (Lucky) Luciano."

Flynn said that Wheeler's arts program had a lasting impact on Vanderbilt. 

"We know she had a fondness for Wheeler. When they made the documentary on her, she had the producers contact Wheeler for pictures of 216 Hope -- the main building -- and of Wheeler Hall, where the arts [were]," said Flynn. "Even at that point she fondly remembered us."

"We mourn her -- and offer her condolences to the family," said Flynn. "She loved the arts and as do many of our grads."

This story was first piublished