URI Press Release from November 1999 on the Commission of the Rev. Arthur L. Hardge Memorial.
The Rev. Arthur L. Hardge, a noted civil rights leader, never lived to see the growth and strength of the Special Programs for Talent Development at the University of Rhode Island. With his friend Leo DiMaio, Hardge founded the recruitment and retention program for students of color and disadvantaged persons 31 years ago. Hardge died of heart disease at 56 in 1983.
To acknowledge his legacy, the University has commissioned Arnold Prince of Chaplin, Conn. to create a larger-than-life memorial bust of Hardge with a pedestal. The sculpture will pay tribute to the 1960s Freedom Rider who was an early colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King. URI President Robert L. Carothers is heading the $20,000 private fund-raising effort for the sculpture and has donated $1,000 to the fund.
The bronze sculpture will be placed in front of the opening arch of URI’s Multicultural Center, which is located in the heart of Kingston campus. Its location will make it possible for the much of campus community to view the bust on a daily basis.