Original Sigmas reunite 25 years later

Year after year for a quarter century, the Original Sigmas have made an effort to get together at backyard barbecues, potluck suppers, cocktail parties, or at a local pub.

So, it’s no surprise that the graduates of the 1998 Core Program would plan a special bash for their 25th class anniversary. In September, 22 of the 51 Original Sigmas got all gussied up for dinner at the Dunes Club in Narragansett where they spent the evening sharing hugs, laughing, recalling past good times, taking pictures, and dancing.

The attendees were mostly alumni who still live in Rhode Island, though Beverly Scott flew from California to join the celebration. Scott, who was general manager of the RI Transit Authority (RIPTA) back in her Sigma days, took the opportunity during dinner to talk about a national nonprofit she has started to inspire students, especially girls and young people of color, to become tomorrow’s infrastructure leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and skilled workers.

Dave Mullen, regional manager at TD Bank, attributes the extraordinary bonding of the Sigmas to “the magic of the people” in the class. He singles out Lisa Churchville and lawyer Mark McKenney, state Senator from Warwick, as instrumental in getting the Sigmas together over the years.

“We’ve always had a good time together . . . and consistently made time for each other,” says Churchville, who, back in 1998, was beginning a 14-year run as president and general manager at NBC-10. “Nurturing early relationships, building trust, and becoming valuable resources for each other definitely keeps bringing us back together,” she says.

The only somber note during the upbeat evening came when Marcia Russell Cintron spoke of the recent passing of classmate Peter Wells. Wells, who died in July, served 21 years as regional director of Veterans Affairs. He also spent several years as editor of the Providence American, then a monthly newspaper established to provide news of interest to African Americans. It is now a digital service for all communities of color.

Another member of the 1998 class, Paul Pickens, longtime president of Goodwill Industries of Rhode Island, died in 2014.

To honor the memory of their two classmates, the Sigmas pledged to raise a full tuition scholarship for a diverse candidate admitted to next year’s core program. So far, the Sigmas have raised more than $4,900 toward their $6,300 goal.

Though the competition for LRI’s Best Class Ever will go on forever, the Original Sigmas likely hold the record — so far— as the Most Gregarious Class Ever.