Bill Malinowski, a highly respected Providence Journal investigative reporter, has died at age 57 after being stricken with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
A Connecticut native, Malinowski was known for being well sourced in law enforcement, and with former ProJo colleague Mike Stanton, he broke many of the stories that became focal points for the 2002 Plunder Dome trial of Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci.
Malinowski took a medical leave from the ProJo last year after being diagnosed with ALS, Amyotropic lateral sclerosis. The physically devastating illness was a particularly cruel blow, considering Malinowski’s love of basketball and long-distance running.
An easygoing guy who didn’t take himself too seriously, Malinowski took seriously his work as a watchdog, reporting on government corruption, organized crime and other subjects. He loved the Red Sox and was devoted to his wife, Mary Murphy, a former ProJo photographer, and their daughter, Molly.
He also figured in one of the classic anecdotes from the Plunder Dome trial, when Providence Police Chief Urbano “Barney” Prignano was called as a witness. Prignano bantered with Malinowski and Stanton outside a court room, suggesting the ProJo was prejudiced against people whose last names ended in vowels. What about me?, Malinowski said. Prignano said it wasn’t the right vowel.
Stanton offered this tribute last September, when Malinowski went public (see item #3) with his diagnosis of ALS:
“Bill is a great reporter and a better friend: loyal, steadfast, and unflappable. His commitment to journalism is matched by how grounded he is in family, friends and community. Bill and I have worked together on many high-pressure stories. It was always comforting to walk into a room with loaded guns, knowing that Bill had my back. We first worked together in the 1980s, when we heard Pete Rose had placed bets with a Mob-connected bookie in Fall River. Over the years, I’ve marveled at Bill’s vast network of sources, his knack for unearthing secrets, and his ability to find anything in the mountains of paper on his desk in the newsroom. He seems to know every cop, crook and character; every dive, greasy spoon and rundown neighborhood, in Rhode Island. He’s a great shoe-leather reporter who taught me the value of patience in following a story, or in waiting for our beloved Red Sox to finally win the World Series. The news of his illness came as a blow to those of us who know and love Bill. We’ll be there to support him and do what we can to help him face this with the same perseverance that has marked his brilliant career.”
WPRI-TV investigative reporter Tim White offered this comment last September:
“Readers of the Journal know what a dogged reporter Bill is, someone who has the rare ability to weave beautifully constructed narratives on even the thickest of topics. What those readers don’t know is Bill has an amazingly sharp and quick sense of humor, and a gentle, fair, but relentless approach in getting the information he needs. News is a competitive sport, but Bill has always been there to help reporters with advice and guidance. I know, I’ve been the recipient of his generosity on countless occasions. The absence of his byline is surely felt by readers, and his presence in the field feels like a gaping hole to all of us in the press corps.”
And former ProJo political columnist M. Charles Bakst offered this remembrance at the time:
“Although the first things that come to mind about Bill are his reportorial expertise and his intensity as a baseball fan, the most important impressions I have of him are of his devotion to daughter Molly and bonding with her in her athletic pursuits. When she was a little kid, he’d be out there with her at the soccer fields, and she was into basketball, and eventually specialized in — and excelled at — high school cross-country. I used to see them at Seven Stars Bakery in Providence after she’d be working out up and down the neighborhood. My friend Dave Reid, another Journal ex-pat, says Bill used to come into the old East Bay office, personally handing him the results of the high school’s meets, and proudly pointing out Molly’s performances.”
