This coronavirus pandemic continues to batter life as we knew it in America. One of its many cruelties is we can’t say goodbye to friends and acquaintances who have died. Calling hours, funerals, memorial services – indeed, most public expressions of sympathy—have been downsized or privatized because of strict limits on social gathering instituted by many governors to curb the spread of this disease. Count Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island and Charlie Baker of Massachusetts among them.
That means we could not say farewell to Jim Norman, the retired sports information director at the University of Rhode Island and radio Voice of the Rams. Or Sandy McCulloch, prominent businessman, philanthropist, champion of education and a founding director of the Attitash Ski Area in New Hampshire. Or Lou Schwechheimer, the longtime general manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox. Each died last month.
Jim Norman was Mr. URI. He graduated in 1957 after a busy four years in Kingston. He was the baseball team manager, student senate treasurer, school newspaper editor, student radio station manager and, even then, the Voice of the Rams football and basketball teams. Jim eventually moved into Keaney Gym as sports information director. Promoting URI athletics was his job, but calling the football and basketball games on the URI Sports Network was his love. He did it for 34 years and 1,286 consecutive games. Listening to his smooth voice was a joy.
Jim treated everybody with warmth and respect. He didn’t care if you were a beat writer or columnist from the Providence Journal or a kid reporter from one of the weeklies in the state. You got the Norman smile and an answer to your question. Jim was 85. Condolences to his wife of 61 years, Roberta, and his children and their families.
Norman “Sandy” McCulloch was another man short in stature (5-6, 137) but a giant in every other way. Raised in Pawtucket and then Barrington, he was a champion sailor as a youth. He served as a radar technician in the Navy toward the end of World War II; played soccer and lacrosse at Dartmouth, graduating in 1950; ran the family textile business; traveled extensively; supported St. Andrew’s School; served Dartmouth in various capacities, including chairman of the board; chaired the board of the Rhode Island Foundation; was a corporate director; took annual fishing trips to Canada and Iceland; was a fixture at Rhode Island Philharmonic concerts; wore bow ties, and was chairman of the board at Attitash for many years. Fittingly, the annual Rhode Island Ski Championships were held at Attitash for a few years before moving to Wachusett just north of Worcester.
Sandy McCulloch was a man for all seasons, a Renaissance Man. He died at home after being hospitalized for a month and having had two heart surgeries. He was 94. Among his survivors is his wife of 70 years, Dorothy.
Lou Schwechheimer joined the Pawsox in 1978 while a student at UMass. He stayed for 37 years, working with the club’s owner Ben Mondor and president Mike Tamburro to develop the franchise into a Rhode Island institution. He left in 2015, when the team was sold, but remained in baseball as an owner of the Triple A franchise in New Orleans and the Single A club in Charlotte. He moved the New Orleans operation to Wichita and was to have christened a new stadium this year.
Lou was a sweetheart who had a smile for everyone who passed through the gates at McCoy Stadium. Whenever I saw him in the press box, we talked skiing, not baseball. He loved to ski. It might have been a hot August night, but we swapped stories about cold January days.
Lou died of complications from COVID 19. He was only 62. His wife Jane and daughter Jenn survive him.
Jim Norman. Sandy McCulloch. Lou Schwechheimer. Three great Rhode Islanders. May their survivors know how much we admired them.
