William R. Ferrante

William Robert Ferrante, Ph. D., 86, who held positions of influence in Rhode Island higher education as a professor and administrator for more than five decades, died Saturday, June 14, at The Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center in Providence. He was the beloved husband of Ann Wharton Ferrante. A thoughtful, inspiring and judicious leader, Ferrante, of Saunderstown, R.I., was recognized first and foremost as a respected teacher. He twice was named acting president of the University of Rhode Island, in 1974 and 1983, and served as vice president for academic affairs from 1972 to 1988. He also served as dean of the graduate school and chair of the Faculty Senate. Throughout his career, he continued to teach as a professor of mechanical engineering and applied mathematics. In 1988, he was appointed Justin Smith-Morrill Professor, a chaired position, to pursue university-wide issues of education, research and service. In that role, he developed the Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension Services Center and studied the international dimension of the University and other special projects. He was inducted into the University of Rhode Island Hall of Fame in 1998 as a professor emeritus, with honors including a National Science Foundation Faculty Fellowship, a Fulbright Fellowship at Al-Hikma University in Bagdad, and the Chester H. Kirk Distinguished Engineer Award. In 1999, he received an honorary doctor of law degree from URI. Born March 9, 1928, the son of the late Pasquale Ferrante, a painting contractor, and Marietta Fonaro Ferrante, a homemaker, Ferrante was a 1945 graduate of La Salle Academy in Providence. Profoundly affected by his childhood experiences as a second-generation Italian-American who grew up in Federal Hill during the Great Depression, Ferrante developed a strong compassion for others, particularly the poor and hungry. He supported many charities and served as a board member for organizations including St. Mary's Home for Children in Providence. He lived life with great enthusiasm, cherished family and personal connections and sustained great passions for music, birdwatching, gardening and clamming. Ferrante received the Distinguished Service Award from the Italian American Historical Society in 1989 and continued to build connections with relatives in Italy through frequent visits and correspondence. After graduating from Rhode Island State College (now URI) in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, a professor offered Ferrante a position as a junior instructor in mathematics. He continued his education at Brown University, where he received his Master of Science in applied mathematics in 1955, and at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (now Virginia Tech), where he earned a Ph.D. in engineering mechanics, in 1962. He taught at Lafayette College and Virginia Tech and worked as a mathematician at the Boeing Airplane Co. in Seattle and as an engineering scientist at Allis-Chalmers Research Division in Milwaukee before returning to URI for nearly 40 years. The Board of Regents for Education in 1974 conferred upon Ferrante the first Rhode Island Regents Award of Noteworthy Service to Education for his "unwavering commitment to excellence in education," his exceptional rapport with faculty, administrators and students and his compassion for others. After a brief retirement, Ferrante launched a second career at New England Institution of Technology in Warwick, where he served as associate provost and acting provost between 2000 and 2012. He was a retired Major in the U.S. Army Reserve. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Ann Wharton Ferrante; daughters, Jennifer Ferrante and her husband Brett Adams of Westport, Conn., and Julia Ferrante of Lancaster, Pa.; brother, Bernard Ferrante of Coventry; and grandchildren, Cecilia and William Adams. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Gaetano Ferrante of East Greenwich, R.I., and a sister, Genevieve Ferrante, of Charleston, S.C. Calling hours will be held, 4-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Avery Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St., Wakefield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated, 10 a.m. Wednesday in Christ the King Church, 180 Old North Road, Kingston, where Ferrante was a founding member. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the William R. & Ann Wharton Ferrante Endowed Scholarship, c/o University of Rhode Island Foundation, 79 Upper College Road, Kingston, R.I. 02881. He and his wife established the scholarship to benefit students of financial need who are music majors.