Alan Shawn Feinstein, the ubiquitous figure whose name adorns buildings throughout Rhode Island, died this weekend at 93.
Feinstein made his fortune by selling so-called “collectibles” like Mars-themed stamps from Sierra Leone that he suggested would skyrocket in value.
But he was better known as a prolific philanthropist who lived in a modest ranch house in Cranston right up until his death, while giving away millions to schools and scholarship programs.
For Rhode Islanders who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, Feinstein was a household name: He made regular visits to virtually every school in the state, handing out Guyanese baseball cards and, later, coupons for free popcorn at the Feinstein IMAX theater at the Providence Place Mall.
Often clad in a gold jacket, he would encourage students to become Feinstein Junior Scholars, which involved pledging to do good deeds and documenting them in a Feinstein-branded journal.
“There’s no yacht in the world that can match 250,000 children pledging to make the world a better place one good deed at a time,” he told The Providence Journal in 2021.