HOUSE RESOLUTION EXTENDING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF ALAN GEOFFREY HASSENFELD

H7017

2026 -- H 7017
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
EXTENDING DEEPEST CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF ALAN GEOFFREY
HASSENFELD

Introduced By:
Representatives Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Ackerman, Chippendale,
Paplauskas, McNamara, Fellela, Serpa, Corvese, and Kennedy

Date Introduced:
January 08, 2026

Referred To:
House read and passed
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WHEREAS, It is with sadness that this House has learned of the passing of Alan
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Hassenfeld, a prominent businessman and philanthropist, past Chairman and Chief Executive
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Officer, and Chairman Emeritus of Hasbro Toys, which had been founded by the Hassenfeld
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family in 1923; and
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WHEREAS, Alan Hassenfeld was the son of the late Merrill Hassenfeld, the brother of
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the late Stephen Hassenfeld and Ellen Block, and the husband of Vivien Maria Hassenfeld. He
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had joined the family business in 1970, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania; and
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WHEREAS, Rising through the company's ranks, Mr. Hassenfeld was named President
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in 1984, and in 1989, was named Chairman and CEO, positions he held until 2005, and 2003,
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respectively; and
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WHEREAS, During his tenure as Chairman, Mr. Hassenfeld led the company through
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years of substantial growth, most notably with the acquisition of the Tonka Corporation and
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Magic; and
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WHEREAS, Alan Hassenfeld generously shared the success of Hasbro Toys, by making
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myriad altruistic endowments and contributions to numerous philanthropic endeavors including,
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being a founding benefactor of the Hasbro Children's Hospital, establishing the nonprofit
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Hassenfeld Family Initiative LLC, an organization focused on women and children's rights and
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safety, establishing the Hassenfeld Family Innovation Center at Brandeis University, funding the
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Hassenfeld Foundation Scholarship, as well as numerous additional scholarships, and establishing

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the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute at Brown University; and
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WHEREAS, Throughout his lifetime, Alan Hassenfeld was honored with a panoply of
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accolades including, being inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 1996, the renaming of
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Bryant University's Public Leadership Institute after Mr. Hassenfeld, and was named a member of
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the Brown University Board of Trustees; and
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WHEREAS, Alan Hassenfeld has left a lasting legacy of generosity, astute leadership,
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and inspiration that has and will continue to benefit generations of Rhode Islanders; now,
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therefore be it
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RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby
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extends deepest sympathy and condolences on the passing of Alan G. Hassenfeld; and be it
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further
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RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to
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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Vivien Maria Hassenfeld and Ellen Block.
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