WJAR Photographer to Join East Greenwich High Wall of Fame

EAST GREENWICH, RI— A photographer who has worked in television journalism has made it to the East Greenwich High Wall of Fame, Bruce Mastracchio said.

Bob "Sparky" Farrell graduated from East Greenwich High School in 1974 and soon after embarked on a career in journalism.

His early years were spent as a still photographer for the Rhode Island Pendulum in East Greenwich. Later, he worked with the Wilson Newspapers in North Kingstown and Narragansett.

In 1983 Bob was hired by WPRI-TV and began shooting and editing TV News stories on, what was then, the new medium: video tape. In 1985 Bob was invited to join WJAR-TV.

As a photographer, Bob has covered a variety of stories in his four decades on the job. The Boston Marathon bombings, the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook, and, in the hours right after the terror attack on the World Trade Center he was at Ground Zero in New York City working for both NBC and WNBC News.

Bob has covered National Political Conventions, blizzards, hurricanes and was one of the first on the scene at the Station Nightclub fire in 2003.

He has also covered the New England Patriot's rise to becoming an NFL power and was an integral part of the NBC's award winning I-Team, which exposed statewide corruption.

In 2014 Bob received the Edward R. Murrow award for excellence in journalism.

Mr. Farrell is a life-long member of the East Greenwich Volunteer organization, the EG Veteran Firemen's Association. He served as an emergency medical technician and as a company officer.

Bob currently serves on the board of SHRI Service Corps, providing programs to students, seniors and the developmentally disabled. He is the proud parent of two East Greenwich High School graduates.

Bob currently lives in Warwick, Rhode Island.