George Martin Skurla (1921 - 2001)

Noted Aerospace Engineer. As President of Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, his leadership was instrumental when the company’s Lunar Module landed Americans on the Moon. (bio by: Paul S.)

William Keough (1930 - 1985)

Iranian Hostage. One of the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran from 1979 to 1981. Served as Superintendent of the American School in Tehran.  (bio by: Erik Lander)  Family links:  Spouse:  Katherine Eisenberger Keough (1943 – 2004)* *Calculated relationship

James Doty (1799 - 1865)

Following his career as a judge, James Duane Doty served as a member of the Michigan Territorial Council from 1834 to 1835, representing the western part of the territory. In this capacity Doty argued for the creation of a new territorial government for Wisconsin, sending petitions to Congress in favor of splitting Michigan Territory into […]

William Allen Trimble (1786 - 1821)

William Allen Trimble (April 4, 1786 – December 13, 1821) was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served in the United States Senate. Trimble was born in Woodford, Kentucky, the son of James and Jane (Allen) Trimble. He graduated from Transylvania College and was admitted to the bar in 1811. He briefly practiced law in Highland […]

Eugene Asa Niel Carr (1830 - 1910)

Eugene Carr was born in Hamburg, New York. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1850, 19th in a class of 44 cadets. He was appointed a brevet second lieutenant in the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen, and served in the Indian Wars until 1861, seeing his first bit […]

John Reynolds (1788 - 1865)

John Reynolds (February 26, 1788 – May 8, 1865) was a United States politician from the state of Illinois. He was one of the original four justices of the Illinois Supreme Court, 1818–1825, a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1826–1830, 1846–1848, and 1852–1854 (when he was Speaker of the House), and the […]

Eddie John Convey (1910 - 1969)

Professional Hockey Player. At 5’11 and 165lbs, he played the position of Left-Wing for the New York Americans from 1930 to 1933. (bio by: K)

August Solberg “Gus” Marker (1905 - 1997)

Canadian hockey player. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Maroons and New York Americans.

John D McKeel, Jr (1953 - 1991)

Unites States Marine Sergeant. One of the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran from 1979 to 1981. Shot to death while trying to help a woman who was being robbed. (bio by: Erik Lander)  Inscription:US Marine CorpsVietnam Veteran

Septima Poinsette Clark (1898 - 1987)

Septima Clark first heard of the NAACP while she was teaching on John’s Island from 1916-1919. There was no NAACP chapter on John’s Island, but a meeting was held in which various preachers came and spoke about what the NAACP was and what exactly it was trying to do. The superintendent was in attendance to […]

Allan “Big Pete” Shields (1906 - 1975)

Allan Shields played in the longest game in NHL history. Montreal Maroons vrs. Detroit Red Wings, March 1936. In 1934 he was selected to the First NHL All-Star Team ever assembled. As an interesting side note, in 1930/31 he along with Syd Howe and Wally Kilrea were loaned from Ottawa to the Philadelphia Quakers to help liven […]

William Metcalf (1894 - 1968)

William Metcalf was one of seven Canadians to be awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions on one single day, 2 September 1918, for actions across the 30-kilometre-long (19 mi) Drocourt-Quéant Line near Arras, France. The other six recipients were Bellenden Hutcheson, Arthur George Knight, Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney, Cyrus Wesley Peck, Walter Leigh Rayfield […]

Robert Carl Ode (1915 - 1995)

Foreign Service Officer with the United States Department of State. One of the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran from 1979 to 1981. (bio by: Erik Lander)  Family links:  Spouse:  Rita Muth Ode (1918 – 2012)* *Calculated relationship

John Earl Graves (1927 - 2001)

Information officer for the United States Department of State. One of the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran from 1979 to 1981 (bio by: Erik Lander)

Elfego Baca (1865 - 1945)

In October, 1884, in the town of Middle San Francisco Plaza (now Reserve, New Mexico), Elfego Baca arrested a drunk cowboy named Charlie McCarty. Baca flashed his badge at McCarty and took Charlie’s gun. McCarty’s fellow cowboys tried to take him by force, but Baca refused and opened fire on the cowboys, killing the horse […]

Charles Cornwallis (1738 - 1805)

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. In the United States and the United Kingdom he is best remembered as one of the leading […]

Joseph John “Joe” Papike (1914 - 1967)

Professional Hockey Player. A native of Eveleth, Minnesota, Papike played the position of Right Wing for teams in the NHL, TBSHL, AHA, CHL, and the EAHL hockey leagues. At 5’11”, and 175lbs, Papike played for the Virginia Rockets from 1931 to 1932, Eveleth Rangers from 1932 to 1934, Baltimore Orioles from 1934 to 1935, Wichita […]

Chief Ten Bears (1970 - 1872)

Native American Chief. He was born about 1790 and shortly thereafter was orphaned when his band was wiped out by another band of Indians, probably the Lakota tribe. His Indian name was Paruasemana (Parra-wah-ser-man-oh) and he was born into the Yamparika (Root-eaters) tribe or Northern Comanche. He first became chief of the Ketahto (Don’t Wear […]

Gen Samuel Bell “Sam” Maxey (1825 - 1895)

Civil War Confederate Major General.Maxey was born in Tompkinsville, Kentucky. Maxey served in the West and led Native Americans troops in Indian Territory. Maxey attended West Point and graduated in 1846, second to last in a class of 59. He was sent immediately to fight in the Mexican War. He fought at the Battle of […]

Col Leland James Holland (1927 - 1990)

United States Army Colonel. One of the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran from 1979 to 1981. (bio by: Erik Lander)

Red Jacket (1970 - 1830)

Native American Indian Chief. Born Sagoyewatha in Geneva, New York, he was Chief of the Seneca Wolf clan. He fought on the side of the British in the American Revolution and was named Red Jacket from his wearing British red coats. After the hostilities, as the British ceded their territories to the Americans, Red Jacket […]

LeRoy Whitfield (1969 - 2005)

Journalist and Writer. He was born in Chicago and died in Harlem. He used a magazine column to chronicle the everyday struggles of people with H.I.V. He moved to New York in 2000, where he became one of the nation’s leading journalists reporting on AIDS among African-Americans. He had written a column titled “Native Tongue” […]

Josiah Winslow (1629 - 1680)

Governor of Plymouth Colony. The son of Mayflower Pilgrim and Governor Edward Winslow, Josiah was educated at Harvard. In 1656 he succeeded Myles Standish as commander of the colony’s military forces. Winslow was Plymouth’s assistant governor from 1657 to 1673, and Plymouth’s Commissioner to the New England Confederation from 1658 to 1672. He became governor […]

Daria Trafankowska (1954 - 2004)

Actress. A native of Poland, best known in her native country for her role in the soap opera “Na dobre i na zle.” She appeared in several international films including 1984’s “The Year of the Quiet Sun” and 1987’s “The Young Magician.” (bio by: Butterfly)

Gerald Jerry Plotkin (1934 - 1996)

One of the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran from 1979 to 1981. He was the only non-governmental employee amongst the hostages. (bio by: Erik Lander)

Charles William Hargens, Jr (1893 - 1997)

Painter. The son of a country doctor, he was born in Hot Springs, South Dakota. He later moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa. During these times he was able to sell his realistic drawings of neighbor’s homesteads and barns for extra money. He also came in connect with Native Americans and western landscapes which would influence […]

Robert R. “Satch” Armstrong (1931 - 1990)

Professional Hockey Player. A native of Toronto, Ontario, ‘Bob’ Armstrong stood 6’01, and weighed 180lbs. He played the position of Defense for teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), American Hockey League (AHL), and the Eastern Pacific Hockey League (EPHL), including the Boston Bruinns from 1950 to 1962, Hershey Bears from 1951 to 1952, Springfield […]

Thomas “Broken Hand” Fitzpatrick (1970 - 1854)

Explorer. US Indian Agent. He was one of the “Mountain Men,” a group of explorers credited with opening up the western United States. During his travels, he discovered the “South Pass” through the Rocky Mountains. The South Pass became a main passage into the Oregon Territory for settlers. He worked as a guide, among the […]

John Prentiss “Print” Matthews (1840 - 1883)

Social Refomer. Known as “Print” Matthews, he led a coalition of African Americans and small landowners in his native Copiah County, Mississippi during Reconstruction, with himself serving as county sheriff. After the withdrawal of federal troops enforcing African-American suffrage, this coalition became untenable, with white supremacists using terror tactics like night riding, church burning, and […]

Claude Earl “Chuck” Rayner (1920 - 2002)

Hall of Fame Professional Hockey Player. A native of Sutherland, Saskatchewan, he played as a goalie for the New York Americans from 1940 to 1941, and the New York Rangers from 1945 to 1955.  He was the recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1950, and was the Second All-Star Team Goalie in 1949, 1950, […]