David Hennessy (1858 - 1890)

David Hennessy joined the New Orleans police force as a messenger in 1870. While only a teenager, he caught two adult thieves in the act, beat them with his bare hands, and dragged them to the police station. He made detective at the age of 20. With his cousin Michael Hennessy, he arrested the notorious Italian […]

David Gunn (1945 - 1993)

David Gunn (November 16, 1945 – March 10, 1993) was an American physician. He received his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and earned his M.D. at the University of Kentucky. Gunn moved to Brewton, Alabama, after his residency, choosing to provide OB/GYN and abortion services in rural America. David Gunn was murdered in Pensacola, Florida, by […]

Derwin Brown (1954 - 2000)

Derwin Brown was a 23-year veteran of the DeKalb County Police Department when he was elected to the position of Sheriff on a platform of cleaning up the corruption and graft that had historically troubled the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. On December 15, 2000, former Deputy Melvin Walker shot Brown twelve times with a TEC-9 handgun […]

Ángel Maturino Reséndiz (1959 - 2006)

By illegally jumping on and off trains both within and across Mexico, Canada and the United States, generally crossing borders illegally, Ángel Maturino Reséndiz was able to evade authorities for a considerable time. He also had no fixed address. US government records show that he had been deported to Mexico at least four times since […]

John Britton (1925 - 1994)

John Britton (May 6, 1925 – July 29, 1994) was an American physician. He was murdered in Pensacola, Florida, by anti-abortion extremist Paul Jennings Hill. Britton’s death was the second assassination of a Pensacola abortion provider in under a year and a half; he had replaced David Gunn after the latter’s 1993 murder by another […]

Alan Berg (1934 - 1984)

Alan Berg worked at a shoe store and later opened a clothing store in Denver where he met KGMC-AM talk show host Laurence Gross. Impressed with Berg, Gross made him a guest on several occasions. When Gross left KGMC to take a job in San Diego, California, he requested that Alan Berg be named his […]

Rulon Allred (1906 - 1977)

Having turned away from the polygamous religion of his father and grandfather as a young man, Rulon Allred’s decision to take plural wives came in his twenties following what he described as a vision; the decision resulted in the estrangement of his first wife, Katherine. Allred began to assume greater responsibilities in the Short Creek, Arizona, […]

Cleo Noel (1918 - 1973)

Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Cleo Noel spent his formative years in Moberly, Missouri. He attended Moberly Junior College and then University of Missouri, receiving a B.A. in History in 1939 and a M.A. in the same subject in 1940. Noel worked briefly as an educator, teaching American History at the University of Missouri before joining […]

Daniel Pearl (1963 - 2002)

Following a trip to the Soviet Union, China and Europe, Daniel Pearl started his professional journalism career at the North Adams Transcript and The Berkshire Eagle in western Massachusetts. From there he moved to the San Francisco Business Times. In 1990 Pearl moved to the Atlanta bureau of the Wall Street Journal, and moved again in […]

George Polk (1913 - 1948)

During World War II, George Polk enlisted with a Naval Construction Battalion. After the invasion of Guadalcanal, the first element of Construction Unit Base 1 (CUB-1), an advance fuel and supply base, landed on 16 August 1942. This element was commanded by Ensign George W. Polk, USNR, and consisted of five officers and 118 enlisted […]

Stanley Rother (1935 - 1981)

Stanley Rother was born on March 27, 1935, the son of Franz and Gertrude Rother, who had a farm near Okarche, Oklahoma. He grew up to be a strong, young man, adept at the many tasks required on the farm. Nonetheless, after completing high school, he declared his calling to the priesthood. To prepare for […]

Allen Schindler (1969 - 1992)

Schindler was from a naval family in Chicago Heights, Illinois and was serving as a radioman on the amphibious assault ship USS Belleau Wood in Sasebo, Nagasaki. According to several of his friends, Schindler had complained repeatedly of anti-gay harassment to his chain of command in March and April 1992, citing incidents such as the gluing-shut […]

Nate Saint (1923 - 1956)

Nate Saint (August 30, 1923 – January 8, 1956) was an evangelical Christian missionary pilot to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people through efforts known as Operation Auca. Nate Saint was born in 1923. When he was seven he took his first plane ride with his brother […]

Steven Sotloff (1983 - 2014)

Steven Sotloff (Hebrew: סטיבן סוטלוף‎‎; May 11, 1983 – c. September 2, 2014) was an American-Israeli journalist. In August 2013, he was kidnapped in Aleppo, Syria, and held captive by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS). Steven Sotloff was the son of Arthur and Shirley Sotloff of Pinecrest, Florida, a suburb […]

Robert Novak (1931 - 2009)

Robert Novak (February 26, 1931 – August 18, 2009) was an American syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he became a reporter for the Associated Press and then for The Wall Street Journal. He teamed up […]

John McLaughlin (1927 - 2016)

John McLaughlin was originally a supporter of the Democratic Party and opposed the Vietnam War, but then became a war supporter and changed his party affiliation to Republican. In 1970 he sought permission from the Jesuit order to run for a seat in the United States Senate, representing Rhode Island. They had given permission to […]

Elden “Submarine” Auker (1910 - 2006)

Major League Baseball Player. For ten season (1933 to 1942), he was a pitcher with the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Browns. Born Elden LeRoy Auker, while attending Kansas State University he distinguished himself as a quarterback with their football team (achieving Second-Team All-American status) in addition to playing baseball. He was […]

Edouard “Eddie” Auger (1970 - 1973)

Professional Wrestler. A native of Montreal, Auger made his wrestling debut in the mid-1940s with stage name of Pierre Lasalle. Eventually dropping his stage name in favor of competing under his real name, he quickly became popular with the Quebec fans and would go on to be the first French-Canadian wrestler to go on a […]

Lester Alexander “Les” Auge, Jr (1953 - 2002)

Professional Hockey Player. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Auge played the position of Defense for teams in the WCHA, AHL, IHL, NHL, Nat-Tm, and the WEC-A hockey leagues. At 6’00, and 190lbs, he played the Colorado Rockies from 1980 to 1981. He was also a member of the NCAA Championship All-Tornament Team in 1974, […]

Red Auerbach (1917 - 2006)

Hall of Fame Professional Basketball Coach. After coaching for the Washington Capitals (from 1946 to 1949) and the Tri-Cities Black Hawks (from 1949 to 1950) he was hired as the coach of the Boston Celtics, where from 1950 to 1966 he won nine NBA championships; eight that came in consecutive years. He was the first […]

Dick Attlesey (1929 - 1984)

American Track and Field Athlete. The world’s top-ranked high hurdler in 1950 and 1951, he was called the “greatest hurdler of all time” by University of Southern California coach Jess Hill in 1950. Born Richard Harold Attlesey, “Dick” Attlesey broke the world record twice in 1950 for the 110-meter hurdles, getting it down to 13.5 […]

Monte Attell (1885 - 1960)

Professional Boxer. Born in San Francisco, California, he was a bantamweight street fighter who turned professional in 1903, winning his first five bouts. On June 19, 1909, he defeated Frankie Neil at Coffroth’s Arena Coma, California and won the World Bantamweight title. He defended his crown seven times until losing the championship to Frankie Conley […]

Abraham Washington “Abe” Attell (1884 - 1970)

Hall-of-Fame Professional Boxer. A legendary featherweight (126 pound) world titleist called variously “The Little Champ” and “The Little Hebrew”, his reputation was tarnished by his participation in the 1919 Chicago “Black Sox” affair. Born Abraham Washington Attell, he was raised in an Irish neighborhood of San Francisco where he was frequently bullied because of his […]

Charles Atlas (1892 - 1972)

American Folk Figure. Born Angelo Siciliano in Acri, Calabria, Italy, he and his mother emigrated to the United States in 1904. He grew up in Brooklyn a sickly child. As a teen, he had sand kicked in his face by a lifeguard at Coney Island and resolved to improve his health and physique. Using a […]

Steve Atkinson (1948 - 2003)

Professional Hockey Player. Born in Toronto, Ontario. He was drafted 6th overall in 1966 following four years with the Flyers that featured two Memorial Cups, one in 1965, the other in 1968.  Boston Bruins from 1968 to 1969. He moved on to the Oklahoma City Blazers from 1968 to 1969. Winning the rookie of the […]

Doug Atkins (1930 - 2015)

The Cleveland Browns selected Doug Atkins with the 11th overall selection in the 1953 NFL draft. He played his first two seasons in the NFL with the Browns, winning the NFL Eastern Conference in 1953, and the NFL Championship in 1954. The Browns traded Atkins and Ken Gorgal to the Chicago Bears for a third-round […]

Ron “Atch” Atchison (1930 - 2010)

Professional Football Player. Raised in Saskatoon, his lengthy association with football began in 1947, when he joined the Saskatoon Junior Hilltops and played with them until 1949. For seventeen seasons (1952 to 1968), he played at the middle-guard and defensive-tackle positions in the Canadian Football League with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Signed by the team as […]

Joe H. Astroth, Sr (1922 - 2013)

Major League Baseball Player. For ten seasons (1945 to 1946 and 1949 to 1956), he played at the catcher position with the Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics. Born Joseph Henry Astroth, he attended Alton High School in Illinois and during his collegiate years at the University of Illinois, he excelled as a multi-sport athlete whom lettered in […]

Geoff Astle (1942 - 2002)

English Footbal/Soccer Player. Played League football with Notts County, West Bromwich Albion and represented England five times. Became West Broms greatest player, playing 361 games and scoring 174 goals. Known for his miss against Brazil in the 1970 World Cup Finals. He also scored in every round of West Broms 1968 F.A. Cup winning season. […]

Oscar Ingolfur “Ossie” Asmundson (1908 - 1964)

Professional Hockey Player. A native of Red Deer, Alberta, he played Right Wing for the New York Rangers from 1932 to 1934, the Detroit Red Wings from 1934 to 1935, the Detroit Olympics from 1934 to 1935, the St. Louis Eagles from 1934 to 1935, and the Montreal Canadiens from 1937 to 1938, He passed […]