41.8501° N, 87.6499° W

CHICAGO

Most Famous People Born in Chicago, USA

Notable people
7,467
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1940
Most distinctive
Baseball 5.2×

Big shoulders, broad bench. Chicago's notables are spread evenly across actors, politicians, and four major-league sports — the city is the dataset's largest baseball-and-basketball over-index outside the coasts — alongside a deep screenwriter and novelist tradition that gave the world Saul Bellow, David Mamet, and Ben Hecht. No single category dominates the way film does in Los Angeles or Wall Street does in New York, and the music economy alone runs from blues and house to first-wave hip-hop.

Standouts

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1950s with 850 notable births.

What Chicago Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is Chicago's biggest profession — 11% of all notables (813).

Chicago over-indexes on baseball 5.2× the global rate.

Chicago under-produces politician — only 0.5× the global rate.

  1. Actor 813 2.0×
  2. Politician 469 0.5×
  3. Football 462 0.6×
  4. Baseball 441 5.2×
  5. Basket 398 4.2×
  6. Music 312 2.9×
  7. Writer 220 0.9×
  8. Singer 207 1.3×
  1. Baseball 441 5.2×
  2. Basket 398 4.2×
  3. Screenwriter 128 3.9×
  4. Novelist 96 3.3×
  5. Music 312 2.9×
  6. Actor 813 2.0×
  7. Film 168 1.8×
  1. Politician 469 0.5×
  2. Football 462 0.6×
  3. Painter 116 0.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Chicago's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1850 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Politics & Law
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Other
All7,467
Sort By

Showing 756 of 7,467 notable people

0005 NOVELIST

Philip K. Dick

1928 - 1982

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0011 BIOLOGIST

James Watson

Born 1928

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0014 EDITOR

Hugh Hefner

1926 - 2017

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0026 ACTOR

Jason Robards

1922 - 2000

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0041 FILM

Bob Fosse

1927 - 1987

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0058 MATHEMATICIAN

Hilary Putnam

1926 - 2016

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0068 ACTOR

Dorothy Malone

1924 - 2018

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0073 ACTOR

Donald O'Connor

1925 - 2003

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0087 WRITER

Edward Gorey

1925 - 2000

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0090 ACTOR

Tom Bosley

1927 - 2010

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0095 ECONOMIST

Harry Markowitz

Born 1927

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0116 ACTOR

Harvey Korman

1927 - 2008

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0122 ACTOR

Mel Tormé

1925 - 1999

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0142 ACTOR

John Agar

1921 - 2002

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0168 ACTOR

Richard Kiley

1922 - 1999

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0170 ACTOR

Jean Hagen

1923 - 1977

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0190 LAWYER

John Paul Stevens

1920 - 2019

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0205 COMEDIAN

Paul Frees

1920 - 1986

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0213 CINEMA

Haskell Wexler

1922 - 2015

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0238 CAMPAIGN

Ethel Kennedy

Born 1928

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0244 ACTOR

Gail Russell

1924 - 1961

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0252 COMPOSER

Lee Konitz

1927 - 2020

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0259 PHYSICIST

Ben Roy Mottelson

Born 1926

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0270 ACTOR

Bonita Granville

1923 - 1988

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0276 ACTOR

Shelley Berman

1925 - 2017

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0281 PAINTER

Joan Mitchell

1925 - 1992

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0292 ACTOR

Richard Long (actor)

1927 - 1974

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0296 ACTOR

LaVern Baker

1929 - 1997

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0308 SOCIOLOGIST

Howard S. Becker

Born 1928

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0340 COMPOSER

Johnny Griffin

1928 - 2008

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0341 ASTRONAUT

James McDivitt

Born 1929

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0365 POLITICIAN

Harold Washington

1922 - 1987

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0376 WRITER

Alison Lurie

1926 - 2020

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0378 SAXOPHONIST

Gene Ammons

1925 - 1974

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0383 WRITER

Charles Beaumont

1929 - 1967

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0395 FILM

Gene Deitch

1924 - 2020

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0414 MINISTER

Janet Jagan

1920 - 2009

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0430 SCREENWRITER

Larry Gelbart

1928 - 2009

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0433 SINGER

Dolores Gray

1924 - 2002

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0440 SCREENWRITER

Agnes Nixon

1922 - 2016

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0455 ACTOR

Jean Wallace

1923 - 1990

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0458 MUSIC

Allan Sherman

1924 - 1973

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0466 ACTOR

Mike Douglas

1925 - 2006

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0481 ACTOR

Tim O'Connor (actor)

1927 - 2018

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0511 POLITICIAN

Dan Rostenkowski

1928 - 2010

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0522 ENTREPRENEUR

Frank Rosenthal

1929 - 2008

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0532 FILM

Tom Gries

1922 - 1977

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0544 WRITER

Frank M. Robinson

1926 - 2014

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0555 SCREENWRITER

James Goldman

1927 - 1998

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0575 ACTOR

Kevin Hagen

1928 - 2005

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0586 ACTOR

Mark Lenard

1924 - 1996

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0589 POET

Sheldon Harnick

Born 1924

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0600 POLITICIAN

Henry Hyde

1924 - 2007

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0614 MUSIC

Eugene Wright

Born 1923

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0623 MUSIC

Johnny Hartman

1923 - 1983

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0624 FILM

Howard Zieff

1927 - 2009

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0640 JOURNALIST

Elizabeth Hawley

1923 - 2018

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0644 ACTOR

Louis Zorich

1924 - 2018

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0648 POLITICIAN

Slade Gorton

1928 - 2020

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0663 MILITANT

James Forman

1928 - 2005

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0676 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Sheldon Wolin

1922 - 2015

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0700 ACTOR

Giorgio Tozzi

1923 - 2011

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0720 ACTOR

Susanna Foster

1924 - 2009

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0732 PAINTER

Leon Golub

1922 - 2004

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0735 DESIGNER

George Barris (auto customizer)

1925 - 2015

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0747 ARTIST

John Chambers (make-up artist)

1923 - 2001

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0763 ENTREPRENEUR

Albert Grossman

1926 - 1986

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0769 BASEBALL

Hank Stram

1923 - 2005

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0779 FILM

William J. Bell

1927 - 2005

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0789 ACTOR

Monica Lewis

1922 - 2015

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0794 FILM

Vincent Canby

1924 - 2000

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0798 ACTOR

Florence Stanley

1924 - 2003

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0800 PRESENTER

John Chancellor

1927 - 1996

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0816 BASKET

Marv Levy

Born 1925

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0820 ACTOR

Britt Lomond

1925 - 2006

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0835 POLITICIAN

Ed Derwinski

1926 - 2012

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0837 DIPLOMAT

Adolph Dubs

1920 - 1979

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0851 MUSIC

Bill Henderson (performer)

1926 - 2016

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0863 PHOTOGRAPHER

Mariana Yampolsky

1925 - 2002

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0905 POET

James Schuyler

1923 - 1991

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0907 FILM

Arnold Laven

1922 - 2009

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0920 MUSIC

Bennie Green

1923 - 1977

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0923 ACTOR

Sydney Lassick

1922 - 2003

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0931 WRITER

Bill Kaysing

1922 - 2005

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0938 BASEBALL

Eddie Gaedel

1925 - 1961

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0947 MUSIC

Lorez Alexandria

1929 - 2001

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0948 ECONOMIST

Don Patinkin

1922 - 1995

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0957 PAINTER

Norman Bluhm

1921 - 1999

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0973 ENTREPRENEUR

Jay Pritzker

1922 - 1999

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0976 MUSIC

June Hutton

1920 - 1973

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0977 CONDUCTOR

William Russo (musician)

1928 - 2003

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0979 INVENTOR

Martin Cooper (inventor)

Born 1928

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0982 BANJOIST

Wilbur Ware

1923 - 1979

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0983 PHYSICIST

Sam Treiman

1925 - 1999

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0986 PHYSICIST

Marvin Leonard Goldberger

1922 - 2014

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0988 MUSIC

Von Freeman

1923 - 2012

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1008 PSYCHOLOGIST

James Olds

1922 - 1976

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1013 MUSIC

Russ Freeman (pianist)

1926 - 2002

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1017 CHEMIST

Robert Parr

1921 - 2017

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1034 WRITER

Sid Sackson

1920 - 2002

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1048 COMPOSER

Oscar Brown

1926 - 2005

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1070 POLITICIAN

Michael Anthony Bilandic

1923 - 2002

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1090 PIANIST

Dorothy Donegan

1922 - 1998

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1091 DIPLOMAT

Archer Blood

1923 - 2004

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1096 PIANIST

Lou Levy (pianist)

1928 - 2001

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1097 POET

Jackson Mac Low

1922 - 2004

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1143 MUSIC

Fred Below

1926 - 1988

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1155 ACTOR

Nora Eddington

1924 - 2001

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1160 PHYSICIST

Joan Hinton

1921 - 2010

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1167 FILM

Tom O'Horgan

1924 - 2009

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1168 PSYCHOLOGIST

William Schutz

1925 - 2002

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1176 JESUIT

John Powell (Jesuit)

1925 - 2009

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1187 JOURNALIST

Alfred Lansing

1921 - 1975

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1226 OPERA

Lili Chookasian

1921 - 2012

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1228 POLITICIAN

Scott M. Matheson

1929 - 1990

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1235 ACTOR

Lee Richardson (actor)

1926 - 1999

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1245 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Robert McCormick Adams Jr.

1926 - 2018

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1269 DESIGNER

Art Paul

1925 - 2018

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1271 ACTOR

Helen Horton

1923 - 2009

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1286 SKATER

Ken Henry (speed skater)

1929 - 2009

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1298 COMPOSER

Robert Muczynski

1929 - 2010

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1312 ACTOR

Richard Hamilton (actor)

1920 - 2004

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1318 WRITER

Leslie Waller

1923 - 2007

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1330 ART HISTORIAN

Seymour Slive

1920 - 2014

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1331 ECONOMIST

Roy Radner

Born 1927

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1332 ATHLETIC

Jim Fuchs

1927 - 2010

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1338 SOCIOLOGIST

Philip Rieff

1922 - 2006

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1344 FOOTBALL

Alex Agase

1922 - 2007

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1346 SINGER

Eddra Gale

1921 - 2001

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1382 PSYCHIATRIST

Jerome Lettvin

1920 - 2011

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1383 FOOTBALL

Al Wistert

1920 - 2016

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1384 AUTHOR

Sol Stein

1926 - 2019

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1402 PHYSICIAN

Belding Hibbard Scribner

1921 - 2003

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1411 MUSIC

Ed Cassidy

1923 - 2012

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1445 FILM

Bruno VeSota

1922 - 1976

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1449 MATHEMATICIAN

James Serrin

1926 - 2012

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1458 PHOTOGRAPHER

Betty Freeman

1921 - 2009

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1492 ACTOR

Doris Merrick

1920 - 2019

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1495 PHOTOGRAPHER

Reid Miles

1927 - 1993

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1529 SWIMMER

Wally Ris

1924 - 1989

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1540 WRITER

George Hunt Williamson

1926 - 1986

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1544 SCREENWRITER

Arthur A. Ross

1920 - 2008

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1552 PRIEST

James Carney (American priest)

1924 - 1983

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1562 COSTUME DESIGNER

Bill Thomas (costume designer)

1921 - 2000

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1564 ACTOR

Beatrice Winde

1924 - 2004

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1596 HISTORIAN

Norman Golb

Born 1928

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1604 FOOTBALL

George Connor (American football)

1925 - 2003

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1605 MATHEMATICIAN

Bernard Galler

1928 - 2006

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1614 MATHEMATICIAN

Raymond Redheffer

1921 - 2005

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1624 CHOREOGRAPHER

Pearl Lang

1921 - 2009

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1647 ACTOR

Maxine Cooper

1924 - 2009

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1654 FILM

Robert Shelton (critic)

1926 - 1995

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1661 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Joseph LaPalombara

Born 1925

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1689 COMPOSER

Dick Marx

1924 - 1997

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1712 BIOCHEMIST

Arthur Pardee

1921 - 2019

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1718 NOVELIST

Ray Russell

1924 - 1999

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1727 PRIEST

Daniel Kucera

1923 - 2017

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1744 ACTOR

Anne Meacham

1925 - 2006

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1746 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Alexander L. George

1920 - 2006

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1751 ACTOR

Robert Rockwell

1920 - 2003

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1760 POLITICIAN

George W. Collins

1925 - 1972

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1766 COMEDIAN

Shecky Greene

Born 1926

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1772 SCREENWRITER

William P. McGivern

1922 - 1982

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1773 MATHEMATICIAN

J. Ernest Wilkins Jr.

1923 - 2011

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1780 FILM

Burt Balaban

1922 - 1965

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1805 POLITICIAN

Cecil Heftel

1924 - 2010

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1808 FILM

Bernard Glasser

1924 - 2014

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1822 COMPOSER

Leonid Hambro

1920 - 2006

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1836 COLLECTOR

Max Palevsky

1924 - 2010

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1850 PSYCHOLOGIST

William Thetford

1923 - 1988

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1854 COMPOSER

Earl Zindars

1927 - 2005

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1861 MUSIC

Harold Ousley

1929 - 2015

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1870 COMPOSER

Paul Alter

1922 - 2011

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1885 ENGINEER

Daniel D. Joseph

1929 - 2011

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1895 SCENOGRAPHER

Stuart A. Reiss

1921 - 2010

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1901 ATHLETIC

Buddy Young

1926 - 1983

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1906 ACTOR

Paula Stewart

Born 1929

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1913 MUSIC

Odie Payne

1926 - 1989

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1918 ACTOR

Jerry Tucker (actor)

1925 - 2016

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1922 SCREENWRITER

Meyer Dolinsky

1923 - 1984

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1924 SCREENWRITER

Clancy Sigal

1926 - 2017

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1927 MATHEMATICIAN

William S. Massey

1920 - 2017

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1929 PRODUCER

Michael Butler (producer)

Born 1926

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1930 DIPLOMAT

Robert Komer

1922 - 2000

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1950 TRUMPET

Cy Touff

1927 - 2003

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1959 ACTOR

Margia Dean

Born 1922

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1962 ALDERMAN

Bernard Stone

1927 - 2014

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1972 THEATRE

Paul Sills

1927 - 2008

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1985 DRIVER

Jerry Hoyt

1929 - 1955

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1989 ACTOR

Edson Stroll

1929 - 2011

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2015 COMPOSER

Seymour Barab

1921 - 2014

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2029 ART DIRECTOR

Mel Bourne

1923 - 2003

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2030 ACTOR

Ralph Foody

1928 - 1999

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2047 PUBLISHER

Bazy Tankersley

1921 - 2013

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2049 GEOGRAPHER

Wilbur Zelinsky

1921 - 2013

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2057 MATHEMATICIAN

Harley Flanders

1925 - 2013

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2066 LAWYER

William A. Rusher

1923 - 2011

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2068 PIANIST

King Fleming

1922 - 2014

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2078 TRUMPET

Sonny Cohn

1925 - 2006

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2089 POLITICIAN

Howard Wallace Pollock

1920 - 2011

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2102 PHYSICIST

Leonard Reiffel

1927 - 2017

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2106 PSYCHOLOGIST

Marvin Zuckerman

1928 - 2018

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2123 ACTOR

Pat Renella

1929 - 2012

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2140 FOOTBALL

Frankie Albert

1920 - 2002

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2141 PROFESSOR

Milton Van Dyke

1922 - 2010

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2142 HISTORIAN

Allen G. Debus

1926 - 2009

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2146 ACTOR

Donald May

Born 1927

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2176 PIANIST

Chris Anderson (pianist)

1926 - 2008

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2184 POLITICIAN

Jim Olin

1920 - 2006

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2191 ACTOR

Sheldon Allman

1924 - 2002

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2211 HISTORIAN

John W. Baldwin

1929 - 2015

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2223 VIROLOGIST

Robert M. Chanock

1924 - 2010

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2230 MOB BOSS

Albert Tocco

1929 - 2005

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2235 SOCIOLOGIST

Wendell Bell

1924 - 2019

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2236 BASKET

Dick Triptow

1922 - 2015

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2240 BUSINESS

Jack Lindquist

1927 - 2016

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2257 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Sam C. Sarkesian

1927 - 2011

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2259 MUSIC

Victor Sproles

Born 1927

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2261 CHURCH

Joseph W. Tkach

1927 - 1995

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2262 RADIO

Bob Grant (radio host)

1929 - 2013

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2285 BASKET

Wally Osterkorn

1928 - 2012

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2287 ECONOMIST

Richard Muth

1927 - 2018

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2290 JOURNALIST

Bill Stout

1927 - 1989

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2302 BASKET

Jack Kerris

1925 - 1983

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2306 AUTHOR

Ralph G. Martin

1920 - 2013

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2321 ILLUSTRATOR

Richard M. Powers

1921 - 1996

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2325 PENCILLER

Ramona Fradon

Born 1926

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2345 ACTOR

Dan Barton

1921 - 2009

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2359 COMPOSER

Theodore Lettvin

1926 - 2003

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2364 HISTORIAN

Selma Jeanne Cohen

1920 - 2005

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2374 MUSIC

Jack Noren

1929 - 1990

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2376 BASEBALL

Jim Fanning

1927 - 2015

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2378 FOOTBALL

Bill Fischer (American football)

1927 - 2017

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2391 FOOTBALL

Dick Barwegan

1921 - 1966

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2392 POLE VAULTER

Don Laz

1929 - 1996

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2401 COSTUME DESIGNER

Patricia Zipprodt

1925 - 1999

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2411 ARCHITECT

Walter Netsch

1920 - 2008

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2415 ECONOMIST

Carl Christ

1923 - 2017

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2419 BASKET

Don Rehfeldt

1927 - 1980

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2433 SCREENWRITER

Stanley R. Greenberg

1927 - 2002

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2443 BASKET

Stan Patrick

1922 - 2000

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2446 POLITICIAN

John N. Erlenborn

1927 - 2005

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2466 COMPOSER

William Kraft

Born 1923

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2473 POLITICIAN

Bradford Lyttle

Born 1927

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2497 BASEBALL

Cliff Aberson

1921 - 1973

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2502 ACTOR

Richard Schaal

1928 - 2014

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2506 MUSIC

Will Davis (musician)

1926 - 1984

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2533 WRITER

Carol Beach York

1928 - 2013

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2549 BASKET

Bato Govedarica

1928 - 2006

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2561 ACTOR

Rebel Randall

1922 - 2010

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2564 PIANIST

Audrey Morris

1928 - 2018

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2569 BOTANIST

Hans Runemark

1927 - 2014

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2570 ARTIFICIAL

Wally Feurzeig

1927 - 2013

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2602 FILM

Zev Braun

1928 - 2019

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2605 BASEBALL

Joanne Winter

1924 - 1996

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2626 ACTOR

Alberto Mariscal

1926 - 2010

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2647 PIANIST

Norman Simmons (musician)

Born 1929

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2651 MUSIC

George Freeman (guitarist)

Born 1927

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2653 ACTOR

Harold Bradley Jr.

Born 1929

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2670 PSYCHOLOGIST

Richard Farson

1926 - 2017

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2692 ONCOLOGIST

Emil J. Freireich

Born 1927

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2696 HISTORIAN

Ben F. Meyer

1927 - 1995

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2703 COLUMNIST

Marilyn Beck

1928 - 2014

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2704 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Vera Mae Green

1928 - 1982

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2721 BASEBALL

Bob Kennedy

1920 - 2005

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2723 LINGUIST

Robert Lees (linguist)

1922 - 1996

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2731 WRITER

Arthur Maling

1923 - 2013

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2740 ACTOR

Thomas A. Carlin

1928 - 1991

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2746 THEATRE

Bernard Sahlins

1922 - 2013

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2752 FOOTBALL

Elmer Angsman

1925 - 2002

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2772 SINGER

Nick Noble (singer)

1926 - 2012

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2777 JOURNALIST

Richard Freed

Born 1928

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2792 ORNITHOLOGIST

Martin Moynihan

1928 - 1996

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2815 PHOTOGRAPHER

Richard Steinheimer

1929 - 2011

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2820 BASKET

Gene Stump

Born 1923

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2823 WRITER

James Yaffe

1927 - 2017

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2827 MUSIC

Ray Linn

1920 - 1996

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2829 PAINTER

Ellen Lanyon

1926 - 2013

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2853 LAWYER

William Joseph Bauer

Born 1926

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2857 PHYSICIAN

Quentin Young

1923 - 2016

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2869 SOCIOLOGIST

Marshall Sklare

1921 - 1992

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2875 MUSIC

Herbert Beattie

1926 - 2019

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2904 PAINTER

June Leaf

Born 1929

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2907 ACTOR

Ed McNamara

1921 - 1986

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2913 BASKET

George Ratkovicz

1922 - 2007

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2925 WRITER

Samuel Hynes

1924 - 2019

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2931 ECONOMIST

George Hilton (historian)

1925 - 2014

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2937 PHOTOGRAPHER

Barbara Crane

1928 - 2019

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2938 PIANIST

Earl Washington (musician)

1921 - 1975

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2957 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Lisa Peattie

1924 - 2018

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2990 BASKET

Jerry Nagel

1928 - 1999

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2998 ICE HOCKEY

Bruce Norris (ice hockey)

1924 - 1986

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3000 BASKET

Jake Fendley

1929 - 2002

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3018 ARCHAEOLOGIST

William Ayres Ward

1928 - 1996

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3039 ARTIST

Vic Lockman

1927 - 2017

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3042 AUTHOR

Thomas Rogers (writer)

1927 - 2007

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3044 POET

Harvey Shapiro (poet)

1924 - 2013

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3047 DIPLOMAT

Brandon Grove

1929 - 2016

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3048 ACTOR

Harry Jackson (artist)

1924 - 2011

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3052 MINERALOGIST

Joseph A. Mandarino

1929 - 2007

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