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
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Showing 817 of 7,467 notable people

0001 POLITICIAN

Hillary Clinton

Born 1947

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0007 CHESS

Bobby Fischer

1943 - 2008

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0008 SCREENWRITER

Michael Crichton

1942 - 2008

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0010 SINGER

Patti Smith

Born 1946

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0021 COMEDIAN

John Belushi

1949 - 1982

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0022 SINGER

Herbie Hancock

Born 1940

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0030 ACTOR

Raquel Welch

Born 1940

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0033 ACTOR

Garry Shandling

1949 - 2016

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0044 FILM

Joe Mantegna

Born 1947

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0047 COMEDIAN

Harold Ramis

1944 - 2014

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0048 FILM

Michael Mann

Born 1943

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0059 ACTOR

Tom Berenger

Born 1949

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0064 GUITAR

Curtis Mayfield

1942 - 1999

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0067 COMPOSER

Laurie Anderson

Born 1947

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0077 SCREENWRITER

David Mamet

Born 1947

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0078 SINGER

Gil Scott-Heron

1949 - 2011

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0086 ACTOR

Dennis Farina

1944 - 2013

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0096 WRITER

Kathy Reichs

Born 1948

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0109 ACTOR

Bob Balaban

Born 1945

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0111 SINGER

Warren Zevon

1947 - 2003

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0119 MILITAR

Wesley Clark

Born 1944

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0124 SINGER

Minnie Riperton

1947 - 1979

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0125 FOOTBALL

Dick Butkus

Born 1942

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0127 SINGER

David Soul

Born 1943

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0138 MURDER

Emmett Till

1941 - 1955

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0140 SINGER

Peter Cetera

Born 1944

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0141 BASKET

Mike Krzyzewski

Born 1947

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0145 SERIAL KILLER

John Wayne Gacy

1942 - 1994

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0153 POLITICIAN

John Ashcroft

Born 1942

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0157 SINGER

Donny Hathaway

1945 - 1979

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0162 ECONOMIST

James Heckman

Born 1944

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0164 SINGER

Paul Butterfield

1942 - 1987

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0171 SINGER

Roger McGuinn

Born 1942

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0185 DRUMMER

Tony Williams (drummer)

1945 - 1997

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0186 ACTOR

Brian Doyle-Murray

Born 1945

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0191 ACTOR

Michael Gross (actor)

Born 1947

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0194 SINGER

Mike Bloomfield

1943 - 1981

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0196 AUTHOR

Scott Turow

Born 1949

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0197 DRUMMER

Jack DeJohnette

Born 1942

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0199 ACTOR

George Wendt

Born 1948

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0218 SOCIOLOGIST

Richard Sennett

Born 1943

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0227 ACTOR

Jessica Harper

Born 1949

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0231 COMEDIAN

Martin Mull

Born 1943

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0245 POLITICIAN

Richard M. Daley

Born 1942

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0248 ACTOR

Donna Mills

Born 1940

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0251 WRESTLING

Bobby Heenan

1944 - 2017

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0260 ACTOR

Charmian Carr

1942 - 2016

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0263 POLITICIAN

John Podesta

Born 1949

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0266 FILM

Stuart Gordon

1947 - 2020

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0267 FILM

Andrew Davis (director)

Born 1946

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0269 BIOCHEMIST

Thomas Cech

Born 1947

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0284 SPY

Robert Hanssen

Born 1944

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0307 MATHEMATICIAN

Robert Axelrod

Born 1943

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0310 DIPLOMAT

Carol Moseley Braun

Born 1947

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0314 ACTOR

Kinky Friedman

Born 1944

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0323 BIOLOGIST

Martin Chalfie

Born 1947

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0324 PIANIST

Anthony Braxton

Born 1945

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0325 ACTOR

Geoff Pierson

Born 1949

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0333 BIOLOGIST

H. Robert Horvitz

Born 1947

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0335 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Robert Keohane

Born 1941

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0336 SINGER

Loleatta Holloway

1946 - 2011

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0343 SCREENWRITER

Mike Resnick

1942 - 2020

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0351 JOURNALIST

Gene Siskel

1946 - 1999

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0374 ACTOR

Mimsy Farmer

Born 1945

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0379 NOVELIST

David Gerrold

Born 1944

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0389 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Donald Johanson

Born 1943

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0391 MATHEMATICIAN

Gregory Chaitin

Born 1947

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0392 SINGER

Terry Callier

1945 - 2012

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0401 COMPOSER

Steve Goodman

1948 - 1984

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0405 ACTOR

Sherry Lansing

Born 1944

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0409 POLITICIAN

Jan Schakowsky

Born 1944

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0418 ACTOR

John Beck (actor)

Born 1943

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0422 REVOLUTIONARY

George Jackson (activist)

1941 - 1971

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0427 ACTOR

Brian Kerwin

Born 1949

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0429 SINGER

Dennis DeYoung

Born 1947

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0439 POLITICIAN

Jim Sensenbrenner

Born 1943

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0457 MUSIC

Terry Kath

1946 - 1978

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0460 WRITER

Richard Laymon

1947 - 2001

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0462 MUSIC

Otis Taylor (musician)

Born 1948

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0482 WRITER

Barry Gifford

Born 1946

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0498 ACTOR

Larry Manetti

Born 1947

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0510 ACTOR

Sherman Howard

Born 1949

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0516 ARCHITECT

Adrian Smith (architect)

Born 1944

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0545 PHILOSOPHER

Ned Block

Born 1942

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0563 SONGWRITER

Clifton Davis

Born 1945

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0564 MATHEMATICIAN

John Allen Paulos

Born 1945

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0577 BIOLOGIST

Susan Lindquist

1949 - 2016

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0581 JAZZ

Ben Sidran

Born 1943

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0588 WRITER

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

Born 1941

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0596 POLITICIAN

William M. Daley

Born 1948

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0611 SCREENWRITER

Beverly Todd

Born 1946

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0621 SONGWRITER

Michael Masser

1941 - 2015

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0622 COMPOSER

Harry Manfredini

Born 1943

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0628 SCREENWRITER

Doug Moench

Born 1948

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0635 SINGER

Timi Yuro

1940 - 2004

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0650 PAINTER

Elizabeth Murray (artist)

1940 - 2007

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0652 SCREENWRITER

Art Linson

Born 1942

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0656 MUSIC

Berry Oakley

1948 - 1972

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0658 COMPOSER

Barry Goldberg

Born 1942

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0659 JOURNALIST

Chris Wallace

Born 1947

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0660 PROFESSOR

Stephen Krashen

Born 1941

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0675 ACTOR

Felton Perry

Born 1945

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0678 MUSIC

Jerry Goodman

Born 1949

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0684 COMEDIAN

Tino Insana

1948 - 2017

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0686 ACTOR

Janet Carroll

1940 - 2012

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0705 FILM

Jay Cassidy

Born 1949

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0707 WRITER

Bob Zmuda

Born 1949

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0712 CLARINET

Chico Freeman

Born 1949

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0741 COMPOSER

Henry Threadgill

Born 1944

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0742 GEOLOGIST

David A. Johnston

1949 - 1980

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0774 ACTOR

John Capodice

Born 1941

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0775 DEMOGRAPHER

Justin McCarthy (American historian)

Born 1945

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0777 ACTOR

Michael Ovitz

Born 1946

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0782 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Sue Hendrickson

Born 1949

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0793 COMPOSER

Roscoe Mitchell

Born 1940

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0796 JOURNALIST

Philip Caputo

Born 1941

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0801 PHILOSOPHER

John Deely

1942 - 2017

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0822 LAWYER

Theodore Olson

Born 1940

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0874 FOOTBALL

David Kopay

Born 1942

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0877 MUSIC

Phil Upchurch

Born 1941

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0883 COMPOSER

Joseph Schwantner

Born 1943

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0910 FILM

Jon Jost

Born 1943

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0917 BIOLOGIST

Marc Kirschner

Born 1945

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0933 PRODUCER

James William Guercio

Born 1945

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0937 SCREENWRITER

Paul Brickman

Born 1949

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0946 BASEBALL

Denny McLain

Born 1944

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0964 POLITICIAN

Michael Madigan

Born 1942

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0965 POLITICIAN

Tom O'Halleran

Born 1946

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0966 PSYCHOLOGIST

Francine Patterson

Born 1947

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0969 JOURNALIST

Bernard Shaw (journalist)

Born 1940

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0972 COMPOSER

Laurie Spiegel

Born 1945

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0993 MUSIC

Pete Cosey

1943 - 2012

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1006 NOVELIST

James Kahn

Born 1947

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1029 BASKET

Cazzie Russell

Born 1944

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1031 MUSIC

Murphy Dunne

Born 1942

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1032 BILLIONAIRE

Sam Zell

Born 1941

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1033 BIOLOGIST

Mark Ptashne

Born 1940

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1040 PRIEST

Wilton Daniel Gregory

Born 1947

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1042 ENGINEER

Stanley Mazor

Born 1941

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1043 FILM

Andrew Scheinman

Born 1948

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1047 PRESENTER

Pat Sajak

Born 1946

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1053 MATHEMATICIAN

Harvey Friedman

Born 1948

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1075 GUITAR

John Dawson (musician)

1945 - 2009

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1077 JUDGE

Douglas H. Ginsburg

Born 1946

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1088 SOCIOLOGIST

Scott Lash

Born 1945

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1092 POLITICIAN

Frank Collin

Born 1944

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1098 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Anita Borg

1949 - 2003

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1103 SCULPTOR

Cynthia Plaster Caster

Born 1947

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1107 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Milford H. Wolpoff

Born 1942

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1114 WORKER

Evelyn Einstein

1941 - 2011

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1119 TRADER

Richard Dennis

Born 1949

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1121 ACTOR

Jennifer Bassey

Born 1942

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1125 ACTOR

Carol Wayne

1942 - 1985

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1130 POLITICIAN

Joe E. Kernan

1946 - 2020

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1135 MATHEMATICIAN

Lynn Steen

1941 - 2015

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1140 POLITICIAN

Bob Miller (Nevada governor)

Born 1945

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1144 BIOCHEMIST

Nadrian Seeman

Born 1945

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1152 ACTOR

Lani Hall

Born 1944

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1158 JOURNALIST

Jack Cafferty

Born 1942

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1165 PALAEONTOLOGIST

Storrs L. Olson

Born 1944

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1166 ACTOR

Guy Boyd (actor)

Born 1943

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1186 AUTHOR

Jack Miles

Born 1942

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1204 COMPOSER

Danny Seraphine

Born 1948

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1218 NOVELIST

Jerry Ahern

1946 - 2012

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1227 MUSIC

John Klemmer

Born 1946

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1246 POET

Marc Smith (poet)

Born 1949

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1258 JOURNALIST

James Carroll (author)

Born 1943

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1261 MUSIC

Walter Parazaider

Born 1945

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1264 JOURNALIST

Sidney Blumenthal

Born 1948

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1273 POLITICIAN

Edwin Feulner

Born 1941

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1277 COMPOSER

Jim Jacobs

Born 1942

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1288 HISTORIAN

Carol Gluck

Born 1941

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1297 FILM

Michael Shamberg

Born 1945

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1301 NOVELIST

Phyllis Eisenstein

Born 1946

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1304 JOURNALIST

Brian Ross (journalist)

Born 1948

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1317 POLITICIAN

Steven Schiff

1947 - 1998

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1329 BANDLEADER

Jim McNeely

Born 1949

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1333 PHYSICIST

Jeffrey Satinover

Born 1947

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1347 ASTRONOMER

Ed Krupp

Born 1944

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1350 FILM

Thom Andersen

Born 1943

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1354 ECONOMIST

Martin Neil Baily

Born 1945

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1366 POLICE

Jon Burge

1947 - 2018

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1375 PSYCHOLOGIST

Robert Plomin

Born 1948

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1406 ACTOR

Karyn Kupcinet

1941 - 1963

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1420 SCREENWRITER

Caroline Kava

Born 1949

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1435 PUBLISHER

Cathie Black

Born 1944

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1451 WRITER

Bill Granger (author)

1941 - 2012

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1452 DRIVER

Hurley Haywood

Born 1948

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1453 DIPLOMAT

Stuart E. Eizenstat

Born 1943

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1462 ECONOMIST

Harvey S. Rosen

Born 1949

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1475 FOOTBALL

Ron Yary

Born 1946

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1477 FILM

Gary Sherman (director)

Born 1945

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1478 SAXOPHONIST

Don Myrick

1940 - 1993

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1493 WRITER

Bonnie Greer

Born 1948

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1518 MATHEMATICIAN

Roger Evans Howe

Born 1945

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1524 RESEARCH

Philip Altbach

Born 1941

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1525 BASEBALL

Fritz Peterson

Born 1942

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1538 BASKET

Lonnie Lynn

1943 - 2014

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1553 SINGER

Jerry Portnoy

Born 1943

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1595 JOURNALIST

Robert Sheaffer

Born 1949

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1606 WRITER

David Satter

Born 1947

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1613 ENTREPRENEUR

Richard Driehaus

Born 1942

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1628 PRODUCER

Eugene Record

1940 - 2005

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1629 HISTORIAN

Jack N. Rakove

Born 1947

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1630 HISTORIAN

Linda Gordon

Born 1940

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1635 SCREENWRITER

Alice Arlen

1940 - 2016

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1637 ACTOR

Constance McCashin

Born 1947

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1638 BIOLOGIST

Richard Klein (paleoanthropologist)

Born 1941

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1639 POET

Franklin Rosemont

1943 - 2009

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1655 CINEMA

Steven Poster

Born 1944

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1656 ALDERMAN

Edward M. Burke

Born 1943

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1664 WRITER

John Ankerberg

Born 1945

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1676 MUSIC

John Panozzo

1948 - 1996

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1677 WRITER

Larry Heinemann

1944 - 2019

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1679 PRIEST

Jerome E. Listecki

Born 1949

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1685 POLITICIAN

Gretchen Dutschke-Klotz

Born 1942

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1688 MUSIC

Dodie Stevens

Born 1946

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1693 NOVELIST

Stuart Dybek

Born 1942

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1697 ACTOR

Warren Burton

1944 - 2017

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1700 POLITICIAN

David Orr

Born 1944

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1703 DIPLOMAT

Richard S. Williamson

1949 - 2013

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1714 ACTOR

Richard Newman (actor)

Born 1949

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1716 WIFE OF

Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford

Born 1947

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1726 POLITICIAN

Marty Russo

Born 1944

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1736 GUITAR

Chuck Panozzo

Born 1948

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1748 PHOTOGRAPHER

Jack Dykinga

Born 1943

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1762 POLITICIAN

Paul B. Henry

1942 - 1993

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1768 ASTRONAUT

Charles L. Veach

1944 - 1995

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1777 MUSIC

Eddie Blazonczyk

1941 - 2012

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1799 ACTOR

Peter Maloney (actor)

Born 1944

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1813 ACTOR

Diane Hegarty

Born 1942

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1815 PHOTOGRAPHER

Howard Schatz

Born 1940

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1825 ACTOR

Chelsea Brown

1947 - 2017

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1831 NOVELIST

Sue Miller

Born 1943

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1848 FOOTBALL

Jim Grabowski

Born 1944

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1859 ACTOR

Charles Levin (actor)

1949 - 2019

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1860 SINGER

James Young (American musician)

Born 1949

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1873 MUSIC

Frances-Marie Uitti

Born 1948

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1880 AUTHOR

Judy Grahn

Born 1940

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1886 PSYCHOLOGIST

Robert S. Siegler

Born 1949

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1889 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

David Collier (political scientist)

Born 1942

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1892 KILLER

Ronald Gene Simmons

1940 - 1990

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1899 ACTOR

Don Keith Opper

Born 1949

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1900 MUSIC

Chuck Domanico

1944 - 2002

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1908 SINGER

Laura Lee

Born 1945

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1926 FINANCIER

Lewis Eisenberg

Born 1942

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1934 BASKET

Tony Barone

1946 - 2019

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1949 ECONOMIST

Nicolaus Tideman

Born 1943

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1960 MUSIC

Oscar Brashear

Born 1944

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1976 MUSIC

Thurman Barker

Born 1948

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1977 ACTOR

Laurie Heineman

Born 1948

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1982 PSYCHIATRIST

Gabriel Cousens

Born 1943

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1990 WRITER

Scott Baker (writer)

Born 1947

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1991 COMPOSER

James Di Pasquale

Born 1941

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2009 CARTOONIST

Justin Green (cartoonist)

Born 1945

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2019 JOURNALIST

John Judis

Born 1941

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2035 OCCULTIST

Christopher Hyatt

1943 - 2008

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2039 LAWYER

Jim Ryan (politician)

Born 1946

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2044 INVESTIGATOR

Anthony Pellicano

Born 1944

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2045 SINGER

Billy Butler (singer)

1945 - 2015

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2048 BIOCHEMIST

Art Robinson

Born 1942

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2050 MUSIC

Daniel Albright

1945 - 2015

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2096 SCULPTOR

Senga Nengudi

Born 1943

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2115 MUSIC

Corky Siegel

Born 1943

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2149 MATHEMATICIAN

Donald Geman

Born 1943

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2153 JOURNALIST

Diane Francis

Born 1946

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2157 PIANIST

Jerome Cooper

1946 - 2015

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2181 CHEMIST

Donald Truhlar

Born 1944

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2194 CHOREOGRAPHER

Lar Lubovitch

Born 1943

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2201 DRUMMER

David Kemper

Born 1947

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2207 JOURNALIST

Nick Charles (sportscaster)

1946 - 2011

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2215 SKATER

Ronald Joseph

Born 1944

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2258 CHEMIST

Larry E. Overman

Born 1943

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2266 BUSINESS

Peter Morton

Born 1947

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2270 POET

Bruce Andrews

Born 1948

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2272 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Eugene Charniak

Born 1946

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2273 PAINTER

Gladys Nilsson

Born 1940

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2284 ACTOR

Frank Novak

Born 1945

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2296 SKATER

Vivian Joseph

Born 1948

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2305 PALAEONTOLOGIST

Frederick Schram

Born 1943

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2308 HISTORIAN

Arnold Krammer

1941 - 2018

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2322 ACTOR

Karen Montgomery

1949 - 2015

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2324 GUITAR

Drake Levin

1946 - 2009

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2326 ACTOR

Jonathan Hadary

Born 1948

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2333 ACTIVIST

Miss Major Griffin-Gracy

Born 1940

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2334 POLITICIAN

Andrea Seastrand

Born 1941

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2343 NOVELIST

Edward M. Lerner

Born 1949

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2380 LOBBYIST

Tony Podesta

Born 1943

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2381 MUSIC

Randy Sandke

Born 1949

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2384 PHILOSOPHER

Jay Rosenberg

1942 - 2008

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2397 PRIEST

Gerald Frederick Kicanas

Born 1941

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2402 WRITER

Karen Cushman

Born 1941

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2404 JOURNALIST

William Nack

1941 - 2018

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2417 MUSIC

Fred Hopkins

1947 - 1999

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2435 RABBI

Nosson Tzvi Finkel (Mir)

1943 - 2011

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2437 ARTIST

Penelope Rosemont

Born 1942

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2451 MODEL

Jennifer Jackson (model)

Born 1945

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2454 JOURNALIST

Ann Compton

Born 1947

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2463 ASTRONOMER

Andrew Ingersoll

Born 1940

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2470 LAWYER

James Zagel

Born 1941

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