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 817 of 7,467 notable people

5183 POLITICIAN

Nancy Boettger

Born 1943

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5185 SHOW

Nikki Haskell

Born 1940

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5207 RABBI

Jonathan V. Plaut

1942 - 2012

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5224 SPORT

Joe Tyler (bobsleigh)

Born 1948

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5229 FOOTBALL

Walt Barnes (defensive lineman)

Born 1944

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5261 PHYSICIAN

Thomas P. Stossel

1941 - 2019

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5288 MURDER

Nicholas Calabrese

Born 1942

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5294 MUSIC

Larry Karush

1946 - 2013

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5296 WRITER

Rob Swigart

Born 1941

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5314 POLITICIAN

Rosemary Mulligan

1941 - 2014

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5316 COACH

James McKinley (American football)

1945 - 2012

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5327 POLITICIAN

Sharon Nordgren

Born 1943

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5334 BUSINESS

John F. Sandner

Born 1941

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5337 BASEBALL

George Kopacz

Born 1941

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5362 ORGANIST

Nancy Faust

Born 1947

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5367 TRAINER

Jon Cole (weightlifter)

1943 - 2013

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5371 JOURNALIST

Carolyn Craven

1944 - 2000

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5385 FOOTBALL

Ken Kortas

Born 1942

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5388 LAWYER

Jill Wine-Banks

Born 1945

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5396 WRITER

Camarin Grae

Born 1941

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5403 INVESTOR

John Calamos

Born 1940

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5408 SENATE

John G. Levi

Born 1948

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5409 COMPOSER

Amanda Husberg

Born 1940

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5420 POET

Lee Gurga

Born 1949

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5422 POLITICIAN

Robert H. Brink

Born 1946

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5436 PRODUCER

Carl Bonafede

Born 1940

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5437 FILM

Mary Pat Kelly

Born 1944

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5452 NEUROSCIENTIST

Paul Patterson (neuroscientist)

1943 - 2014

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5468 FOOTBALL

Ron Smith (defensive back)

1943 - 2013

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5483 ASTRONOMER

Robert Schommer

1946 - 2001

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5486 FOOTBALL

Joe Beauchamp

1944 - 2020

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5489 DIPLOMAT

Aurelia E. Brazeal

Born 1943

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5492 WRITER

Susan RoAne

Born 1945

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5499 POLITICIAN

John P. Daley

Born 1946

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5509 CONVICT

Michelle Kosilek

Born 1949

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5510 BASEBALL

Dick Rusteck

Born 1941

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5516 WORKER

Maryann Krieglstein

Born 1944

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5524 BASEBALL

Larry Bradford

1949 - 1998

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5526 FOOTBALL

Tom Keating (American football)

1942 - 2012

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5535 BIOLOGIST

Jerrold Howard Zar

Born 1941

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5537 FOOTBALL

Ted Watkins

1941 - 1968

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5539 COLUMNIST

Jamie Foster Brown

Born 1946

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5542 MUSIC

Douglas Killmer

1947 - 2005

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5543 LAWYER

Gary Sherman (politician)

Born 1949

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5559 STUNT

Marc Wolff

Born 1947

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5568 LAWYER

Joseph S. Van Bokkelen

Born 1943

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5577 FOOTBALL

Lee Bernet

Born 1944

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5581 LAWYER

Geoffrey Cowan

Born 1942

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5593 SINGER

Holle Thee Maxwell

Born 1945

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5605 LAWYER

Marilyn Skoglund

Born 1946

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5607 POLITICIAN

Aaron Dixon

Born 1949

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5608 JOURNALIST

Toni Schlesinger

Born 1946

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5625 POLITICIAN

Jim Barone

Born 1941

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5629 POLITICIAN

Maggie Crotty

Born 1948

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5631 POLITICIAN

Barbara Alby

1946 - 2012

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5636 HISTORIAN

Iris Berger

Born 1941

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5643 POLITICIAN

Cherylin Peniston

Born 1948

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5644 COACH

Pete Rodriguez (American football)

1940 - 2014

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5647 LAWYER

Jeremiah E. Joyce

Born 1943

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5658 OFFICER

Jeffrey Feinstein

Born 1945

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5665 NOVELIST

Susan Kerslake

Born 1943

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5670 ACTIVIST

Peter J. Countryman

1942 - 1992

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5685 MUSIC

Leonard Jones (Bassist)

Born 1943

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5694 PRODUCER

George Paulus

1948 - 2014

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5698 MATHEMATICIAN

Joel Robbin

Born 1941

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5705 SOLDIER

Milton L. Olive III

1946 - 1965

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5716 MILITAR

William S. Wallace

Born 1946

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5721 POLITICIAN

Denny Doyle (politician)

Born 1949

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5723 POLITICIAN

Karen Hasara

Born 1940

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5737 FOOTBALL

John Spilis

Born 1947

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5775 SECRETARY

Douglas A. Brook

Born 1944

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5781 PHOTOGRAPHER

Barbara Sonneborn

Born 1944

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5804 ART DEALER

Harley Baldwin

1945 - 2005

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5811 DESIGNER

Kay Unger

Born 1945

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5818 MUSIC

Larry Nestor

Born 1940

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5844 CHEF

Karyn Calabrese

Born 1947

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5854 BUSINESS

Michael R. Quinlan

Born 1944

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5891 DESIGNER

Jim Roslof

1946 - 2011

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5895 BUSINESS

Nicholas J. Pritzker

Born 1945

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5901 POLITICIAN

Constance A. Howard

Born 1942

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5915 MILITAR

Allen James Lynch

Born 1945

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5922 SKATER

Neil Blatchford

Born 1945

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5924 COACH

Russ Purnell

Born 1948

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5931 PHOTOGRAPHER

Bob Mader

1943 - 2005

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5933 PIANIST

Ray Skjelbred

Born 1940

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5937 PHYSICIST

William J. Nellis

Born 1943

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5948 ANNOUNCER

Lawrence Tanter

Born 1947

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5961 PHYSICIST

Vic Elias

1948 - 2006

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5970 LAWYER

Merle Chambers

Born 1946

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5971 ACTIVIST

Vernita Gray

1948 - 2014

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5978 WRITER

Roger Simon (journalist)

Born 1948

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5979 GOLF

Gary Groh

Born 1944

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6000 CRIMINOLOGIST

Joseph R. Kozenczak

1940 - 2015

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6001 JOCKEY

Mary Bacon

1948 - 1991

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6003 ADVISOR

Ronald S. Mangum

Born 1944

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6007 SPORT

Bob Krause (athletic director)

1945 - 2015

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6008 BASKET

Wayne Rasmussen

Born 1942

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6012 DESIGNER

Loree Rodkin

Born 1949

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6021 JUDGE

Thomas C. Wheeler

Born 1948

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6038 PSYCHOLOGIST

Carol S. Pearson

Born 1944

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6039 HISTORIAN

Dominic Candeloro

Born 1940

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6041 BASEBALL

Tony Torchia

Born 1943

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6058 BASEBALL

John Boles (baseball)

Born 1948

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6071 MILITAR

Harold A. Fritz

Born 1944

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6077 JOURNALIST

Edward J. Walsh

1942 - 2014

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6086 SAXOPHONIST

Marty Grebb

1946 - 2020

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6095 BASEBALL

Scott Reid (baseball)

Born 1947

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6107 POET

Sarah Menefee

Born 1946

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6118 COMPOSER

Lee Burswold

1941 - 2017

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6121 FOOTBALL

Gregg Schumacher

Born 1942

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6126 BOTANIST

Erwin F. Evert

1940 - 2010

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6133 CHEMIST

Brian M. Hoffman

Born 1941

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6137 PSYCHIATRIST

Carl Bell (physician)

1947 - 2019

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6154 PLAYBOY PLAYMATE

Gloria Root

1948 - 2006

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6156 SONGWRITER

Johnny Laws

Born 1943

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6187 INVESTOR

Arthur P. Becker

Born 1949

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6198 POLITICIAN

Norma Burgos

Born 1942

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6209 SCULPTOR

Mary Curtis Ratcliff

Born 1942

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6230 COMPOSER

Alan Mauritz Swanson

Born 1941

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6233 HANDBALL

Richard Schlesinger (handballer)

Born 1946

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6234 LAWYER

Thomas A. Demetrio

Born 1947

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6258 ARTIST

Pippa Garner

Born 1942

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6268 BASEBALL

John Felske

Born 1942

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6278 OFFICER

Richard W. Mies

Born 1944

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6292 FOOTBALL

George Burman

Born 1942

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6299 PLAYER

Bill Klein (businessman)

Born 1948

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6301 ENGINEER

Gary Ridley (transport director)

Born 1945

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6311 BASEBALL

Dennis O'Toole

Born 1949

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6318 LAWYER

George Eighmey

Born 1941

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6322 MILITAR

James Mukoyama

Born 1944

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6344 PAINTER

Dellamarie Parrilli

Born 1949

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6371 PSYCHOLOGIST

Norman Adler

Born 1941

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6384 POLITICIAN

Lynne Leach

Born 1940

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6385 SPRINT

Ernestine Pollards

Born 1942

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6386 FOOTBALL

Chuck Logan (American football)

Born 1943

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6403 POLICE

Renault Robinson

Born 1942

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6419 FOOTBALL

Ed Hoerster

Born 1941

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6427 MUSIC

Martin Brody

Born 1949

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6462 FOOTBALL

Bob Sherlag

Born 1943

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6472 BASEBALL

Rick Huckabay

1946 - 2006

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6476 PLAYER

Mike Smolen

1940 - 1992

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6501 ATHLETIC

Lacey O'Neal

Born 1944

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6506 MUSIC

Al Ciner

Born 1947

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6518 FOOTBALL

Chuck Winfrey

Born 1949

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6525 POET

Tina DeRosa

1944 - 2007

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6532 MUSIC

Art Turk Burton

Born 1949

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6536 SPORT

Patrick J. Gallagher

Born 1949

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6552 LAWYER

George Euripides Tragos

Born 1949

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6559 WRITER

Robert Lieber

Born 1941

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6567 BOTANIST

Jerold L. Grashoff

1945 - 1976

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6586 MILITAR

Malcolm Ross O'Neill

Born 1940

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6599 CAMPAIGN

Will E. Jackson

Born 1945

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6608 COACH

Ron Ballatore

1941 - 2012

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6611 SINGER

Little Ann (singer)

1945 - 2003

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6617 FOOTBALL

John Meyer (American football)

1942 - 2020

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6624 MUSIC

Marilyn Middleton Pollock

Born 1947

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6633 ACTOR

Jim Hager

1941 - 2008

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6649 MISSING

Roger Bossard

Born 1949

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6651 PHOTOGRAPHER

Jay W. Boersma

Born 1947

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6652 WRITER

Juan Pascoe

Born 1946

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6656 CHEMIST

William H. Fenical

Born 1941

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6662 DESIGNER

Michael Kutza

Born 1942

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6665 WRITER

William Swank

Born 1940

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6682 POLITICIAN

Marilyn Reid

Born 1941

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6715 COMPOSER

Raynard Miner

Born 1946

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6732 POLITICIAN

Elga L. Jefferies

Born 1946

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6748 FOOTBALL

Rich Coady (center)

Born 1944

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6754 ENGINEER

Hank Magnuski

Born 1944

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6774 JUDGE

Larry Kirkwood

Born 1941

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6778 PAINTER

John Himmelfarb

Born 1946

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6789 DANCER

Libby Komaiko

1949 - 2019

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6790 WRITER

Gene Lancour

Born 1947

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6810 LAWYER

Ed Genson

1942 - 2020

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6814 ASESIN

Fred Goldman

Born 1940

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6840 LAWYER

Richard A. Devine

Born 1943

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6858 MUSIC

Claude Lawrence

Born 1944

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6859 POLITICIAN

John Mockler (politician)

1941 - 2015

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6861 ALDERMAN

Bernie Hansen

Born 1944

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6876 ACTOR

Jeff Glassman

Born 1949

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6879 PAINTER

Fern Shaffer

Born 1944

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6885 FOOTBALL

Keith Kinderman

1940 - 2018

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6891 SENIOR ANALYST

Fritz Ermarth

Born 1941

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6895 ACTOR

Sly Smith

Born 1949

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6920 SINGER

Bill Quateman

Born 1947

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6957 FOOTBALL

George Donnelly (American football)

Born 1942

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6963 FOOTBALL

Dan Goich

Born 1944

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6978 SPORT

Bob Gajda

Born 1940

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6996 ATTORNEY

William L. Murphy

1944 - 2010

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7003 MUSIC

Frank Luther (Bassist)

Born 1944

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7010 ROWER

Bill Purdy

Born 1946

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7035 BASKET

Dorothy Gaters

Born 1946

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7054 WRITER

Tom Huening

Born 1942

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7061 CONDUCTOR

Margaret Rosezarian Harris

1943 - 2000

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7081 CURATOR

Ron Linden

Born 1940

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7086 SCIENTIST

Warren F. (Pete) Miller Jr.

Born 1943

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7174 PHOTOGRAPHER

Jeff Lyon

Born 1945

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7187 POLITICIAN

Don Frankenfeld

Born 1948

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7196 CONDUCTOR

Harry Petersen

Born 1946

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7199 SKIER

Joe McNulty

Born 1949

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7211 POLITICIAN

Glenn Dawson

Born 1944

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7238 SPORT

Barb Lockhart

Born 1941

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7239 BASEBALL

Len Church

1942 - 1988

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7303 POLITICIAN

Ann Stepan

1943 - 2015

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7314 PROFESSOR

Chuck Kleinhans

1942 - 2017

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7319 PAINTER

Sarah Bachrodt

Born 1944

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7350 POLITICIAN

Mark Koenker

Born 1947

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7356 SINGER

Ann E. Ward

1949 - 2016

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7358 BISHOP

John W. Howe (bishop)

Born 1942

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7371 POLITICIAN

John Bushemi (politician)

Born 1948

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7408 DIPLOMAT

Robert G. Houdek

1940 - 2010

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7409 MUSIC

Aaron Dodd

1948 - 2010

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7417 POLITICIAN

Susan Catania

Born 1941

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7447 PHYSICIST

Norton Lang

Born 1940

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7450 SPORT

Ralph Hill (American football)

Born 1949

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7460 FILM

Gail Levin (filmmaker)

1946 - 2013

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7464 POLITICIAN

Liane Sorenson

Born 1947

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7466 POLITICIAN

Sheila Sorensen

Born 1947

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