39.9292° N, 75.2300° W

PHILADELPHIA

Most Famous People Born in Philadelphia, USA

Notable people
5,575
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1928
Most distinctive
Baseball 6.0×

The original American capital, then the capital of nothing in particular, then a sports town. Philadelphia's notables run thick through the 18th century — lawyers, philanthropists, financiers — and then settle into a long, steady output of baseball players, basketball players, jazz bandleaders, and character actors. The city has one of the highest shares of notables in organized labor of the early 20th century and one of the deepest benches of soul singers of the late 20th.

Standouts

What Philadelphia Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Philadelphia's biggest profession — 9% of all notables (482).

Philadelphia over-indexes on baseball 6.0× the global rate.

Philadelphia under-produces football — only 0.4× the global rate.

  1. Politician 482 0.7×
  2. Actor 414 1.4×
  3. Baseball 383 6.0×
  4. Basket 260 3.7×
  5. Football 251 0.4×
  6. Music 206 2.6×
  7. Lawyer 185 1.9×
  8. Singer 161 1.4×
  1. Baseball 383 6.0×
  2. Basket 260 3.7×
  3. Boxer 72 3.3×
  4. Rower 57 2.8×
  5. Music 206 2.6×
  6. Officer 84 2.3×
  7. Lawyer 185 1.9×
  8. Film 113 1.6×
  1. Football 251 0.4×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Art & Design
  • Other
All5,575
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Showing 556 of 5,575 notable people

0006 ACTOR

Richard Gere

Born 1949

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0027 ACTOR

Blythe Danner

Born 1943

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0028 CARTOONIST

Robert Crumb

Born 1943

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0030 SINGER

Patti LaBelle

Born 1944

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0036 FILM

Bruce Davison

Born 1946

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0037 ACTOR

John de Lancie

Born 1948

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0042 SINGER

Solomon Burke

1940 - 2010

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0043 SINGER

Jim Croce

1943 - 1973

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0049 SINGER

Frankie Avalon

Born 1940

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0050 SCREENWRITER

Nancy Meyers

Born 1949

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0053 ACTOR

Holland Taylor

Born 1943

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0061 ACTOR

James Rebhorn

1948 - 2014

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0078 SAXOPHONIST

Michael Brecker

1949 - 2007

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0081 SINGER

Toni Basil

Born 1943

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0091 CINEMA

Caleb Deschanel

Born 1944

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0102 SINGER

Tammi Terrell

1945 - 1970

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0111 ACTOR

John Doman

Born 1945

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0132 ACTOR

Stuart Pankin

Born 1946

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0133 PHOTOGRAPHER

Mary Ellen Mark

1940 - 2015

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0134 SINGER

Fabian Forte

Born 1943

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0149 ASTRONOMER

Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr.

Born 1941

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0150 ACTOR

Phyllis Hyman

1949 - 1995

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0152 JOURNALIST

Michael Buffer

Born 1944

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0153 CHEMIST

Karl Barry Sharpless

Born 1941

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0159 FILM

Randal Kleiser

Born 1946

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0186 GUITAR

Pat Martino

Born 1944

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0189 CORRESPONDENT

Ed Bradley

1941 - 2006

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0190 ACTOR

Veronica Hamel

Born 1943

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0192 PHILOSOPHER

Patricia Hill Collins

Born 1948

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0204 BASKET

Earl Monroe

Born 1944

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0221 ENTERTAINER

Bobby Rydell

Born 1942

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0231 ACTOR

Stephen Macht

Born 1942

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0235 FILM

Steven E. de Souza

Born 1947

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0239 ACTOR

Charles Hallahan

1943 - 1997

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0263 PHYSICIAN

Andrew Weil

Born 1942

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0273 PASTOR

Jeremiah Wright

Born 1941

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0281 FILM

Philip Casnoff

Born 1949

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0282 SCREENWRITER

Larry Bishop

Born 1948

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0291 ACTOR

Jack O'Halloran

Born 1943

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0299 PIANIST

Kenny Barron

Born 1943

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0310 ACTOR

Marion Ramsey

Born 1947

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0328 AEROSPACE

Guion Bluford

Born 1942

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0335 FILM

Jack Sholder

Born 1945

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0344 LAW

Gloria Allred

Born 1941

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0361 SHOW

Michael Medved

Born 1948

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0364 MUSIC

Jobriath

1946 - 1983

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0370 WRITER

Teller (magician)

Born 1948

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0375 POLITICIAN

Connie Mack III

Born 1940

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0382 POLITICIAN

Bob Brady

Born 1945

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0385 ACTOR

Marsha Hunt (actress, born 1946)

Born 1946

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0388 NOVELIST

James K. Morrow

Born 1947

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0401 MUSIC

David Bromberg

Born 1945

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0420 POLITICIAN

Tom Corbett

Born 1949

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0425 INVESTMENT

John Lehman

Born 1942

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0453 JOURNALIST

Richard Corliss

1944 - 2015

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0464 BOXER

Jimmy Young (boxer)

1948 - 2005

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0466 ACTOR

Ja'Net DuBois

1945 - 2020

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0471 COMPOSER

Joan La Barbara

Born 1947

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0480 SINGER

Linda Creed

1948 - 1986

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0482 MATHEMATICIAN

Mitchell Feigenbaum

1944 - 2019

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0484 WRITER

Elaine Brown

Born 1943

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0486 JOURNALIST

James Fallows

Born 1949

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0506 ACTOR

Wilhelmenia Fernandez

Born 1949

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0509 NOVELIST

Kathryn Walker

Born 1943

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0514 SCREENWRITER

Anne Spielberg

Born 1949

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0519 POLITICIAN

Marjorie Margolies

Born 1942

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0525 PRODUCER

James Mtume

Born 1947

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0529 PSYCHOLOGIST

Stanley Coren

Born 1942

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0564 FINANCIER

Stephen A. Schwarzman

Born 1947

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0570 ENVIRONMENTALIST

Ira Einhorn

1940 - 2020

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0571 MUSIC

Gail Zappa

1945 - 2015

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0575 MUSIC

Norman Connors

Born 1947

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0582 SINGER

Frankie Beverly

Born 1946

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0588 MUSIC

Joe Beck

1945 - 2008

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0603 SINGER

Willie Alexander

Born 1943

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0607 SINGER

Dee Dee Sharp

Born 1945

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0630 ACTOR

Henry Bean

Born 1945

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0634 ACTOR

J. C. Quinn

1940 - 2004

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0637 CHEMIST

Barry Trost

Born 1941

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0658 PIANIST

Marilyn Crispell

Born 1947

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0671 MUSIC

Barbara Mason

Born 1947

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0680 PSYCHOLOGIST

Judith Rodin

Born 1944

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0681 COMPOSER

Charles Earland

1941 - 1999

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0683 ACTOR

Lucy Lee Flippin

Born 1943

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0712 COMPOSER

Joe Renzetti

Born 1941

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0737 ACTOR

Jack Kehler

Born 1946

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0750 ACTOR

Robert F. Colesberry

1946 - 2004

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0773 PHILOSOPHER

John D. Caputo

Born 1940

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0779 MATHEMATICIAN

John Morgan (mathematician)

Born 1946

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0801 POLITICAL

Stan Greenberg

Born 1945

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0807 CHOREOGRAPHER

Judith Jamison

Born 1943

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0809 PHILOSOPHER

Richard Shusterman

Born 1949

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0831 PHILOSOPHER

Alan Soble

Born 1947

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0839 PAINTER

Howardena Pindell

Born 1943

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0842 WRITER

Anne Stuart

Born 1948

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0849 ARTIST

Laraaji

Born 1943

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0854 MATHEMATICIAN

Linda Preiss Rothschild

Born 1945

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0856 BASKET

Matt Guokas

Born 1944

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0861 MUSIC

Tav Falco

Born 1945

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0873 FILM

Stan Lathan

Born 1945

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0886 ACADEMIC

Joseph Felsenstein

Born 1942

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0905 PIANIST

Marc Copland

Born 1948

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0913 SCULPTOR

Albert Paley

Born 1944

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0918 BANDLEADER

Lew Tabackin

Born 1940

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0943 SCREENWRITER

Allan Cole

1943 - 2019

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0954 FOOTBALL

Leroy Kelly

Born 1942

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0963 POLITICAL SCIENTIST

Ronald Grigor Suny

Born 1940

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0970 FOOTBALL

Chuck Hughes

1943 - 1971

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0981 WRITER

E. Michael Jones

Born 1948

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0990 PHOTOGRAPHER

Martha Wilson

Born 1947

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0997 POLITICIAN

Shirley Franklin

Born 1945

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1009 MUSIC

Byard Lancaster

1942 - 2012

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1019 BASKET

Jim Lynam

Born 1941

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1023 MATHEMATICIAN

Sheldon Axler

Born 1949

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1035 PRIEST

Michael Joseph Bransfield

Born 1943

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1045 COMPOSER

Michael Bacon (musician)

Born 1949

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1048 PAINTER

Ian Hornak

1944 - 2002

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1092 AUTHOR

Jeannine Gramick

Born 1942

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1118 BASKET

Bill Melchionni

Born 1944

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1119 COMPOSER

John Whitehead (singer)

1948 - 2004

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1126 MUSIC

Denny Dias

Born 1946

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1153 BASKET

Fred Carter

Born 1945

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1184 CIVIL SERVICE

Kathleen Willey

Born 1946

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1189 SONGWRITER

Robert Hazard

1948 - 2008

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1194 SCIENCE

Allan Snyder

Born 1942

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1196 PHYSICIST

Ellery Schempp

Born 1940

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1202 BUSINESS

Merrill Cook

Born 1946

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1208 POLITICIAN

Robert W. Edgar

1943 - 2013

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1215 MATHEMATICIAN

Melvyn B. Nathanson

Born 1944

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1226 JUDGE

Edith Jones

Born 1949

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1238 BASKET

Wali Jones

Born 1942

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1241 MUSIC

Raymond Louis Kennedy

1946 - 2014

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1245 SINGER

Ingrid Croce

Born 1947

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1275 WRITER

Nancy Kilpatrick

Born 1946

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1293 DRUMMER

Eric Gravatt

Born 1947

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1306 FILM

Elinor Burkett

Born 1946

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1314 ATHLETIC

Ervin Hall

Born 1947

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1317 WRITER

Steve Sansweet

Born 1945

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1328 CHEMIST

Judith Klinman

Born 1941

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1363 POET

Ellen Bass

Born 1947

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1379 PRELATE

Edward Joseph Adams

Born 1944

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1389 POLITICIAN

Jarvis Tyner

Born 1941

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1390 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Barbara J. Grosz

Born 1948

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1391 ECONOMIST

Donald Kohn

Born 1942

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1399 CLARINET

Gregory Herbert

1947 - 1978

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1403 ENGINEER

Lee Felsenstein

Born 1945

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1406 ADVISOR

Howard Schmidt

1949 - 2017

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1413 ECONOMIST

William A. Brock

Born 1941

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1416 HISTORIAN

Nancy F. Cott

Born 1945

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1422 BASKET

Wayne Hightower

1940 - 2002

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1444 ACTOR

Barry Jenner

1941 - 2016

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1450 ENGINEER

Alan Needleman

Born 1944

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1452 NOVELIST

Stephen Goldin

Born 1947

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1458 PLAYWRIGHT

Albert Innaurato

1947 - 2017

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1459 MUSIC

Lambert Orkis

Born 1946

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1465 ARCHITECT

Herbert Muschamp

1947 - 2007

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1480 MUSICOLOGIST

Steven Feld

Born 1949

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1489 ARTIST

Charles Crumb

1942 - 1992

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1509 SINGER

Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Born 1944

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1511 WRITER

Francis Davis

Born 1946

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1535 SPORT

Mary Jane Reoch

1945 - 1993

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1555 WRITER

Lurlene McDaniel

Born 1944

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1557 SWIMMER

Stephen Rerych

Born 1946

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1568 ACADEMIC

Bruce Lincoln

Born 1948

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1573 PSYCHOLOGIST

Mark Braverman

Born 1948

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1577 FILM

Jill Godmilow

Born 1943

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1591 BASKET

Willie Sojourner

1948 - 2005

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1598 MUSIC

Linda Sharrock

Born 1947

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1599 MUSIC

Mike Richmond (musician)

Born 1948

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1601 POLITICIAN

Andrew Natsios

Born 1949

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1615 PRIEST

Joseph Martino

Born 1946

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1623 ACADEMIC

Matthew Stolper

Born 1944

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1635 SINGER

Lynda Laurence

Born 1949

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1640 BASKET

Cliff Anderson

Born 1944

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1642 SCULPTOR

Ginger Gilmour

Born 1949

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1652 NOVELIST

Mike Shepherd (author)

Born 1947

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1673 SINGER

Keith (singer)

Born 1949

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1692 SCULPTOR

Elyn Zimmerman

Born 1945

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1694 PRIEST

Joseph R. Cistone

1949 - 2018

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1701 CARTOONIST

Greg Irons

1947 - 1984

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1710 MUSIC

John Blake Jr.

1947 - 2014

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1713 ACTOR

Marki Bey

Born 1947

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1731 PHYSICIAN

Kermit Gosnell

Born 1941

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1767 MEDICAL

Henry I. Miller

Born 1947

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1770 MATHEMATICIAN

Marty Golubitsky

Born 1945

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1773 PRIEST

Francis X. DiLorenzo

1942 - 2017

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1774 NOVELIST

Cynthia Heimel

1947 - 2018

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1795 PRIEST

Joseph A. Pepe

Born 1942

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1796 BASKET

Johnny Baum

Born 1946

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1797 POLITICIAN

Michael Myers (politician)

Born 1943

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1816 NOVELIST

Joseph R. Garber

1943 - 2005

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1820 GANGSTER

Ron Previte

1943 - 2017

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1836 AUTHOR

Sheila Ferguson

Born 1947

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1843 SONGWRITER

Ron Kersey

1949 - 2005

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1849 MUSIC

Sherman Ferguson

1944 - 2006

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1853 ACTOR

Steven Kampmann

Born 1947

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1856 WRITER

Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

Born 1947

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1858 BASKET

Hubie White

Born 1940

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1862 EDITOR

David E. Stone

Born 1947

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1871 PRIEST

Joseph P. McFadden

1947 - 2013

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1874 BASEBALL

Pat Kelly (outfielder)

1944 - 2005

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1905 MATHEMATICIAN

Victor J. Katz

Born 1942

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1911 MUSIC

Tiki Fulwood

1944 - 1979

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1933 BASKET

Ollie Johnson (basketball, born 1949)

Born 1949

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1938 BASKET

Jim Washington

Born 1943

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1939 WRITER

Lawrence Davidson

Born 1945

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1950 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Alan Kotok

1941 - 2006

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1996 HISTORIAN

Noel Ignatiev

1940 - 2019

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2002 SCULPTOR

John Mercanti

Born 1943

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2010 MUSIC

Robert Conti

Born 1945

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2023 PAINTER

Barkley L. Hendricks

1945 - 2017

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2026 BOXER

James Wallington

1944 - 1988

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2045 LAWYER

David F. Girard-diCarlo

Born 1943

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2051 MUSIC

Mark Tulin

1948 - 2011

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2053 MUSIC

Spanky Wilson

Born 1947

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2063 DRIVER

Peter Ryan (racing driver)

1940 - 1962

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2069 BIOCHEMIST

Joseph R. Lakowicz

Born 1948

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2076 PHOTOGRAPHER

Deborah Willis (artist)

Born 1948

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2085 MATHEMATICIAN

David Drasin

Born 1940

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2100 ART HISTORIAN

Natalie Kampen

1944 - 2012

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2113 ACTOR

Paul Ryan (actor)

1945 - 2015

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2119 MUSIC

Danny Rapp

1941 - 1983

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2123 POLITICIAN

Dwight Clinton Jones

Born 1948

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2126 BASKET

Trooper Washington

1944 - 2004

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2130 ACTOR

Patrick Cronin (actor)

Born 1941

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2149 PSYCHOLOGIST

Arthur S. Reber

Born 1940

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2160 POLITICIAN

Robert A. Borski Jr.

Born 1948

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2171 BASKET

Eddie Mast

1948 - 1994

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2174 LAWYER

Jed S. Rakoff

Born 1943

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2187 POLITICIAN

Jim Whelan

1948 - 2017

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2189 BASKET

Fran O'Hanlon

Born 1948

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2207 SONGWRITER

Bunny Sigler

1941 - 2017

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2227 ACTOR

Julian Christopher

Born 1944

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2234 COMPOSER

Bill McGlaughlin

Born 1943

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2238 HISTORIAN

Francis R. Nicosia

Born 1944

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2264 PIANIST

Peggy Stern

Born 1948

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2269 DESIGNER

Richard Amsel

1947 - 1985

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2282 ACTOR

Dom Irrera

Born 1947

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2303 CHEMIST

Richard Bruce Silverman

Born 1946

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2314 JUDGE

William A. Fletcher

Born 1945

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2352 BIOGRAPHER

Lynn Sherr

Born 1942

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2353 MATHEMATICIAN

Daniel Kubert

1947 - 2010

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2354 FILM

Jerrold Freedman

Born 1941

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2356 SINGER

Essra Mohawk

Born 1948

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2362 BASKET

Steve Courtin

Born 1942

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2371 LAWYER

Ronald M. Shapiro

Born 1943

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2372 SONGWRITER

Kenny Gamble

Born 1943

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2380 MUSIC

Mark Andes

Born 1948

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2381 COMPOSER

Lawrence Kramer (musicologist)

Born 1946

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2393 SURGEON

Gary K. Michelson

Born 1949

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2406 OLYMPIC

Charles Horter

Born 1947

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2427 JOURNALIST

Bill Boggs

Born 1941

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2430 PRIEST

Richard Seminack

1942 - 2016

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2433 ACTOR

Gilbert Lewis (actor)

1941 - 2015

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2435 ACTOR

Bob Delegall

1945 - 2006

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2441 PUBLISHER

Ellendea Proffer

Born 1944

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2447 ACTOR

Jim Bailey (entertainer)

1949 - 2015

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2475 MATHEMATICIAN

Paul Chernoff

1942 - 2017

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2482 LAWYER

Lynne Abraham

Born 1941

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2483 LINGUIST

Frederick Newmeyer

Born 1944

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2488 PHOTOGRAPHER

Frank Stefanko

Born 1946

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2491 PROFESSOR

Mark Yudof

Born 1944

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2493 SINGER

Graham Salisbury

Born 1944

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2503 WRITER

Richard Maynard (television producer)

1942 - 2007

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2533 ACTIVIST

Jeff Jones (activist)

Born 1947

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2541 SINGER

Fayette Pinkney

1948 - 2009

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2564 POLICE

Willie L. Williams

1943 - 2016

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2579 LAWYER

Kermit Lipez

Born 1941

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2580 WRITER

Bonnie Sherr Klein

Born 1941

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2586 LIBERAL

Cary Nelson

Born 1946

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2587 LAWYER

Deborah Batts

1947 - 2020

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2594 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Sally Engle Merry

1944 - 2020

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2613 SPORT

Ray Didinger

Born 1946

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2622 FILM

Leo Braudy

Born 1941

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2624 MATHEMATICIAN

Roger David Nussbaum

Born 1944

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2627 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Warren Teitelman

1941 - 2013

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2634 MUSIC

James Lee Stanley

Born 1946

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2640 SINGER

Randy Cain

1945 - 2009

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2653 POLITICIAN

Randy Brock

Born 1943

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2654 SCULPTOR

Judith Shea

Born 1948

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2656 JOCKEY

Jerry Blavat

Born 1940

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2663 TEACHER

Andy Stapp

1944 - 2014

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2667 ACTOR

Starletta DuPois

Born 1941

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2671 BASKET

Isaiah Wilson

Born 1948

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2672 POLITICIAN

Peter Courtney

Born 1943

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2674 COMPUTER SCIENTIST

Olaf Storaasli

Born 1943

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2683 ACTOR

Tanya Berezin

Born 1941

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2692 ACTOR

Victoria Carroll

Born 1940

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2693 SONGWRITER

Joe Bonsall

Born 1948

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2702 PROFESSOR

Steve Andriole

Born 1949

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2703 COLUMNIST

Jeff Stein (author)

Born 1944

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2706 ENGINEER

Joel Fein

1944 - 2007

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2708 PSYCHOLOGIST

Robert A. Rescorla

1940 - 2020

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2720 PLAYWRIGHT

Susan Miller (playwright)

Born 1944

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2735 CARTOONIST

Carson Van Osten

1946 - 2015

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2737 COMPOSER

Joseph Fitzmartin

Born 1943

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2738 TRANSLATOR

W. S. Di Piero

Born 1945

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2743 ARTIST

Frank Bender

1941 - 2011

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2755 HISTORIAN

Willard Sterne Randall

Born 1942

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2773 SINGER

Larry Chance

Born 1940

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