Fall 2021
For many of us, Fall is our favorite season. We welcome cooler days and beautiful trees as we anticipate family gatherings and good weather for traveling. I have been reflecting on how fortunate we are to live in this beautiful state.
Our state is not only blessed with year-round scenic beauty, but it also claims many famous people. It will be both fun and educational to visit some of these people both online and IRL. I have researched just a few to help you get started.
I don’t think we can talk about famous Missourians without mentioning Samuel Langhorn Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. MarkTwainMuseum.org contains many other URLs about Mark Twain including the cave, his books and other information in Hannibal. I am sure that most of us have visited there, but I learn something new every time that I go.
An equally obvious choice for this listing is the 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman. This link to the Truman Library (TrumanLibrary.gov) will help you learn more about this man who rose from a simple farm near Lamar, Missouri (CityOfLamar.org) to the highest office in the land. He held office during the years of World War II and never forgot his Missouri roots. His library in Independence just opened after a $30 million renovation and is something all Missourians should visit IRL.
The poet T. S. Eliot was born in St. Louis. His grandfather was one of the founders of Washington University of St. Louis (wustl.edu). Eliot was a Nobel prize winner for literature in 1948. His collection of poems, “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” was the basis for the Broadway musical “Cats”. Learn more about him at PoetryFoundation.org/poets/t-s-eliot.
Another Missouri artist is Chuck Berry (Biography.com/musician/chuck-berry) who was born in St. Louis. He is considered to the the father of rock ‘n’ roll and his song “Maybellene” is often considered to be the first rock ‘n’ roll song. Berry had a long and successful music career. I have visited his now closed nightclub, The Southern Air, in Wentzville. He died in his Wentzville home at age 90. His music appealed to both white and black youth. He once said, “I made records for people who would buy them. No color, no ethnic, no political—I don’t want that, never did.’’
Ginger Rogers (OwensRogersMuseum.com) was born in Independence in 1911. She became famous as Fred Astair’s dance partner.
A great baseball player, John Wesley Donaldson (mlb.com/history/negro-leagues/players/john-donaldson) was born and began his baseball career in Glasgow (GlasgowMo.com). John was descried by Satchel Paige as “…the greatest left handed pitcher that ever lived” Because baseball was segregated, he never played in the majors, but was a founding member of the Kansas City Monarchs and played on numerous Negro League teams. His hometown recently dedicated its high school baseball field in his honor.
We could fill this magazine with famous Missourians, but I only have the space for this column. That means I’ll have to only mention a few more in passing. Rap musician Eminem from St. Joseph, Actress Kathleen Turner from Springfield, actor John Goodman from Afton, Vincent Price and Phyllis Diller from St. Louis, actor Steve McQueen from Slater and many more.
We come from a great state and we share our heritage with many famous people. If we cross paths on the information highway or in real life, be sure to say hello. That is the kind of friendliness that makes us all famous.
J.Y. Miller lives in Glasgow and is a regular contributor to Show-Me Missouri. His e-mail address is jymiller@ShowMeMissouri.net.
Our state is not only blessed with year-round scenic beauty, but it also claims many famous people. It will be both fun and educational to visit some of these people both online and IRL. I have researched just a few to help you get started.
I don’t think we can talk about famous Missourians without mentioning Samuel Langhorn Clemens, better known as Mark Twain. MarkTwainMuseum.org contains many other URLs about Mark Twain including the cave, his books and other information in Hannibal. I am sure that most of us have visited there, but I learn something new every time that I go.
An equally obvious choice for this listing is the 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman. This link to the Truman Library (TrumanLibrary.gov) will help you learn more about this man who rose from a simple farm near Lamar, Missouri (CityOfLamar.org) to the highest office in the land. He held office during the years of World War II and never forgot his Missouri roots. His library in Independence just opened after a $30 million renovation and is something all Missourians should visit IRL.
The poet T. S. Eliot was born in St. Louis. His grandfather was one of the founders of Washington University of St. Louis (wustl.edu). Eliot was a Nobel prize winner for literature in 1948. His collection of poems, “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” was the basis for the Broadway musical “Cats”. Learn more about him at PoetryFoundation.org/poets/t-s-eliot.
Another Missouri artist is Chuck Berry (Biography.com/musician/chuck-berry) who was born in St. Louis. He is considered to the the father of rock ‘n’ roll and his song “Maybellene” is often considered to be the first rock ‘n’ roll song. Berry had a long and successful music career. I have visited his now closed nightclub, The Southern Air, in Wentzville. He died in his Wentzville home at age 90. His music appealed to both white and black youth. He once said, “I made records for people who would buy them. No color, no ethnic, no political—I don’t want that, never did.’’
Ginger Rogers (OwensRogersMuseum.com) was born in Independence in 1911. She became famous as Fred Astair’s dance partner.
A great baseball player, John Wesley Donaldson (mlb.com/history/negro-leagues/players/john-donaldson) was born and began his baseball career in Glasgow (GlasgowMo.com). John was descried by Satchel Paige as “…the greatest left handed pitcher that ever lived” Because baseball was segregated, he never played in the majors, but was a founding member of the Kansas City Monarchs and played on numerous Negro League teams. His hometown recently dedicated its high school baseball field in his honor.
We could fill this magazine with famous Missourians, but I only have the space for this column. That means I’ll have to only mention a few more in passing. Rap musician Eminem from St. Joseph, Actress Kathleen Turner from Springfield, actor John Goodman from Afton, Vincent Price and Phyllis Diller from St. Louis, actor Steve McQueen from Slater and many more.
We come from a great state and we share our heritage with many famous people. If we cross paths on the information highway or in real life, be sure to say hello. That is the kind of friendliness that makes us all famous.
J.Y. Miller lives in Glasgow and is a regular contributor to Show-Me Missouri. His e-mail address is jymiller@ShowMeMissouri.net.