R&B singer Oran “Juice” Jones was born on March 28, 1957, in Houston, Texas. However, he was reared in Harlem, New York. He is the father of seven children. Jones graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1981, receiving U.S. Marines Corps’ Scout Snipers, … Read MoreOran “Juice” Jones (1957- )
The Essex, a doo-wop R&B American quintet vocal ensemble, was formed in 1962. The band was named after Essex County, New Jersey. They were unique among R&B groups at the time in that all the founding members were also U.S. Marines. The founding members were … Read MoreThe Essex (1962-1965)
Leon Spinks was a professional boxer best known for defeating Muhammad Ali for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship in 1978. Spinks was born on July 11, 1953 to Kay Francis Spinks and Leon Spinks Sr. in St. Louis, Missouri. When Spinks was born, he became ill … Read MoreLeon Spinks (1953-2021)
Dan Bullock was the youngest member of the United States Armed Services to die in the Vietnam War. Bullock, a U.S. Marine, was fifteen years old at the time of his death. Dan Bullock was born on December 21, 1953, in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Much … Read MoreDan Bullock (1953-1969)
Insurance executive Ivan James Houston was born in Los Angeles, California on June 15, 1925 to Norman Oliver Houston and Doris Talbot (Young) Houston. He attended public schools in Los Angeles and graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in 1943. Later that year … Read MoreIvan James Houston (1925-2020)
Wilson Alexander, Sr. was the third of seven children born on in 1919 to Charles and Pearl Alexander of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. Alexander grew up in a a tight-knit community of sugar plantation sharecroppers in southern Louisiana. On July 24, 1942, he was drafted … Read MoreWilson “Ducktail” Alexander, Sr. (1919-1950)
Gene Lipscomb, also known as “Big Daddy”, is best known for his career as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). Gene Lipscomb was born on August 9, 1931, in Uniontown, Alabama. He never knew his father and when he was three years old, he moved … Read MoreGene Lipscomb (1931-1963)
Ronald Vernie Dellums was born on November 24, 1935, in Oakland, Californiato Willa Terry Dellums and Vernie Dellums. His father, Vernie Dellums, was a longshoreman, and his mother was a labor organizer. As a child, he attended St. Patrick Catholic School in Oakland. After high school, Dellums served … Read MoreRonald Vernie Dellums (1935-2018)
Lieutenant General Ronald S. Coleman is the second black person in the United States Marine Corps to reach a three-star rank, which he earned in 2006. Coleman also earned the FrenchLegion of Honor, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Defense Superior Service Medal. Coleman … Read MoreRonald S. Coleman (1948- )
Joseph W. Hatchett, the first African American Supreme Court Justice after Reconstruction in the South, was born on September 17, 1932, in Clearwater, Florida, to John and Lula Hatchett. He attended Florida A&M University, where he received a Bachelor of Political Science in 1954. Four years later in 1959, he graduated … Read MoreJoseph Woodrow Hatchett (1932-2021)
