The Ohio Players who first called themselves the Ohio Untouchables, was a pioneering vocal and instrumental funk ensemble out of Dayton, Ohio. Established in 1959, the group comprised its organizer, pianist/principal vocalist Walter Morrison, trumpeters Bruce Napier and Marvin Pierce, vocalist/bass player Marshall Jones, saxophonist/guitarist … Read MoreThe Ohio Players (1959-1980)
The O’Jays, an R&B ensemble from Canton, Ohio, was formed in 1958 by childhood friends Eddie Levert, who was born in Bessemer, Alabama in 1942 and moved to Canton at the age of 8, and Walter Williams, Sr. born in Canton in 1942. They became … Read MoreThe O’Jays (1958-2019)
Meredith C. Gourdine was an American engineer, athlete, and inventor. He primarily focused on electrogasdynamics systems which refer to generating energy from the motion of gas molecules that have been electrically charged under pressure. He is considered a pioneer in the field and specialized in … Read MoreMeredith C. Gourdine (1929-1998)
Joseph L. Graves Jr. is a renowned geneticist and the first African American evolutionary biologist. Currently an Associate Dean for research and a professor of biological sciences at North Carolina A&T University, Graves’ professional work is rooted in the evolutionary genetics of aging and untangling genetic … Read MoreJoseph L. Graves, Jr. (1955- )
Motivational speaker Dennis Paul Kimbro was born December 29, 1950, in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Donald Kimbro, a World War II Veteran from Bellaire, Ohio, and Mary Elizabeth Anderson Kimbro, a housekeeper from Baltimore, Maryland. He was reared in East Orange and Teaneck, New … Read MoreDennis Paul Kimbro (1950- )
Diplomat, Historian, Poet, Frenise Avedis Logan, Sr. was born September 30, 1920, in Albany, Georgia but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Both of his parents were educators and he had one brother. In 1938, Logan enrolled in Fisk University and participated in basketball, tennis, track … Read MoreFrenise Avedis Logan, Sr. (1920-1995)
Sloane Stephens is an American tennis player, born in Plantation, Florida on March 20, 1993. Her father John played for the New England Patriots, and her mother Sybil (Smith) was the first woman to be named a first team All-American swimmer in Division one history. … Read MoreSloane Stephens (1993- )
College athelete John “Jack” Green Trice, an only child, was born on May 12, 1902, in Hiram, Ohio to Green and Ann W. (Wilcoxson) Trice. Green Trice, a former Buffalo Soldier in the 10th Cavalry, was from Hardeman County, Tennessee, and Ann Trice was from … Read MoreJohn “Jack” Green Trice (1902-1923)
Composer, baritone, pianist, lyricist, and actor John Legend was born John Roger Stephens on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio, to Ronald Lamar Stephens, a percussionist, and handcrafter and Phyllis Elaine Lloyd, a seamstress and Choir Director. He was surrounded by music at home and … Read MoreJohn Legend/John Roger Stephens (1978- )
Tuskegee Airman Rudolph “Val” Archer was born in Woodlawn, a South Side neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois on April 13, 1929 to Osborn Archer, railroad laborer, and artist and homemaker Ruth Luella Seay. Ruth Archer passed away when Rudolph was twelve, and he began to deliver … Read MoreRudolph “Val” Archer (1929-2020)
