Born: 1949 Ohio connection: Birth Cincinnati Louise Walker Borden was born in 1949 to William Lee and Louise (Crutcher) Walker. Inspired by a grandmother who loved history, Borden grew up fascinated by the stories of ordinary people and their relation to historical events. An avid reader of nonfiction and historical fiction, Borden majored in history at …
Read More Borden, LouiseBorn: February 21, 1927Died: April 22, 1996 Ohio connection: Birth Bellbrook (Dayton) Erma Louise Bombeck (nee Fiste), a columnist and best-selling author once named by the World Almanac as one of the most influential people in America, was born in Bellbrook, Ohio, on February 21, 1927, and grew up in one of the working-class neighborhoods on Hedges …
Read More Erma Louise BombeckBorn: May 28, 1929Died: November 15, 2015 Ohio connection: Resident Cincinnati Stephen Birmingham was born in 1929 in Andover, Connecticut, son of Thomas and Editha (née Gardner) Birmingham. He received a B.A. degree from Williams College in 1953 and also studied for a time in England. He married Janet Tillson in 1953 with whom he had three …
Read More Stephen BirminghamBorn: December 29, 1941Died: August 5, 2014 Ohio connection: Birth Cincinnati Born on December 29, 1941, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Joe David Bellamy was the son of Orin Ross and Beulah Pearl (Zutavern) Bellamy. He attended Duke University (1959-1961), received a BA in Literature from Antioch College in 1964, and received an MFA in English and Creative Writing from the University …
Read More Joe David BellamyBorn: June 21, 1850Died: June 11, 1941 Ohio connection: Birth Cincinnati Daniel Carter Beard, author, illustrator, and a founder of the Boy Scouts of America, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1850. Beard, the son of celebrated portrait artist James Henry Beard and Mary Caroline (Carter) Beard, developed an intense love of nature in his youth. He …
Read More Daniel Carter BeardBorn: 1965 Ohio connection: Resident Cleveland Paula McLain was born in Fresno, California in 1965. After being abandoned by both parents, she and her two sisters became wards of the California Court System, moving in and out of various foster homes for the next fourteen years. After aging out of the system, she supported herself by working …
Read More Paula McLainBorn: 1942 Ohio connection: Birth Bellaire Educator and poet, Ronald Earl McFarland, the son of Earl A. and Maxine (Stullenberger) McFarland, was born in Bellaire, Ohio, and grew up in Ohio and Florida. His education includes Brevard Junior College, A.A., 1962; Florida State University, B.A., 1963 M.A., 1965; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Ph.D., 1970. McFarland has …
Read More Ronald McFarlandFostoria Born: 1946 Ohio connection: Birth Sandra Markle was born in 1946 in Fostoria, Ohio, the daughter of Robert and Dorothy (Sauler) Haldeman. She received a B.A. degree from Bowling Green University in 1968. That same year, she married William Markle, with whom she had two children, Scott and Holly. Sandra Markle went on to do graduate …
Read More Sandra MarkleBorn: October 23, 1918Died: July 14, 2011 Ohio connection: Resident Columbus Author, writer, photographer, and illustrator James P. Barry was born in Alton, Illinois. At the age of eight, he took his first ride on a Great Lakes freighter and, soon after, learned to sail a Mackinaw boat. He graduated from University High School in Normal, Illinois, …
Read More James P. BarryUrbana Born: March 4, 1869 Ohio connection: Birth Brand Whitlock was born in 1869 in Urbana, Ohio, to the Rev. Elias and Molly Lavinia (Brand) Whitlock. He was raised in the Methodist Church and was greatly influenced by the church and his father. He was first educated at home and later at a public high school in …
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