Born: November 29, 1892 Died: September 1984 Ohio connection: Birth Frankfort Eugene Holloway Roseboom, son of Emerson Beard and Sarah Alice (Miller) Roseboom, was born in 1892 in Frankfort, Ohio. He received a B.A. in 1914, and an M.A. in 1916, both from Ohio State University. He taught high school classes in Mt. Vernon, Ohio, from 1916 …
Read More Roseboom, Eugene HollowayBorn: 1978 Ohio connection: Birth Cleveland James Renner, novelist, freelance journalist, and former newspaper editor, graduated from Kent State University in 2000 with a degree in English. He has also taught creative writing. Renner’s nonfiction books focus on unsolved crimes and strange stories from Ohio. While working as a staff writer for the alternative weekly, Cleveland Scene …
Read More James RennerBorn: March 9, 1904Died: October 1, 1983 Ohio connection: Birth Springfield Marion Renick was born Marion Lewis, the daughter of Bertram Charles and Anna (Washway) Lewis, in 1904 in Springfield, Ohio. From early childhood, she was an avid sports enthusiast and played various games on the sports fields at nearby Wittenberg University (WU) as well …
Read More Marion RenickBorn: April 30, 1888Died: July 3, 1974 Ohio connection: Resident Gambier Poet, editor, educator, and literary critic John Crowe Ransom was the son of Methodist minister John James Ransom (also a noted scholar and linguist) and Sara Ella (neé Crowe) Ransom. Born April 30, 1888 in Pulaski, Tennessee, Ransom was educated at home until, in …
Read More John Crowe RansomBorn: 1962 Ohio connection: Resident Cleveland Rick Porrello is a veteran Cleveland-area police officer who grew up in a family with Mafia roots. His grandfather and three of his uncles were mob leaders who were killed during Prohibition-era violence. His popular book, The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia (1995), grew out of research on his family. …
Read More Rick PorrelloBorn: January 2, 1900Died: May 10, 1980 Ohio connection: Birth Delphos Leslie Copus Peltier, son of Stanley William and Resa (Copus) Peltier, was born in 1900 in Delphos, Ohio. Growing up on a farm in the country, he quickly developed a great love for nature. His mother introduced him to the wonders of the night sky by …
Read More Leslie Copus PeltierBorn: May 31, 1898 Died: December 24, 1993 Ohio connection: Birth Bowersville A staunch practitioner of positive thinking and prayer, Norman Vincent Peale utilized mass media to share with hundreds of people his message of faith and hope. A stirring, dynamic, and innovative speaker who increased church attendance at numerous congregations, Peale was born in Bowersville, Ohio, …
Read More Peale, Norman VincentBorn: November 14, 1947Died: February 15, 2022 Ohio connection: Birth Toledo Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, journalist and satirist Patrick Jake “P.J.” O’Rourke was the son of Clifford and Delphine (née Loy) O’Rourke. After receiving his undergraduate degree in 1969 from Miami University of Ohio, O’Rourke earned an M.A. in English in 1970 from Johns …
Read More P. J. O’Rourke (Patrick Jake)Born: 1954 Ohio connection: Resident Delaware Accomplished writer and professor, Robert M. Olmstead is the son of James Paul (a factory worker) and Adeline Olmstead. He was raised on a six generation dairy farm near Keene, New Hampshire not far from the banks of the Connecticut River. He has authored the novels America by Land, A Trail of Heart’s …
Read More Robert OlmsteadBorn: September 20, 1896 Dead: August 9, 1980 Ohio connection: Birth Dover Elliott John Nugent was born in 1899 in Dover, Ohio. He was the son of playwright/producer/actor, John C. Nugent, and Grace Mary (Fertig) Nugent. At the age of four, he began a long career in film, theater, and television. He first appeared in vaudeville …
Read More Elliott John Nugent