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FAMOUS FOLKS
ST. LOUIS HISTORY 101
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By
Susan Caba
Joe Edwards, quiet impresario of the Delmar Loop, paused between
bites of his grilled ham and cheese sandwich at Blueberry Hill,
to consider the question: Which personalities on the St. Louis
Walk of Fame were his favorites?
Off the cuff, he names two: Lucille Mulhall, the country’s first
cowgirl and Evarts A. Graham, a preeminent Washington University
surgeon who was the first to remove a lung as a treatment of
cancer.
Not Betty Grable, she of the million-dollar legs, whose star
is planted in the sidewalk in front of Edwards’ Tivoli Theater.
Not Charles Lindbergh or Phyllis Diller, Lou Brock or Maya Angelou,
Leonard Slatkin, Yogi Berra or Chuck Berry, who entertains regularly
at Blueberry Hill, or any of the dozens of other more familiar
names whose stars are embedded in the six-block stretch of Delmar
Boulevard?
And that’s one of the charms of the Walk of Fame—the surprises
and the less-remembered luminaries whose St. Louis connections
have earned them membership in the exclusive open-air attraction.
Mulhall, hasn't yet made the Walk, though Edwards hopes she
does, eventually. She was a St. Louis-born blonde brought up
on an Oklahoma ranch where she learned to rope and shoot. At
14, she wowed crowds at the St. Louis World’s Fair as a star
performer (with Will Rogers) in the Wild West show. In 1904,
she beat dozens of the best roping cowboys in the West, winning
a $10,000 award and fame as the first cowgirl. She was inducted
into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1975.
Dr. Graham led the Department of Surgery at Washington University.
In 1933, he had a patient from Pennsylvania who seemed to be
suffering a lung abscess. Tests established the man had lung
cancer and Dr. Graham recommended removing the affected lobe.
But when the man’s chest was opened, the surgeon realized the
lobectomy would be futile. In an operation that had never been
done and took less than two hours, he removed the entire left
lung, along with several ribs. The man recovered quickly and
needed no further treatment.
The Walk of Fame—one of Edward’s seemingly simple ideas that
have, in two decades, rejuvenated the Loop—is unique.
It is a connecting thread for the Loop, leading pedestrians
up and down the street of boutiques, restaurants and entertainment
venues. It’s a breezy way to bone up on St. Louis trivia. It
is educational, the starting point for further learning, and
it serves as an inexpensive marketing tool for the region. It
exists both on the ground—literally—and in cyberspace at www.stlouiswalkoffame.org,
website of the non-profit organization (mostly Edwards) that
established the walk and maintains it. And, since it’s open-air,
it is accessible day and night.
Denizens of the Walk range from newsman Joseph Pulitzer whose
name is synonymous with excellence in journalism, to tennis
player Dwight Davis, who gave his name to that sport’s top prize,
the Davis Cup. The City’s heritage in literature and music,
arts and architecture, sports and science is well represented.
But not just anyone gets a star. Since Edwards came up with
the idea in 1988, only 116 nominees have been selected. The
first five years, ten people were inducted every year, to get
the Walk established. Now, no more than three make the cut.
This year’s inductees have been chosen, but not yet announced.
“It’s very difficult to get in the St. Louis Walk of Fame,”
says Edwards. “There are some wonderful singers who haven’t
made it in yet. I hope they do. A lot of Nobel Prize winners
don’t get in.”
The nomination process is easy. Anyone can send a letter to
the nominations committee at the St. Louis Walk of Fame (6504
Delmar Blvd, 63130) with the name, date and place of birth of
the nominee, along with a short history of that person’s St.
Louis connection and his or her national impact.
Each year, Edwards receives about 250 nominees. He winnows the
list to 35 or 40, and then sends it to a committee of 120 university
chancellors, previous inductees and representatives of arts
organizations, historical societies and libraries for a vote.
“You can’t buy your way in,” Edwards says, noting that, in Hollywood,
celebrities pay $15,000 to get their stars on the sidewalk.
“There is no money involved with the St. Louis Walk of Fame.”
Edwards has a deep regard for St. Louis. As he redeveloped the
Loop—restoring the Tivoli, luring restaurateurs and envisioning
projects years down the road (many of which have come to pass)—he
found himself wondering why St. Louis has produced so many creative
people.
His theory is that location, location, location made St. Louis
fertile ground for imagination and innovation. The City was
not only the gateway to the west, attracting adventurers and
fortune seekers, but was also on the main route for the nation’s
south to north migration.
“All sorts of people collided here,” he says.
Each inductee is honored with a star and a plaque giving a brief
history of his or her contribution to the culture. It’s the
plaques that set the Walk of Fame apart from similar memorials.
The little nuggets of information prompt further exploration,
either on the Walk website or by following links provided to
other sites.
If it weren’t for the Walk of Fame, would anyone but a boxing
fan know that Henry Armstrong—the only boxer to hold world titles
in three weight classes simultaneously—was an honor student
at Vashon High. After 152 victories in 14 years, Armstrong returned
to St. Louis, became a minister and was one of the first men
named to the Boxing Hall of Fame when it opened. He is considered
one of the top three boxers of all time.
Entertainment figures on the Walk range from the daffy—comedienne
Phyllis Diller (who turns 90 this year)—to the divine—international
opera star Grace Ann Bumbry, who joined the Union Memorial Methodist
Church choir at age 11, sang at Sumner High School, and made
her concert debuts in London and Paris. Science, civil rights
and sports are all well represented.
The Rockettes—yes, those Rockettes—are expected to attend this
year’s induction ceremony, as part of their 75th anniversary
celebration. Yes, they do have a St. Louis connection; they
started as the Missouri Rockets. When Radio City Music Hall
opened, they were hired and wowed New York City. They stayed
in the Big Apple and mutated into the Rockettes.
In the past, the open-air (what else?) induction ceremony has
always been held the third week of May. But Edwards hasn’t settled
on a date this year—it will depend on the schedule of the current
inductees.
In the meantime, Edwards is working methodically—“I’ve always
gone about things in a very practical way”—on other visions
for the Loop. He’s already expanded eastward, so that the Loop
now lays exactly half in the City of St. Louis and half in the
County. He built the Pageant as an anchor for that end and has
soon-to-be-realized plans for a boutique hotel there, too.
But he doesn’t stop there. The Loop name refers to the long-gone
trolley that used to run through the business district. Edwards
thinks it’s an idea due for revival and, in his quiet, persistent
way, has been building support for the idea of a 2.2-mile system
connecting the Loop to attractions in Forest Park. It would
give St. Louis the edge to attract an additional three conventions
each year. The cost, he estimates, would be $32 million. It
could act as a prototype for other cities that want to revive
an urban business district.
And who knows? It may be the ticket that earns Edwards a spot
on The Walk of Fame.
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Walls
and Halls of Fame
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By Jim
Baer
So what do Jack Buck, Bob Costas, Dwight Davis, Marsha Mason,
John and Bill Danforth and Nelly have in common?
The answer is: they are all enshrined with gold stars at
the St. Louis Walk of Fame in University City. Yes, St.
Louis has world-class cultural institutions and smaller
and attractive and fun museums, too.
Here’s a sampling:
Founded in 1988, the St. Louis Walk
of Fame consists of sets of brass stars and bronze
plaques honoring St. Louis individuals who made major contributions
to our local heritage. These remembrances are set into the
sidewalks in the U. City Loop.
There are others. The International
Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame is just steps away
from the new Busch Stadium. Here, both Fred Flintstone and
Hall of Fame bowlers are recognized and the museum displays
5,000 years of bowling history. Also housed at the house
of bowling is the St. Louis Cardinals
Museum & Hall of Fame. Right off the front door,
the team celebrates more than 100 years of club history,
depicting everything from the Gas House Gang to Mark McGwire
and the modern era.
Downtown has two historic Victorian houses, revealing yore
from years gone by at the Campbell
House on Locust Street and the Eugene
Field House on South Broadway.
Also downtown is the Dental Health
Theatre and the Wax Museum
in Laclede’s Landing; the Museum
of Westward Expansion under the Arch, near to
the Old Court House (site
of the Dred Scott trial) and the national
historic site for General Ulysses S. Grant.
Housed on a lower level of the Millennium Hotel at the riverfront
are the inductees of the Steel Guitar
Hall of Fame. Further from the center of the
City, you will find the Miniature
Museum on Gravois (Bevo Mill area), the Museum
of Transport on Barrett Station Road in Southwest
St. Louis County, the Kemp Auto
Museum in Chesterfield, the Holocaust
Museum & Learning Center at the Jewish Federation
Building in Creve Coeur, the Worldway
Children’s Museum in Ballwin and Laumeier
Sculpture Park & Museum in Sunset Hills. Queeny
Park is home to the American Kennel
Club Museum of the Dog (the Dog Museum) located
in a historic 1853 Greek Revival Home. Further west is the
Elvis Museum in Wright
City, reduced to a wall of Elvis memorabilia in a local
real estate office. |
Walk
of Fame Inductees
The complete list of Walk of Fame inductees is available
on the organization’s website, STLWalkofFame.org. The list
includes links for more information on each person. In most
cases, the Walk of Famers cannot accurately be described
in one or two words—their accomplishments are too broad
and often cut across categories as diverse as civil rights
and rock ‘n roll, or poetry and feminist thinking.
Acting/Entertainment
Name, Year Inducted
Josephine Baker, chanteuse, 1990
Phyllis Diller, comic, 1993
Katherine Dunham, dancer, 1989
Buddy Ebsen, actor, 1991
Redd Foxx, actor/comic, 1992
John Goodman, actor, 1997
Betty Grable, actress, 1990
Dick Gregory, comic/civil rights, 1995
Charles Guggenheim, film-maker, 2005
Robert Guillaume, actor, 1999
Kevin Kline, actor, 1998
Marsha Mason, actress, 2002
Virginia Mayo, actress, 1996
David Merrick, Broadway producer, 2001
Agnes Moorehead, actress, 1994
Vincent Price, actor, 1989
Harold Ramis, film actor/writer, 2004
Mary Wickes, comic actress, 2004
Shelley Winters, actress, 1992
Art/Architecture
Name, Year Inducted
James B. Eads, civil engineer, 1989
Charles Eames, Modern design, 1994
Mary Engelbreit, artist, 2001
Walker Evans, photographer, 2000
Al Hirschfeld, cartoonist, 1993
Theodore Link, architect, 1995
Gyo Obata, architect, 1992
Charles M. Russell, cowboy painter, 1991
Ernest Trova, sculptor, 1992
Broadcasting
Name, Year Inducted
Jack Buck, baseball sportscaster, 1991
Harry Caray, baseball sportscaster, 1993
Bob Costas, national sportscaster, 1995
Joe Garagiola, baseball sportscaster, 1992
Dave Garroway, “Today Show” host, 1996
General Category
Name, Year Inducted
Auguste Chouteau, city founder, 1993
William Clark, explorer, 1996
William Clay, U.S. Senate, 2006
John Danforth, U.S. Senate, 2004
Tom Eagleton, U.S. Senate, 1997
Ulysses S. Grant, U.S. President, 1990
Pierre Laclede, city founder, 1993
Charles Lindbergh, aviator, 1989
Dred & Harriet Scott, civil rights icons, 1997
William T. Sherman, Civil War general, 2000
Harriett Woods, political pioneer, 1999
Journalism
Name, Year Inducted
Elijah Lovejoy, abolishionist, 1992
Bill Mauldin, political cartoonist, 1991
Mike Peters, editorial cartoonist, 2002
Joseph Pulitzer, newspaper publisher, 1989
Literature
Name, Year Inducted
Maya Angelou, author/poet, 1992
William Burroughs, Beat writer, 1990
Kate Chopin, short stories, 1990
T.S. Eliot, poet, Nobel Prize, 1989
Stanley Elkin, novelist, 1991
Eugene Field, children’s author, 1991
William Gass, novelist, 1998
A.E. Hotchner, novelist/biographer, 1994
William Inge, playwright, 1995
Marianne Moore, poet, 1996
Howard Nemerov, U.S. Poet Laureate, 1990
Irma Rombauer, Joy of Cooking, 1998
Sara Teasdale, poet, 1994
Kay Thompson, Eloise creator, 2003
Mona Van Duyn, U.S. Poet Laureate, 1993
Tennessee Williams, playwright, 1989
Music
Name, Year Inducted
Fontella Bass, rhythm & blues, 2000
Chuck Berry, rock ‘n roll guitar, 1989
Grace Bumbry, opera, 1992
Miles Davis, jazz trumpet, 1990
John Hartford, singer/songwriter, 1999
Johnnie Johnson, rock ‘n roll piano, 1998
Scott Joplin, ragtime composer, 1989
Albert King, blues guitar, 1993
Michael McDonald, singer/songwriter, 2003
Robert McFerrin, Sr., opera, 2004
Nelly, rapper, TBD David Sanborn, saxophone, 2004
Leonard Slatkin, conductor, 1990
Willie Mae Ford Smith, gospel singer, 1990
Clark Terry, jazz trumpet, 1996
Henry Townsend, blues guitar & piano, 1995
Helen Traubel, opera, 1994
Ike Turner, R & B, rock ‘n roll pioneer, 2001
Tina Turner, Pop, Rock, R & B singer, 1991
Science/Education
Name, Year Inducted
Susan Blow, early education, 1991
Barry Commoner, environment/ecology, 1993
Arthur Holly Compton, Nobel Prize, 1992
Carl & Gerty Cori, Nobel Prize, 1994
William Danforth, chancellor, Wash U., 1999
William Greenleaf Eliot, founder, Washington University,
2003
Masters & Johnson, human sexuality, 1991
Marlin Perkins, zoology, 1990
Peter Raven, environment, 1995
Paul C. Reinert, S.J., president, S.L.U., 2002
Henry Shaw, botany, 1993
Sports
Name, Year Inducted
Henry Armstrong, boxing, 1995
James “Cool Papa” Bell, baseball, 1991
Yogi Berra, baseball, 1992
Lou Brock, baseball, 1994
Jimmy Connors, tennis, 2001
Dwight Davis, tennis, 1996
Dizzy Dean, baseball, 1997
Dan Dierdorf, football, 2002
Bob Gibson, baseball, 1993
Rogers Hornsby, baseball, 2000
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, track, 2000
Ed Macauley, basketball, 2003
Archie Moore, boxing, 2002
Stan Musial, baseball, 1989
Branch Rickey, baseball management, 1997
Red Schoendienst, baseball, 1998
George Sisler, baseball, 2005
Jackie Smith, football, 2001
Ozzie Smith,baseball, 2003
Dick Weber, bowling, 1999 |
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