What is fame? How do we determine who is famous, who is infamous, and who is just plain obscure? Fame is a relative concept. In a community, it may be the corner store owner who is famous, and movie stars are practically irrelevant. For that matter, what does it mean to say someone is a "Famous St. Louisan"? Are only those born in the City considered natives, or can someone who has adopted St. Louis as home be claimed as a native son or daughter? St. Louisans have achieved fame in a variety of categories:
FAMOUS ST. LOUISANS IN...
Music
- Chuck Berry
- Ike Turner
- Tina Turner
- Johnnie Johnson
- Billy Peek
- Scott Joplin
- Fontella Bass
Art
- Mary Engelbreit
- Bob Cassilly
Literature
Learn more about St. Louis authors.Television, Stage and Screen Stars
Science and Medicine
- Arthur Holly Compton
- Charles Drew
- Joseph Erlanger
- Peter Raven
Government
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Thomas Eagleton
- Richard Gephardt
- John Danforth
- William Webster, Sr.
Radio and Journalism
- Jack Buck
- Joe Buck
- Bob Costas
- Joseph Pulitzer
- Stone Phillips
Sports
- Henry Armstrong
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee
- Stan Musial
- Branch Rickey
- Leon Spinks
- Ozzie Smith
FAMOUS ST. LOUISAN LINKS
- Missouri Authors Directory
- St. Louis Walk of Fame
- Lift Every Voice and Sing: St. Louis African Americans in the TwentiethCentury -- A new book profiling 100 prominent African-American St. Louisans. Photos by noted local photographer Wiley Price, with interviews by Doris Wesley and intro by Ann Morris, both of the Western Historical Manuscript Collection at theUniversity of Missouri-St. Louis.
So, who have we left out? Certainly, this listing is far from all-inclusive. Suggest a Famous St. Louisan to include in this list.
