Famous Pittsburghers? (Lebanon, Carnegie, Liberty: history, MBA, near)

[raubre]

Bret Michaels (from Poison) is from Beaver Falls I think.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by raubre

Bret Michaels (from Poison) is from Beaver Falls I think.

So am I! What good company we keep!

[ExPit]

Originally Posted by Heit

George Benson, great guitar player/singer. Fritzy Zivic, great boxer.

Two great ones! Anybody ever hear of the great fighter Harry Greb? Charley Burley? Two boxers from Pittsburgh's old days whose names always come up when discussing all-time great fighters from ANYWHERE!

[ExPit]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Drat! I was cooking dinner while this was going on. Joe and I graduated from the same high school (he a few years earlier).

Tito Francona, from New Brighton!

Tony Dorsett. Dan Marino.

A big football tradition, I guess I don't have to tell anyone that. Jim Kelly too, ex-Buffalo Bill quarterback is from somewhere on the outskirts of Pittsburgh.

[GracieB]

No one has mentioned Henry Mancini (Pink Panther theme and Moon River). He was born and raised in West Aliquippa - and Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland named their school after him (Henry Mancini Performing Arts Academy). You should see some of the talent coming out of that place. It's amazing!

And on the football note - how about John Skorupan (Buffalo Bills 1973+?) and Mike Ditka - Coach of the Chicago Bears for ages. John was from Beaver and is now living in Cranberry. Mike was from Aliquippa.

And what was the name of the baseball player from Beaver?

[ExPit]

Originally Posted by GracieB

No one has mentioned Henry Mancini (Pink Panther theme and Moon River). He was born and raised in West Aliquippa - and Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland named their school after him (Henry Mancini Performing Arts Academy). You should see some of the talent coming out of that place. It's amazing!

And on the football note - how about John Skorupan (Buffalo Bills 1973+?) and Mike Ditka - Coach of the Chicago Bears for ages. John was from Beaver and is now living in Cranberry. Mike was from Aliquippa.

And what was the name of the baseball player from Beaver?

Henry Mancini, right! And Perry Como too, great singer, and that other not-so-great singer from Canonsburg, Bobby Vinton.

Ditka, good call, also speaking of great NFL coaches, Bill Cowher is from Crafton.

Baseball player? The first one that came to my mind was Stan Musial, and he was a great one if that's who you meant. Can't think right now where he was from, but it was some small town outside of Pittsburgh.

[ExPit]

Just remembered, Ron Paul's from Pittsburgh.

[Tallysmom]

Oscar Levant.... who played Gershwin better than Gershwin...
Bobby Vinton, singer -- from Canonsburg
Shirley Jones

[ExPit]

Originally Posted by Tallysmom

Oscar Levant.... who played Gershwin better than Gershwin...
Bobby Vinton, singer -- from Canonsburg
Shirley Jones

Yeah, true about Oscar, good friend and collaborator of George, and just heard this the other day, that when George died, I wish I could think of what song it was, but Oscar, together with Ira and what Oscar knew of George's style, completed the song.... I'll think of it.... and while I'm trying, Charles Grodin, DeNiro's maddening sidekick in "Midnight Run," graduated from Peabody High...

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by GracieB

No one has mentioned Henry Mancini (Pink Panther theme and Moon River). He was born and raised in West Aliquippa - and Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland named their school after him (Henry Mancini Performing Arts Academy). You should see some of the talent coming out of that place. It's amazing!

Some of his family lived near us in Beaver Falls. I thought about him when I was posting about those sports figures, but his name went in one hole and out another in my brain. "Amber" from one of the survivor shows is from Beaver. She used to work in some bar and served my brother a drink!