Ridge Historical Society
Historically Important People Connected to the Ridge
By Carol Flynn
The Blue Island Ridge communities have been home to some historically important people, as well as some "famous" people who might not exactly make it into the history books.
Top of the list is Paul Harris, the founder of the Rotary/Rotary International global service organization. He lived at 10856 S. Longwood Drive, and a new book about the history of the house has just come out, being sold as a fund-raiser for the restoration of the house. There will be more on that house and the book in a separate post. RHS researcher/writer Carol Flynn was a contributor to that book.
The publication of that book prompted starting a list of some of the historically important/famous people who have lived in the Ridge communities.
Here's a start on that list and more entries are welcomed. The criteria for inclusion on the list is very broad: they have to have lived here and have significant recognition outside of our own community for the impact they have had on society, good or bad or perhaps just "sensational."
Here is a beginning list:
– Paul Harris, founder of Rotary/Rotary International
– John Paul Stevens, Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
– Amelia Earhart, aviatrix
– William Merchant Richardson French, first executive director of the Art Institute of Chicago
– Mae Jemison, U.S. Astronaut
– Pleasant Rowland, creator of American Girl Dolls
– Kathy Reichs, crime author and forensic anthropologist
– Thomas Seay, Imperial Potentate of the Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (highest position in the Shriners)
– Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon Church)
– John Vanderpoel, first head of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, artist and author of "The Human Figure"
– William Rainey Harper, first president of today's University of Chicago
– Ruth Ellen Church, Chicago Tribune food columnist, first wine columns in the U.S.
– Actor George Wendt
– Actor Gary Sinise
– Ebenezer Peck, mentor to Abraham Lincoln, judge
– Kanye West gets honorable mention because he went to school here but did not live here; same thing with Jenny McCarthy
There are a lot of people who can be added to a "second tier" list – their fame is more localized but does reach past this community to an extent. Some examples:
– Robert Platt, University of Chicago Geography Department
– Jack Simmerling, artist and preservationist
We can start a "Who's Who" for the Ridge communities, including current people.
Other names to include?