Apr 21, 2012

The Sun’s 175th Anniversary: Baltimore Personalities

Robert Hamilton 4 Comments Maryland, Retrospective, The Baltimore Sun 175th anniversary, Arunah S. Abell, Babe Ruth, Baltimore, Baltimore Sun, Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway, Divine, Duff Goldman, Eubie Blake, Frank Zappa, H. L. Mencken, Hasim Rahman, John Waters, Johnny Unitas, photography, Spiro Agnew, Stacy Keibler, Thurgood Marshall, Wallis Simpson, William Donald Schaefer

38 photos

The Baltimore region is full of character and life, and so are the people who live here. Their photos have filled the pages of The Sun since 1901, when photos were first published in the newspaper. They’ve made news, changed history and often entertained our readers. With this in mind, we look at some of the people who helped define our great city. These are just a few. Who do you feel we left out? We would love to hear your suggestions in the comments.

In an earlier version of this post, many of the captions included information that was not properly credited to Wikipedia. The Sun regrets the error.

: Michael Phelps: Swimmer. Phelps has won 16 Olympic medals to date and is in training for the upcoming Olympic games in London. He was born and raised in Towson. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: David Zinman: Conductor. Musical director for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra between 1985 and 1998. (Perry Thorsvik/Baltimore Sun)

: Cal Ripken, Jr: Professional baseball player. Ripken was nicknamed the “Iron Man” for setting the record for most consecutive games played at 2,632. His career spanned over seventeen seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. He was born in Aberdeen. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: Ben Carson, Sr, M.D.: Neurosurgeon. Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bush in 2008. (Ron Edmonds/AP)

: Jim McKay: Network sportscaster. McKay started his career in journalism as a reporter for The Baltimore Sun before turning to television. He rose to prominence for his coverage of the 1972 Munich Olympic games. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)

: Frank Robinson: Professional baseball player. Robinson played six years with the Orioles and led them to world championships in 1966 and 1970. He won both the Triple Crown and the American League MVP award in 1966, his first year in Baltimore after being dealt by Cincinnati in a trade considered the best in Orioles’ history. In this photo he’s surrounded by, left to right, Don Buford, Brooks Robinson, and Paul Blair. (File photo/Baltimore Sun)

: Kevin Clash: Puppeteer. The puppet master behind Elmo on Sesame Street. Kevin was born in Turners Station in Baltimore County. (Justin Case/Patuxent Publishing)

: Edgar Allan Poe: Writer. Poe was an American poet and writer, who is described as the father of the modern detective story. At age 40, Poe died in Baltimore on Oct. 7, 1849. Circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery. (Undated handout photo)

: Blaze Starr: Burlesque dancer. Born Fannie Belle Fleming, Blaze was the lead attraction at the Two O’ Clock Club on the block. “Starr’s breast size was once a highly sought-after piece of information that those pledging local college fraternities were required to obtain,” wrote the Sun’s Fred Rasmussen in “Blaze Starr recalls burlesque era in new film.” (Paul Hutchins/The Baltimore Sun)

: Mama Cass Elliot: Folk singer. Cass Elliot, shown on left. Elliott was a singer with the famed folk group The Mamas & the Papas. She was born in Baltimore on Sept. 19, 1941. (Baltimore Sun file photo)

: Frank Zappa: Composer, songwriter. Zappa was best known for his work with his alternative rock band, “The Mothers of Invention,” but also had solo albums. Frank was born in Baltimore on Dec. 21, 1940. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)

: U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski: Politician. Mikulski, born in Baltimore in 1936, is the senior U.S. Senator from Maryland. She is the longest-serving female senator and the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress, having served since 1977. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)

: Wallis Simpson. Socialite. Simpson married England’s King Edward VIII, who gave up his throne. A recent movie, directed and written by Madonna, was loosely based on their romance. (Baltimore Sun file photo)

: James W. Rouse. Real estate developer and philanthropist. Founder of the Rouse Company, Rouse’s legacy includes the creation of Columbia, Md. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Travis Pastrana: Motorsports competitor. Pastrana has competed in the X-games, done various motor stunts, raced in Monster Truck Jams and is now on the Nationwide Series Tour. Travis was born and raised in Annapolis. (André F. Chung/Baltimore Sun)

: Earl Weaver: Baseball manager. Weaver’s entire major league managerial career was with the Baltimore Orioles. He led the team from 1968 to1982 and again from 1985 to1986. Weaver finished with a 1480-1060 managerial record and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996. (Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun)

: Ray Lewis: Football player. Lewis has been a linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens since he was drafted in 1996, the Ravens’ inaugural season. He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and 2003. (Gene Sweeney, Jr./Baltimore Sun)

: Arunah S. Abell: American publisher/philanthropist. Arunah S. Abell (center) founded the Baltimore Sun with a four-page edition on May 17, 1837. The Abell family continued to publish The Sun until 1910.

: Duff Goldman: Pastry chef/television personality. As executive chef for Charm City Cakes, Goldman is the Ace behind the Food Network reality show Ace of Cakes. He attended college at UMBC. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)

: Stacy Keibler: Wrestler and model. Keibler was born in Baltimore on October 14, 1979. Keibler’s early career was as a wrestler with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. She was also a contestant on the second season of Dancing with the Stars. (Gene Sweeney Jr./Baltimore Sun)

: Hasim Rahman: Heavyweight boxer. Rahman was born in Baltimore in 1972. Nicknamed “The Rock,” he became heavyweight champion in 2001 with a surprise knockout of Lennox Lewis. (Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun)

: Eubie Blake: Musician. Blake was a composer and lyricist, known for his jazz compositions. He was born James Hubert Blake in Baltimore in 1887. (Irving H. Phillips, Jr./Baltimore Sun)

: Ric Ocasek: Musician/producer. Ocasek, lead vocalist and guitarist for the rock band, The Cars, was born on March 23, 1949 in Baltimore. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Billie Holiday: Jazz singer. Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan Gough on April 15, 1915 in Philadelphia and grew up Baltimore. One of her most well-known and beloved albums is “Lady Sings the Blues.” The legendary jazz vocalist was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. (Baltimore Sun file photo)

: Spiro Agnew: Politician. Agnew was born in Baltimore in 1918. He was Vice President of the United States under President Richard Nixon, and Governor of Maryland. He resigned as Vice President in 1973 because of criminal charges. (Weyman D. Swagger/Baltimore Sun)

: Walter Sondheim, Jr: Civic leader. Sondheim was president of Baltimore’s school board during the system’s 1954 desegregation and a key figure in downtown redevelopment efforts. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: Thurgood Marshall: Supreme Court Justice. Marshall became the first African-American appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967. Marshall was born in Baltimore on July 2, 1908. (Richard Stacks/Baltimore Sun)

: Johnny Unitas: Football player. Unitas spent the majority of his NFL career as a quarterback for the Baltimore Colts. He threw for 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns in his Hall of Fame career and was named the league’s most valuable player in 1959, 1964 and 1967. Unitas’ record of throwing a touchdown pass in 47 straight games (Dec. 9, 1956- Dec. 4, 1960) still stands. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)

: Cab Calloway: Jazz singer and bandleader. An energetic bandleader known for his flashy dressing, Calloway grew up in Baltimore and attended Frederick Douglass High School. (Robert K. Hamilton/Baltimore Sun)

: Barry Levinson: Film director. Levinson was born in Baltimore in 1942. His movie Diner (1982) was the first of a series of films set in Baltimore in the late fifties and sixties. The others were Tin Men (1987), Avalon (1990) and Liberty Heights (1999). (Baltimore Sun file photo)

: H. L. Mencken: Writer. Mencken, born Henry Louis Mencken in Baltimore in 1880, is known as the “Sage of Baltimore.” He worked as a writer for the Baltimore Sun from 1905 until 1948. (Robert F. Kniesche/Baltimore Sun)

: William Donald Schaefer: Politician. Schaefer was a Maryland public official for more than 50 years. He was Baltimore mayor from 1971 to 1987 and Maryland Governor from 1987 to 1995. (Lloyd Pearson/Baltimore Sun)

: Sisqó: Musician/Actor. Mark Althavean Andrews, known by the stage name Sisqó, was born in Baltimore in 1978. He is best known as the lead singer of R&B musical group Dru Hill. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun)

: Babe Ruth: Baseball player. George Herman Ruth, Jr., best known as “Babe” Ruth, was born in Baltimore on Feb. 6, 1895. (Leroy Merriken/Baltimore Sun)

: Brooks Robinson: Baseball player. Robinson played for the Baltimore Orioles for his entire major league career (1955–1977). Robinson won 16 straight Gold Gloves and finished his 23-year career with 2,848 hits, 268 home runs and 1,357 RBIs. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. (Paul Hutchins/Baltimore Sun)

: Marin Alsop: Conductor. Alsop became the 12th director of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 2007. (Monica Lopossay/Baltimore Sun)

: John Waters: Filmmaker. Born in Baltimore, Waters became known in the 1970s for his trashy cult films. His film Hairspray was adapted into a hit Broadway musical. (Jed Kirschbaum/Baltimore Sun)

: John Waters, Pat Moran and Divine: Film industry. Pat Moran is a popular casting director who worked on many of Waters’ films. Glen Milstead, known as Divine, was a childhood friend of Waters, who appeared in many of his films. Divine was described by People magazine as the “Drag Queen of the Century.” All three called Baltimore their home. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

Also see: Retrospective: Sun photography marches through time

4 Comments

Lee Miller
Apr 24, 2012 @ 05:15:57

Well if we’re including Travis Pastrana from Annapolis, how about Harold Baines from St. Michaels and Edward Norton from Columbia?
What about Mark Texiera? Jada Pinkett? Domonique Foxworth? Tupac?

Bill Hughes
Apr 21, 2012 @ 09:10:58

Fantastic! The photographers for “The Sun” over the years rank right up there with the best in the business!

- Robert Hamilton
  Apr 21, 2012 @ 09:57:51
  
  Thanks Bill, I’m a little bias but I agree with your assessment. Do you think we left any Baltimore icons out?
  
  - Brad Saunders
    Apr 23, 2012 @ 12:38:56
    
    How about David Simon and Ed Burns?

The Sun’s 175th Anniversary: Baltimore Personalities

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