From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in
Rockford, Illinois . For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page
People from Rockford, Illinois .
Academics, science, and engineering
James Henry Breasted , scholar, first American teacher of
Egyptology
Griffith Buck , rose breeder
Richard Bulliet , scholar of the Middle East
Robert Clodius , educator, acting President of the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
James A. Davis , chair of sociology department, Harvard University, and professor, University of Chicago
Arnold Krammer , historian, resided in Rockford from 1970 to 1974 while on the faculty of Rockford College; at
Texas A&M University from 1974 to retirement in 2015
James Lindgren , law professor and sociologist, Northwestern University
John Henry Manny , inventor, founder of Manny Reaper Works
Fred Merkel , broadcast engineer for Premiere Networks and iHeartMedia
Anna Peck Sill (1816-1889), educator
Adaline Emerson Thompson , benefactor and educational leader
Gordon Tullock , economist and one of the founders of public choice
Janice E. Voss , astronaut and engineer; lived in Rockford
[1]
Daniel Hale Williams , surgeon, first doctor to successfully complete
open heart surgery ;
[2] founder of the first integrated American hospital,
Provident Hospital of Cook County
[3]
Business
Virgil Abloh (1980–2021), fashion designer and businessman
Robert Greenblatt ,
Fox ,
Showtime and
NBC producer and executive,
[4] and former Chairman of
WarnerMedia Entertainment .
Albert Henry Loeb (1868–1924), attorney and business executive,
Sears
Pehr August Peterson (1846–1927), business executive,
Sundstrand Corporation
[5]
John Sall , co-founder of
SAS Institute
Albert Spalding (1850–1915), co-founder of
Spalding ; pitcher with
Rockford Forest Citys ; manager of
Chicago White Stockings ; executive of
National League of Baseball Clubs; inductee in
National Baseball Hall of Fame
[6]
Entertainment and media
Acting
Ginger Lynn Allen , porn actress
Jodi Benson , voice actress, Ariel in
The Little Mermaid
Barbara Hale , actress,
Perry Mason
Kathryn Layng , actress,
Doogie Howser, M.D.
Natasha Leggero , comedian, actress
Joseph Mantello , actor, director,
Wicked ,
Take Me Out ,
Assassins
Andra Martin , actress,
Up Periscope ,
The Thing That Couldn't Die
Marin Mazzie ,
Tony Award nominated actress and singer known for,
Kiss Me, Kate (1999-2001) , and her other work in
musical theater .
Aidan Quinn , actor,
Desperately Seeking Susan ,
Elementary ,
Legends of the Fall
Anthony Tyler Quinn , actor,
Boy Meets World
[7]
Betty Jane Rhodes , actress, singer,
Sweater Girl ,
The Fleet's In
Susan Saint James , actress,
Kate & Allie ,
McMillan & Wife
Linda Wallem , actress, writer, producer,
Nurse Jackie
Stephen Wallem , singer, actor, Nurse Jackie
Animation
Cinematography
Directing
Music
Emily Bear , pianist, composer
Bun E. Carlos , drummer,
Cheap Trick
Chuckey Charles , film composer and music producer
Kurt Elling , jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist
Katherine Tanner Fisk , contralto concert singer
Swan Hennessy , classical composer
Joie De Vivre (band) , emo band
Sarah Kelly , singer, songwriter
Matthew McDonough , drummer for
Mudvayne
Lou Musa , guitarist,
The Verve Pipe
[10] [
verification needed ]
Ann Nesby , singer, producer, part of the
urban Gospel group
Sounds Of Blackness
Rick Nielsen , lead guitarist for
Cheap Trick
Tom Petersson , bass guitarist for Cheap Trick
[11]
Marty Ross , musician, songwriter and performer
Jake Runestad , composer and conductor
Nellie Strong Stevenson , pianist, music educator, clubwoman
Shawn Wade , bass guitarist for
12 Stones [
citation needed ]
Ryley Walker , guitarist
Michelle Williams , singer and member of the
R&B group
Destiny's Child
Robin Zander , vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Cheap Trick
Photography
Special effects
Television
Writing
Robert Lee Maupin Beck , writer, producer, Pimp: The Story of My Life
[12]
Stewart Brand , writer, editor, publisher and environmentalist: The
Whole Earth Catalog ,
The WELL ,
Long Now Foundation , and,
Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto .
Thomas Fleming , writer, editor,
Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture
John Ortberg , author, pastor
Will Pfeifer , comic book writer
Shawn Ryan , television producer, screenwriter (
The Shield )
Barbara Santucci , artist, poet, author
[13]
Erica Spindler , author
Leopold Tyrmand , novelist, editor, dissident; originally from Poland
Kimberla Lawson Roby , New York Times bestselling author
Cora Stuart Wheeler (1852–1897), poet, author
Politics and law
John B. Anderson
John B. Anderson ,
US Representative ,
US presidential candidate
John Baumgarten ,
Illinois House of Representatives
Debra Bowen ,
Secretary of State of California , 2007–2015
William Brown , Illinois House of Representatives
John T. Buckbee , US Representative
Robert R. Canfield , Illinois state legislator and lawyer
James E. Cartwright , US Marine Corps general; Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
Ho Chung , Patent attorney
Mary Lou Cowlishaw , Illinois House of Representatives
Barbara Giolitto , Illinois House of Representatives
Edolo J. Giorgi , Illinois House of Representatives
Rodney Grams ,
Republican
United States Senator , news anchor,
WIFR 23 Rockford
[14]
Joyce Holmberg , educator and Illinois state senator
Alta M. Hulett , attorney, first woman admitted to the state of Illinois Bar
[15]
Betty Ann Keegan , Illinois State Senator
Julia Lathrop , social and political activist, subject of biography My Friend, Julia Lathrop (1935) by
Jane Addams
[16]
Emma Octavia Lundberg , Swedish-American child welfare advocate.
Donald A. Manzullo ,
United States Representative
Lynn Morley Martin ,
United States Representative ,
United States Secretary of Labor
Stanley Mosk , Justice,
Supreme Court of California
David Campbell Mulford ,
United States Ambassador to India; Vice-Chairman International,
Credit Suisse
Paula J. Raschke-Lind , Illinois state politician
Bertil T. Rosander , Illinois state legislator and businessman
Benjamin R. Sheldon , Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
Eric Sorensen , meteorologist and politician
Steve Stadelman , Illinois state senator
Fred E. Sterling , Illinois politician
Thomas E. Ticen , Minnesota state legislator and lawyer
Sports
Baseball
Gene Lamont
Ross Barnes (1850–1915), second baseman, shortstop,
Boston Red Stockings
[17]
Aldine Calacurcio ,
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player,
Rockford Peaches , born in Rockford
Hal Carlson , pitcher for
Chicago Cubs
Jean Cione , All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
Orville Jorgens , pitcher,
Philadelphia Phillies
Margaret Jurgensmeier , All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
Gene Lamont , catcher, coach, manager,
Detroit Tigers ,
Pittsburgh Pirates ,
Chicago White Sox
Berith Melin , All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Rockford
Rodney Myers , pitcher,
Chicago Cubs ,
San Diego Padres ,
Los Angeles Dodgers
Hattie Peterson , All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player, Rockford Peaches, born in Winnebago, Illinois
Ken Rudolph , catcher, Chicago Cubs,
St. Louis Cardinals ,
San Francisco Giants ,
Baltimore Orioles
Jake Smolinski , outfielder,
Texas Rangers ; born in Rockford
Harry Sullivan , pitcher,
St. Louis Cardinals
Ed Swartwood , player, umpire, Pittsburgh Pirates
Charles Swindells , catcher, St. Louis Cardinals
Daniel E. Tipple , pitcher,
New York Yankees ; born in Rockford
Basketball
Lorenzo Brown
Lorenzo Brown (born 1990), basketball player in the
Israeli Basketball Premier League , formerly in the NBA
Bill Erickson , player for
Illinois in 1949 Final Four
John E. Erickson , coach,
University of Wisconsin , and GM of
Milwaukee Bucks
Ernie Kent , coach,
Washington State University and
University of Oregon
JP Tokoto (born 1993), basketball player for
Hapoel Tel Aviv of the
Israeli Basketball Premier League
Fred VanVleet , point guard with
Toronto Raptors ,
NBA Champion (2019) , and
2017-2018 Sixth Man of the Year finalist, NBA All-Star (2021-22)
Billiards
Boxing
Diving
John Blake , nose guard, coach,
University of Oklahoma ,
Dallas Cowboys
Merwin Hodel , fullback,
New York Giants
Jerry Latin , halfback, St Louis Cardinals
Dean Lowry , defensive end,
Green Bay Packers
Ira Matthews , halfback, Oakland Raiders
Walt McGaw , guard,
Green Bay Packers
Carlos Polk , linebacker, Dallas Cowboys
Ken Roskie , fullback, Green Bay Packers,
Detroit Lions
Brock Spack , head coach,
Illinois State University
Jerry Stalcup , linebacker,
Los Angeles Rams
James Robinson , halfback,
Jacksonville Jaguars
Golf
Ice skating
Mixed martial arts
Motor racing
Mountaineering
Soccer
Wrestling
References
^
"Our View: 'Job well done' in space ends after 30 eventful years" . Rockford Register Star . Rockford, Illinois. July 11, 2011. Archived from
the original on February 1, 2013.
^
"Daniel Hale Williams" . The Black Inventor Online Museum . Adscape International, LLC. Archived from
the original on 18 August 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013 .
^
"African American Medical Pioneers: Daniel Hale Williams (1856–1931)" . American Experience: Partners of the Heart . PBS Online. Retrieved 22 September 2013 .
^ Baum, Geraldine (30 April 2009).
"TV Exec Turns Back the Clock to Stage '9 to 5' " . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 22 October 2013 .
^
"P.A. Peterson: Immigrant Industrialist" . Northern Illinois University Libraries. December 1996. Archived from
the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013 .
^ McMahon, William E.
"Al Spalding" . RootsWeb . Ancestry.com Inc. Retrieved 13 October 2013 .
^
"Anthony Tyler Quinn" . Metacritic . Retrieved 11 October 2013 .
^ Turnbaugh, Kristi (August 2013).
"Shooting Stars" . Columbia College Chicago . Retrieved 11 October 2013 .
^ Phillips, Michael (December 2018).
"Chicagoan of the Year: Bing Liu, Rockford filmmaker could make a splash at the Oscars" . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 31 March 2019 .
^ Chiarelli, Vince (14 August 2013).
"Vince's Notes: Following the Great Talent of Rockford Native Lou Musa" . Rock River Times . The Rock River Times. Retrieved 11 October 2013 .
^ Rowe, Mark; Snyder, Philip (1 February 2005).
"The 12-String Bass" . The 12-String Bass . www.12StringBass.net. Archived from
the original on 8 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013 .
^ Skillz, Mark (5 February 2010).
"The Hustle-The Story of Robert Beck aka Iceberg Slim" . Hip Hop and Politics . Metro Theme. Retrieved 29 October 2013 .
^
"Artist: Barbara Santucci lives in Rockford, where she works from her" . Courier-News . August 29, 1999. Retrieved May 8, 2017 .
^ Salisbury, Bill (9 October 2013).
"Rod Grams Dies; Minnesota Congressman, Senator, TV Anchor Was 65" . Twin Cities . St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved 11 October 2013 .
^
"United Our Shared Histories" . Rockford College. Retrieved 22 September 2013 .
^ Lundin, Jon W. "Rockford An Illustrated History", Windsor Publications 1989 p. 84
^ Appell, Howard W. (27 January 2013).
"Campaign Renewed to Get Livingston Native into Baseball Hall of Fame" . The LCN . The Livingston County News. Retrieved 13 October 2013 .