Westmoreland 250: Area natives have made their mark

Dec. 31—Westmoreland County has played an important part in the development of Pennsylvania and the nation, so it seems natural that many of its sons and daughters have made major contributions of their own.

As 2023 comes to a close — and with it, the 250th anniversary of the founding of Westmoreland County, it's a good time to reflect on those who can be included in the ranks of Westmoreland notables. The following roster of local standouts is not necessarily an exhaustive one.

— — —

Perhaps the most well-known and well-loved Westmoreland figures are two Latrobe-area natives, both recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Those two late Latrobeans are golf legend Arnold Palmer, born in 1929, and children's television host Fred Rogers, born in 1928.

Before his death in 2016, at age 87, Palmer won 92 professional tournaments, including four Masters. Along the way, he took charge of golf courses, including the Latrobe Country Club, supported many charitable projects and boosted the popularity of his sport. His name has become associated with a mixture of iced tea and lemonade and with the county airport in Unity.

Rogers died in 2003, at age 74, but his legacy endures. His "Mister Roger's Neighborhood" TV show ran to 895 episodes and inspired the current animated "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" series. His message of kindness continues to resonate across generations and the Fred Rogers Institute at Saint Vincent College carries on his mission of supporting the healthy development of children.

— — —

Industrialist Henry Clay Frick, born in 1849 in West Overton, East Huntingdon Township, was a towering figure in the coal, coke and steel industries of Southwestern Pennsylvania in the late 19th century. By the 1880s, his H. C. Frick Coke Company would produce almost 80% of the coke used by Pittsburgh's iron and steel industries.

A lifelong opponent of organized labor, he survived an assassination attempt by an anarchist and had a falling-out with his one-time business partner, steel magnate Andrew Carnegie. Frick built a reputation as an art collector and philanthropist before his death in 1919.

— — —

Actress and singer Shirley Jones, though born in Charleroi, grew up in Smithton and graduated from South Huntingdon High School in 1953. She starred in the film musicals "Oklahoma!" "Carousel" and "The Music Man" and in the 1970s TV series "The Partridge Family." She won a supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of a vengeful prostitute in the 1960 drama "Elmer Gantry."

— — —

Other notables from Westmoreland County:

Eddie Adams (1933-2004)

A native of New Kensington, he was a photojournalist for the Valley News Dispatch, The Associated Press, Time magazine and Parade magazine. He served as a Marine during the Korean War and won a 1969 Pulitzer Prize for his photo of the execution of a communist guerrilla in a street in Saigon during the Vietnam War.

David Alter (1807-1881)

Born in Allegheny Township, he was trained as a doctor but was known more as an inventor and amateur physicist. He patented a procedure for making bromine from salt wells and constructed such devices as an electric buggy, an electric alarm clock and a telephone prototype.

Christian B. Anfinsen (1916-1995)

Born in Monessen, he was a noted biochemist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1972 for his pioneering study of the structure of the ribonuclease enzyme. He served as a laboratory chief with the National Institutes of Health from 1950 to 1982.

George Blanda (1927-2014)

A native of Youngwood, this Hall of Fame quarterback had a career in the NFL spanning four decades. He threw for 236 touchdowns and ran for another nine during stints with the Chicago Bears, the Baltimore Colts, the Houston Oilers and the Oakland Raiders. He retired after the 1975 season.

Herbert Boyer

This international leader in genetics and biotechnology was born in 1936 in Derry. A retired professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of Pittsburgh, he co-founded Genentech Inc., a San Francisco-based giant in biotechnology. He was presented the National Medal of Science by former President George H.W. Bush in 1990. He has lent his name to the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing at Saint Vincent College.

Johnny Costa (1922-1996)

A native of Arnold, he was a gifted pianist who is best remembered as the musical director for the children's television show "Mister Roger's Neighborhood." He also had a stint as musical director of "The Mike Douglas Show."

John Covode (1808-1871)

Born near West Fairfield, he was engaged in agriculture, manufacturing and the coal trade. He served in Congress during the Civil War and had a small industrial town, Covodeville, named after him.

Jack Gantos

Born in Mt. Pleasant in 1951, his locally set children's books include "Dead End in Norvelt." That book received the Newberry Medal and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, both in 2012.

John White Geary (1819-1873)

A native of Mt. Pleasant, Geary died shortly after completing his second term as Pennsylvania's governor. He previously served as the first postmaster and the first elected mayor of San Francisco. In 1856, he was appointed governor of Kansas, but he resigned the following year when he failed to secure free state status in the Kansas constitution.

He was wounded multiple times while leading U.S. troops at Santa Cruz in the Mexican-American War and again while commanding Union forces during Civil War engagements at Bolivar Heights and Cedar Mountain. He was made a brigadier general in April 1862.

Jesse Root Grant (1794-1873)

Born near Greensburg, he was the father of Civil War general and President Ulysses S. Grant. He became a partner in a tannery in Point Pleasant, Ohio, at age 26. He arranged for his son to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. When his son initially resigned from the military in 1854, he wrote a letter seeking to have him reinstated, but the request was denied. He visited his son often during his presidential term in the White House.

Russ Grimm

Born in 1959 in Scottdale, Grimm is an NFL Hall of Fame offensive lineman. He played for 11 seasons with the Washington Redskins, helping them to three Super Bowl wins. He followed up with NFL coaching roles from 1992 to 2017, finishing his career as the Tennessee Titans' offensive line coach.

Sheila Kelley

Born in 1963 in Greensburg, she is an actress who has had roles in TV series including "L.A. Law," "The Sopranos" and "ER." Her film appearances have included "Nurse Betty" and "Matchstick Men." She developed a dance-related fitness program for women called "S Factor."

Stephanie Kwolek (1923-2014)

Born in New Kensington, she was a polymer scientist whose discoveries led to the invention in 1965 of Kevlar, the strong material from which bullet-resistant vests are made. She was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1996.

Michael Moorer

A 1987 graduate of Monessen High School, he beat Evander Holyfield to become the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1994. He is one of only four boxers in the last century to win a version of a world title in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight classes. He was introduced to the sport by his grandfather, Henry Lee Smith, a former professional boxer who trained young fighters in the Mon Valley.

Herbert Morrison (1905-1989)

Born in nearby Connellsville, Morrison lived in Scottdale and is buried there. He had a career as a radio reporter and TV news director. He was working for an NBC radio affiliate in Chicago when he covered an unexpected tragedy: a 1937 fire that destroyed the Hindenburg airship and killed 36 passengers as it attempted to dock in New Jersey. His emotional description of and reaction to the unfolding disaster was recorded for delayed broadcast, including his well-known phrase that summed it up: "Oh, the humanity!"

Rich Rollins

Born in 1938 near Mt. Pleasant, he played Major League baseball from 1961 to 1970, including stints with the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians. He was a two-time All Star at short stop and third base.

Willie Thrower (1930-2002)

Born in New Kensington, he became the first Black man to play quarterback in the modern National Football League and in the Big Ten Conference. He played in two games for the Chicago Bears in 1953 and was a member of Michigan State's national championship team in 1952.

William Julius Wilson

Born in 1935 in Derry Township, he is a noted sociologist, author and professor at Harvard University whose research interests include race and minority relations. He has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Education and the Institute of Medicine. He is also past President of the American Sociological Association, and is a MacArthur Prize Fellow.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .