Muncie, Indiana, is a city with its government and serves as Delaware County’s seat. Previously referred to as Buckongahelas Town, it is named for the legendary Delaware Chief. It is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis in East Central Indiana.
There are many reasons Muncie, Indiana, is famous. One of the country’s best public universities, Ball State University, is headquartered there. In addition, Muncie is well-known for its extensive industrial past; It was once the Ball Corporation’s major manufacturing center, where canning jars and other products were made. Lastly, Muncie is well-known for their role in the city-set television series The Munsters.
Numerous famous people who have gone on to have successful careers in various fields call Muncie, Indiana, their home. Muncie has unquestionably left its mark on the film, basketball, music, and acting industries. Here are 41 successful or influential celebrities from Muncie, Indiana. They may have been born or lived in Muncie, Indiana, for a period of time.
1. James Edwards
| Full Name | James Johnson Edwards |
| Date of Birth | March 6, 1918 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor in films and television |
American actor James Johnson Edwards was born on March 6, 1918, in Muncie, Indiana, U.S., and died on January 4, 1970. His most prominent role came in the 1949 movie Home of the Brave as Private Peter Moss, in which he played a Black soldier subjected to racial prejudice while serving in the South Pacific during World War II.
On Sunday, January 4, 1970, James Edwards passed away in San Diego, California. He complained of chest pains while working on a film script in a San Diego rental house. He died at Sharp Memorial Hospital after being transported there. His age was given as 42 by The New York Times.
2. William Lawvere
| Full Name | Francis William Lawvere |
| Date of Birth | February 9, 1937 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Mathematician |
Francis William Lawvere is a mathematician who worked on category theory, topos theory, and the philosophy of mathematics. Lawvere was born on February 9, 1937, in Muncie, Indiana.
Clifford Truesdell taught Lawvere undergraduate continuum mechanics. He was teaching a functional analysis course for Truesdell when he discovered category theory, specifically through a problem in the book General Topology by John L. Kelley. Lawvere thought it was an excellent way to build straightforward, rigorous axioms for Truesdell and Walter Noll’s physical ideas. Truesdell supported Lawvere’s 1960 application to Columbia University to further study with category theory pioneer Samuel Eilenberg. He was given the “Premio Giulio Preti” by the regional Toscana Consiglio in 2010. In 2012, he was made a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.
3. Josephine Cunnington Edwards
| Full Name | Josephine Thelma Cunnington |
| Date of Birth | August 24, 1904 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Seventh-day Adventist author |
Josephine Cunnington Edwards was a Seventh-day Adventist author, public speaker, and educator who lived from 1904 to 1993. She was born in Muncie, Indiana. Her seven years as a missionary in Africa with her husband, Elder Lowell A. Edwards (1903–1962), provided the basis for several of her books.
In Georgia, Idaho, California, Alabama, Malawi, and teacher training colleges and secondary schools, Mrs. Edwards taught English and speech. Edwards also wrote three scripts for the radio show This Is Your Life, which Ralph Edwards hosted. Josephine Cunnington Edwards was said to be proficient in five languages.
4. Bob Elkins
| Full Name | Bob Elkins |
| Date of Birth | August 15, 1932 |
| Place of Birth | Mount Hope, West Virginia, US |
| Occupation | Character actor |
Bob Elkins was an American character actor who was born on August 15, 1932 and passed away on April 27, 2022. He was seen in movies, plays, and television shows. He moved to Muncie, Indiana, with his mother, two sisters, and father when he was four years old. There, his father worked for a lawnmower company. Inexplicably, the older Elkins stopped talking to his son and became more distant around that time. Although he would not realize it for many years, Bob Elkins thought his lack of communication with his father impacted his acting abilities. He was occasionally referred to as Robert Elkins.
5. Ray Boltz
| Full Name | Raymond Howard Boltz |
| Date of Birth | June 14, 1953 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Singer and songwriter |
Raymond Howard “Ray” Boltz is a retired singer and songwriter who was born on June 14, 1953. He first gained a lot of attention in contemporary Christian music. Stories of faith and inspiration are told in many of his songs.
Ray Boltz was raised in Muncie, Indiana, by his parents, William and Ruth Boltz. He is the middle child of his parents’ three children; a fourth child passed away shortly after being born. From 1975 to 2008, Boltz was married to Carol (nee Brammer) Boltz, and the couple had four children together: Philip, Karen, Elizabeth, and Sara. Boltz earned a business and marketing degree from Ball State University.
6. Zach McIlwain
| Full Name | Zachary Paul McIlwain |
| Date of Birth | June 6, 1986 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | National Veteran Advocate, Congressional Advisor, and Iraq War veteran |
Zachary Paul McIlwain was born on June 6, 1986 in Muncie, Indiana, and is a National Veteran Advocate, Congressional Advisor, and Iraq War veteran. McIlwain has been on national television and in other forms of national media as an advocate of veterans’ rights. In 2012, he married Kristin. Zachary Paul McIlwain presently does not have any children.
7. Gene McNary
| Full Name | Gene McNary |
| Date of Birth | September 14, 1935 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Politician |
American politician Gene McNary was born in Muncie, Indiana on September 14, 1935. Indiana University is where McNary received both his bachelor’s and law degrees. McNary relocated to St. Louis following law school, where he joined the Lashly, Lashly & Miller law firm.
He has held the positions of County Executive of St. Louis County, Executive Director of the Missouri Gaming Commission, and Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Additionally, he has run for Republican Senate and Governor of Missouri.
8. Scott Allen Miller
| Full Name | Scott Allen Miller |
| Date of Birth | October 9, 1970 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Disc jockey, producer, talk radio host |
Scott Allen Miller, also known as Scotto, was born in Muncie, Indiana, on October 9, 1970. He moved from Indiana to New Jersey to live with his mother after his father passed away in 1986. He went to Howell High School with the filmmaker Brian Jude and the future CBS sportscaster Bonnie Bernstein, who appeared on his radio show several times.
Since 1992, Miller has worked as a radio DJ, producer, and talk radio host in Kansas City, Tulsa, Los Angeles, and Albany, New York. Miller most recently held the positions of the program director and morning drive host at WROW in Albany.
9. Don Shelby
| Full Name | Donald Gilbert Shelby |
| Date of Birth | May 27, 1947 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Investigative journalist, news anchor |
Donald Gilbert Shelby is a retired American journalist who was born on May 27, 1947. For the majority of his career, he worked as a news anchor for WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Due to the fact that Shelby’s work has received two Peabody Awards and three Emmy Awards, Shelby is regarded as an experienced investigative journalist.
Additionally, Donald Gilbert Shelby has been honored with the Society of Professional Journalists Distinguished Service Award, the Scripps-Howard Award, and the Columbia DuPont Citation, three of the nation’s most prestigious journalism honors.
10. Ezra Buzzington
| Full Name | Ezra Buzzington |
| Date of Birth | April 7, 1957 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Film, television actor |
American character actor Ezra Buzzington works in film and television. He resides in California’s Los Angeles. He was raised in Muncie, Indiana, where he was born.
He guest-starred in an episode of CBS’s How I Met Your Mother, had multiple cameos on FX’s Justified and had a recurring role on ABC’s The Middle as Neil Flynn’s character’s hard-of-hearing coworker. He played Oswald Eisengrim on NBC’s Crossbones alongside John Malkovich’s Blackbeard.
Buzzington is a prominent figure in underground cinema. He was also the co-founder of the New York International Fringe Festival and the Seattle Fringe Festival.
11. Mark Champion
| Full Name | Mark Champion |
| Date of Birth | August 8, 1950 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Radio sportscaster |
Mark Champion, an American sportscaster who was born on August 8, 1950, currently serves as the Detroit Pistons’ primary radio play-by-play voice since 2001. George Blaha, who is typically the TV play-by-play man for Bally Sports Detroit, takes his place when the Pistons are on national television.
Champion was born in Muncie, Indiana, attended Ball State University, and in the 1970s, he worked as a local sports reporter for radio and television stations in the Tampa area. He became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ radio play-by-play announcer in 1979.
12. Angelin Chang
| Full Name | Angelin Chang |
| Nationality | American |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Professor, Pianist |
Cleveland State University music professor and Grammy-winning classical pianist Angelin Chang. Chang received his education at Burris Laboratory School in Muncie, Indiana, where she was born. Angelin Chang earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Ball State University, a Master of Music degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and a distinguished Performer’s Certificate. Angelin Chang also received top honors from the Interlochen Arts Academy.
Angelin Chang teaches music and law, oversees the university’s keyboard studies program, and coordinates the chamber music program. She taught at Rutgers University before joining Cleveland State. Angelin Chang is the first woman and Asian-American classical pianist to get a Grammy award in the country.
13. Jeb Dunnuck
| Full Name | Jeb Dunnuck |
| Date of Birth | June 2, 1975 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Wine critic |
Jeb Dunnuck is a Colorado-based American wine critic. For JebDunnuck.com, he reviews wines from the North and South Rhône Valleys, Bordeaux, Washington, and California.
Dunnuck was trained as an aerospace engineer, but Dunnuck was raised on a farm in rural Indiana. Dunnuck wrote two NASA programs’ image processing software. The first was the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument, which is currently in orbit around Mars. The second was the Kepler program, which is the mission of NASA to look for other habitable planets.
He became interested in fine wine in 1996 when he lived abroad and traveled through Europe. With his dog Ella and wife Traci, he lives in Colorado. His family still resides primarily in Delaware County. His sister is currently a local judge, and his brother and sister are attorneys in the area.
14. Jeremy Hazelbaker
| Full Name | Jeremy Philip Hazelbaker |
| Date of Birth | August 14, 1987 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Professional baseball outfielder |
Jeremy Philip Hazelbaker was born in Muncie, Indiana, on August 14, 1987. He played outfield for the American national baseball team. Hazelbaker played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
On July 28, 2019, he signed with the Sioux City Explorers of the independent American Association. With Sioux City, Hazelbaker played 35 games and hit.248/.421/.774 in those games. The team released him on March 13, 2020.
15. Haven Kimmel
| Full Name | Haven Kimmel |
| Date of Birth | 1965 |
| Place of Birth | New Castle, Indiana |
| Occupation | Novelist, poet, and author |
Haven Kimmel is an American novelist, poet, and author who was born in 1965. Susan Elizabeth Jarvis, also known as “Betsy,” was Kimmel’s mother. At the age of 18, she rechristened herself, Haven Skye, in honor of Kentucky folk singer Haven Hughes. Kimmel studied English and creative writing under novelist Lee Smith at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, where she also received her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Kimmel was raised in the small town of Mooreland, Indiana. Kimmel has three children from three marriages and resides in Durham, North Carolina. The first two books in Kimmel’s “trilogy of place” are Something Rising (Light and Swift) and The Solace of Leaving Early (2002).
16. Timothy Kraft
| Full Name | Timothy E. Kraft |
| Date of Birth | April 10, 1941 |
| Place of Birth | Noblesville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Democratic political consultant |
Timothy E. Kraft is a retired Democratic political consultant born on April 10, 1941. Kraft is best known for being the campaign manager for Jimmy Carter’s unsuccessful reelection campaign. Kraft was raised in Muncie, Indiana.
Kraft resigned in September 1980, just a few weeks before the general election, amid a never-proven claim that he had used cocaine.
Kraft retired in 2008 and now resides in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with his wife, Molly. In an interview, Kraft stated that he misses the political energy and longs to be involved in active elections. Kraft occasionally contributes pieces to the Albuquerque Journal.
17. Gene Brewer
| Full Name | Gene Brewer |
| Date of Birth | July 4, 1937 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Novelist |
Gene Brewer is an American author who was born Eugene N. Brewer on July 4, 1937, in Muncie, Indiana. He is the author of the K-PAX book series about a man who claims to be an extraterrestrial visitor from the planet K-PAX. The Trilogy is a collection of the first three K-PAX books in one volume. 2001 saw the release of a movie based on the first book in the series; Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey star in it.
Before becoming a novelist, he studied DNA replication and cell division at DePauw University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Brewer and his wife currently reside in Vermont and New York City.
18. Robert L. Wilkins
| Full Name | Robert Leon Wilkins |
| Date of Birth | October 2, 1963 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | United States circuit judge |
Robert Leon Wilkins serves as a Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals.
Wilkins was brought up by a single mother in Muncie, Indiana, where he was born in 1963. Wilkins earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology in 1986. In 1989, Wilkins went on to earn his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.
In May 1992, Wilkins and three other family members were driving a rented vehicle when the Maryland State Police stopped them for going faster than the speed limit. When conducting traffic stops at the time, officers were instructed by the Maryland State Police Department to concentrate on black males driving expensive vehicles. Wilkins won a “landmark” settlement against the state of Maryland after filing suit in the Wilkins v. Maryland State Police case. The case helped popularize the term “driving while black” and brought national attention to the practice of racial profiling.
19. Sandra Worthen
| Full Name | Sandra Damewood Worthen |
| Date of Birth | March 12, 1937 |
| Place of Birth | Washington, D.C. |
| Occupation | Politician |
American politician Sandra Damewood Worthen was born on March 12, 1937, and died on February 13, 2022. Worthen attended Calvin Coolidge High School and was born in Washington, D.C. In 1958, Worthen earned her degree from American University and began working as a social science analyst at the Library of Congress. She tied the knot with John E. Worthen in 1960. Her husband was appointed president of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, in 1984. In Muncie, Indiana, at the IU Ball Memorial Hospital, Sandra Damewood Worthen, 84, passed away.
20. Jack Beeson
| Full Name | Jack Hamilton Beeson |
| Date of Birth | July 15, 1921 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Composer |
In Muncie, Indiana, Jack Hamilton Beeson was born on July 15, 1921. Beeson began studying the piano in 1928 with Luella Weimer, and his first composition was completed in 1933. Beeson returned to Columbia to teach and perform in operas after finishing Jonah. Jack Hamilton Beeson was awarded the Prix de Rome, and he was able to live in Rome from 1948 to 1950 thanks to a Fulbright scholarship.
Early in 1988, Beeson decided to leave Columbia; however, he later joined the Association of Senior Scholars and went back. Jack Hamilton Beeson was awarded a Letter of Distinction by the American Music Center in May 2010. On June 6, 2010, he passed away in New York City, New York.
21. Adam Lind
Adam Lind via instagram
| Full Name | Adam Alan Lind |
| Date of Birth | July 17, 1983 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional baseball |
Adam Alan Lind is an American former professional baseball first baseman who was born on July 17, 1983. Lind was born in Muncie, Indiana, and subsequently relocated to Anderson, Indiana, where he attended Highland High School. Allison is his older sister.
He previously played for the Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lind has also played left field and designated hitter. Both the Edgar Martnez Award and the Silver Slugger Award were presented to Lind in 2009.
22. Hugh Lowell Montgomery
| Full Name | Hugh Lowell Montgomery |
| Date of Birth | August 26, 1944 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Mathematician |
Hugh Lowell Montgomery is an American mathematician who specializes in analytical number theory and mathematical analysis. Montgomery was born on August 26, 1944 in Muncie, Indiana, U.S.Montgomery obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge as a Marshall scholar. Montgomery has been a professor at the University of Michigan for a long time.
He is well known for his creation of the big sieve techniques, the Montgomery pair correlation conjecture, and for co-authoring An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers, currently in its fifth edition, one of the primary basic number theory works (ISBN 0471625469). Montgomery was asked to talk at the Vancouver International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in 1974. He joined the American Mathematical Society as a fellow in 2012.
23. John Webster Kirklin
| Full Name | John Webster Kirklin |
| Date of Birth | April 5, 1917 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Cardiothoracic surgeon |
John Webster Kirklin was an American general surgeon, cardiothoracic surgeon, prolific author, and medical educator. He was born in Muncie, Indiana, on April 5, 1917, and died on April 21, 2004. He is most known for adding a pump-oxygenator to John Gibbon’s heart-lung bypass system.
He directed the surgical departments at the Mayo Clinic and held the same post at the University of Alabama School of Medicine (UAB) from 1964 until his retirement. To train surgeon assistants as a new category of physician’s assistants, Kirklin established the Surgeon Assistant (SA) Training Program at the University of Alabama in Birmingham in 1967.
He also held the editor position for The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and received many honorary degrees from universities abroad. In 1978, he was the American Association for Thoracic Surgery’s president.
24. Bonzi Wells
| Full Name | Gawen Deangelo Wells |
| Date of Birth | September 28, 1976 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Basketball coach and former professional player |
The LeMoyne-Owen Magicians men’s basketball team is coached by American collegiate basketball coach and former pro basketball player Gawen DeAngelo “Bonzi” Wells. Wells was born on September 28, 1976, in Muncie, Indiana.
While he was a collegiate basketball player at Ball State University, he was selected in the 1998 NBA draft. From 1998 to 2008, Wells played for five NBA teams: the Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Hornets.
25. Preston Shumpert
| Full Name | Preston Anthony Shumpert |
| Date of Birth | August 20, 1979 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
Preston Anthony Shumpert, born on August 20, 1979, is a professional basketball player born and raised in Muncie, Indiana, U.S. He goes by the Turkish name Mert Shumpert. During his time playing college basketball for Syracuse, he was named twice to the first team of the Big East.
Shumpert decided to play overseas after not being selected by the NBA. He began his professional career in France with Besançon BCD in the French Pro-B in the 2002-03 season. In the 2007-08 season, Shumpert moved to Turkey to play for Beşiktaş Cola Turka. He decided to join Efes Pilsen and follow coach Ergin Ataman after a very successful season in the Turkish league and the ULEB Cup. He signed with Galatasaray in August 2010.
26. Roger Kirby
| Full Name | Willis Kirby |
| Date of Birth | December 14, 1939 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, United States |
| Occupation | Professional wrestler |
Willis Kirby, better known by his stage name Roger Kirby, wrestled professionally in the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico between December 14, 1939, and March 18, 2019. He was born in Muncie, Indiana.
In addition to competing in firms like the World Wrestling Association, the WWE, and Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre, he mostly wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance, where he was once the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion. Kirby has been referred to as “one of the best entertainers to ever work in the squared circle” by other wrestlers.
27. Mary Jane Croft
| Full Name | Mary Jane Croft |
| Date of Birth | February 15, 1916 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Actress |
Mary Jane Croft was an American actress who portrayed Betty Ramsey on I Love Lucy, Miss Daisy Enright on Our Miss Brooks radio and television versions, Mary Jane Lewis on The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy, and Clara Randolph on Ozzie and Harriet. She was born on February 15, 1916, in Muncie, Indiana, and passed away on August 24, 1999.
Croft wed actor Jack Zoller, but their marriage ended quickly. She and Elliott Lewis were wed from 1959 till his passing in 1990. Eric, a child from Croft’s first marriage, was lost in combat during the Vietnam War.
28. Ryan Kerrigan
| Full Name | Patrick Ryan Kerrigan |
| Date of Birth | August 16, 1988 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Football coach and former football player |
Patrick Ryan Kerrigan is an assistant defensive line coach for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He was born on August 16, 1988, in Muncie, Indiana, U.S., as a former outside linebacker and defensive end. He played college football at Purdue, where he was awarded a unanimous senior All-American before being chosen by Washington in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Kerrigan spent most of his 11-year career in the 3–4 defense as an outside linebacker, where he holds the record for most consecutive starts by a left outside linebacker in NFL history. He also holds the record for most sacks and forced fumbles in Washington history, with 95.5 and 26, respectively, during his ten years with the team. Before retiring and joining Washington as an assistant coach in 2022, Kerrigan spent a season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.
29. L. Dennis Smith
| Full Name | L. Dennis Smith |
| Date of Birth | January 18, 1938 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Scientist and academic administrator |
L. Dennis Smith was an American academic administrator and scientist born on January 18, 1938, in Muncie, Indiana. He died on March 29, 2021, and was president of the University of Nebraska system from March 1, 1994, until June 2004.
“For his steadfast commitment to academic freedom in the face of mounting social and political pressure,” as well as “distinguished contributions to developmental biology and leadership and advocacy on education,” Smith was honored with the 2002 Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility. However, as Nebraska University President, Smith was also honored by the AAAS for his efforts to promote science education and academic freedom. Additionally, he was made a Fellow in the Biological Sciences.
Smith’s early studies on frog cell division laid the foundation for the three researchers who would later earn the Nobel Prize in medicine for understanding a cell’s entire life cycle.
30. Tom Spurgeon
| Full Name | Thomas Martin Spurgeon |
| Date of Birth | December 16, 1968 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer, historian, critic, and editor |
Thomas Martin Spurgeon was an American comics writer, historian, critic, and editor born in Muncie, Indiana, U.S., on December 16, 1968.
He was best known for his five-year tenure as editor of The Comics Journal and his blog, The Comics Reporter.
In 2010, 2012, and 2013, Spurgeon and The Comics Reporter won the Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism. In 2002, the website also received the UTNE Independent Press Award for its literature and arts coverage. Spurgeon served on the Professional Jury for the 2019 Ringo Awards. At age 50, Thomas Martin Spurgeon passed away in Columbus, Ohio, on November 13, 2019.
31. Jim Davis ( Basketball)
| Full Name | James W. Davis |
| Date of Birth | December 18, 1941 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
From December 18, 1941 to December 27, 2018, James W. Davis, an American professional basketball player, competed for eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His other alias is Jim Davis. He was born in Muncie, Indiana, U.S.
Davis, a 6’9″ center from the University of Colorado, was a member of the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets, and Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association from 1967 to 1975. Across his NBA career, he averaged 6.7 points and 5.2 rebounds. Jim Davis passed away on December 27, 2018, at the age of 77, from complications caused by cancer.
32. Ermal C. Fraze
| Full Name | Ermal Cleon Fraze |
| Date of Birth | September 16, 1913 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Engineer |
The pull-tab opener found in beverage cans was developed by American engineer Ermal Cleon “Ernie” Fraze, who was born on September 16, 1913, and died on October 26, 1989.
Fraze was born on a farm close to Muncie, Indiana; however, he later moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he made novelty items for Cracker Jack boxes.
Fraze left an estate worth $41 million when he passed away in 1989 from a brain tumor in Kettering, Ohio. The family sold the Dayton Reliable Tool Company to managers shortly after his death, but the business remained in Dayton. Due to an unapproved attempt to sell the business, the Fraze family fired the company’s managers in 1992 and assumed control.
33. Hurley Goodall
| Full Name | Hurley Charles Goodall Jr. |
| Date of Birth | May 23, 1927 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Politician, author, and historian |
Hurley Charles Goodall Jr. was an American politician, author, and historian born on May 23, 1927, and passed away on May 12, 2021. Goodall was a member of the Democratic Party and represented Indiana’s 38th district in the House of Representatives from 1978 to 1992. He was involved in Muncie, Indiana, local politics and served on the school board before his time in the state legislature.
Due to his father’s death and his brother’s polio, Goodall’s family relied on welfare when he was born in Muncie. He completed his education at Muncie Central High School and spent two years in the United States Army. He was involved in the local UAW-CIO, where he was vice president and recording secretary. He was Muncie’s first and only black firefighter, served on the city’s Human Rights Commission, and served on the Muncie school board until 1993.
34. Doug Wead
| Full Name | Roy Douglas Wead |
| Date of Birth | May 17, 1946 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Writer, political commentator |
Conservative commentator and author Roy Douglas Wead was born on May 17, 1946, and passed away on December 10, 2021. Muncie, Indiana, is where Wead was born. He published 27 books.
Wead ran as a Republican for the 6th congressional district in Arizona in 1992, but he lost to Karan English, a Democrat. He was George H. W. Bush’s special assistant and is credited with inventing the phrase “compassionate conservative.” Wead secretly recorded several hours of phone conversations he had with George W. Bush between 1997 and 2000.
35. Clifford E. Brubaker
| Full Name | Clifford E. Brubaker |
| Date of Birth | December 23, 1938 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Dean of the School, professor |
At the University of Pittsburgh, Clifford E. Brubaker serves as Dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Brubaker is a professor there and an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University and Xian Jiaotong University. Clifford E. Brubaker was born in Muncie, Indiana, on December 23, 1938.
In July 1991, he was named dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, where he also founded the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology. He oversaw establishing the first multidisciplinary doctoral program in rehabilitation sciences in the United States under his direction in 1997. “Health Care Hero Award” for Lifetime Achievement was presented to Brubaker in 2002.
36. Benjamin V. Cohen
| Full Name | Benjamin Victor Cohen |
| Date of Birth | September 23, 1894 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Benjamin Victor Cohen was born on September 23, 1894, in Muncie, Indiana. He died on August 15, 1983. Benjamin Victor Cohen served in the administrations of Harry S. Truman and Franklin D. Roosevelt. His public service career lasted from the beginning of the New Deal until after the Vietnam War. He received his Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago in 1914, his Juris Doctor degree from Chicago in 1915, and Cohen received his doctorate in law from Harvard Law School in 1916. Cohen never had a key position in government because of his overt Jewishness, according to Jordan A. Schwarz, despite the fact that no government lawyer was as well-respected as he was.
37. Kemper Harreld
| Full Name | William Kemper Harreld |
| Date of Birth | January 31, 1885 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Concert violinist |
American concert violinist William Kemper Harreld was born on January 31, 1885, in Muncie, Indiana. He also played the piano and the organ. Harreld was a performer after graduating from Chicago Musical College. In 1911, he became the head of the music department at Atlanta Baptist College, which is now Morehouse College. Harreld officially established the Morehouse College Glee Club in 1911.
He passed away at the beginning of 1971, and on February 27, his funeral was held. At his funeral, the glee club Harreld had founded and which received international acclaim performed. The Black Swan Records label of the Pace Phonograph Company recorded and distributed his music.
38. Pepper MaShay
| Full Name | Jean McClain |
| Date of Birth | March 8, 1953 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Singer, musician, songwriter |
Pepper Mashay is the stage name of Jean McClain, an American soul, house, and dance tune singer-songwriter born on March 8, 1953. Her stage name is better known. Mashay was raised in Muncie, Indiana.
Her musical heroes as a child included Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Janis Joplin. Mashay left Indiana when she was twenty to pursue her career. Mashay was chosen by Tina Turner to serve as her backing vocalist on the What’s Love Got to Do With It soundtrack. Mashay spent two days with Tina Turner and declared, “She is rock n’ roll.”
39. Otis Clay
| Full Name | Otis Lee Clay |
| Date of Birth | February 11, 1942 |
| Place of Birth | Waxhaw, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Occupation | Singer |
Otis Lee Clay was an American R&B and soul singer who began his career in gospel music and passed away on January 8, 2016 (February 11, 1942). Clay was elected to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.
Clay was born into a musical family in Waxhaw, Mississippi, who later moved to Muncie, Indiana, in 1953. He moved to Chicago in 1957 after singing with the local gospel group the Voices of Hope and then went back to Mississippi to sing with the Christian Travelers. Before making his first secular solo recordings in 1962, he joined several gospel vocal groups there, including the Golden Jubilaires, the Famous Blue Jay Singers, the Holy Wonders, and the Pilgrim Harmonizers. In 1964, they recorded in Nashville.
40. Emily Kimbrough
| Full Name | Emily Kimbrough |
| Date of Birth | October 23, 1899 |
| Place of Birth | Muncie, Indiana |
| Occupation | Author and journalist |
Emily Kimbrough was born in Muncie, Indiana, on October 23, 1899. Her memoir “Our Hearts Were Young, and Gay” was co-written with her friend Cornelia Otis Skinner.
A script for the movie “We Followed Our Hearts to Hollywood” was written by them as a result of the book’s popularity.
Kimbrough’s career as a journalist included editor positions at Fashions of the Hour and the Ladies Home Journal, as well as numerous articles published in the magazines Country Life, House & Garden, Travel, Reader’s Digest, Saturday Review of Literature, and Parents. Emily Kimbrough died on February 10, 1989, at her home in Manhattan.