List of people from North Omaha, Nebraska

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

There are a number of notable people from North Omaha, Nebraska. This list includes people who lived in the community for any period of time, as well as groups and organizations of people within North Omaha.

Political figures

• Silas Robbins, first African American lawyer in Omaha
• Malcolm X, civil rights leader
• Ernie Chambers, Nebraska State Senator, historical North Omaha community leader
• Dr. Matthew Ricketts, the first African American elected to the Nebraska State Legislature in 1892.
• Joe Rogers, Colorado Lieutenant Governor, 1999-2003 (Republican)
• Standing Bear, imprisoned and tried at Fort Omaha
• Thomas Tibbles, Journalist associated with the Standing Bear v. Crook trial
• Susette LaFlesche Tibbles, Ponca member associated with the Standing Bear v. Crook trial
• Frank Brown (Omaha, Nebraska), City councilmember
• Brenda Council, City councilmember
• Lowen Kruse, Nebraska State Senator
• Whitney Young, Former head of Omaha Urban League
• George Wells Parker, founder of Hamitic League of the World

Stage, film, theater and dance figures

• John Beasley, television and film actor
• Gabrielle Union, television and film actress
• Sandra Organ, longtime Houston Ballet soloist
• Ayesha Adu, writer and filmmaker^[1]

Literary figures

• Wallace Thurman, widely considered one of the greatest writers of the Harlem Renaissance
• Tillie Olsen, renowned Jewish author
• Mildred D. Brown, founder of Omaha Star, oldest and perhaps the only African American newspaper founded by a woman
• Harold W. Andersen, Omaha World Herald reporter

Music figures

• Wynonie Harris, Rhythm & Blues singer
• Geneice Wilcher, beauty pageant winner
• Preston Love, jazz player
• Buddy Miles, musician
• Big Joe Williams, musician
• Lester Abrams, funk musician
• Lloyd Hunter, big band leader
• Anna Mae Winburn, big band leader
• Helen Jones Woods, big band trobonist
• Hank "Big Hank" Richard Davis, Drummer, jazz, funk and blues

Business figures

• Cathy Hughes, founder and president of Radio One.
• Mildred Brown, Founder, Omaha Star newspaper
• Ernie Chambers, Nebraska State Senator
• Edward Creighton, Pioneer businessman
• John A. Creighton, Pioneer businessman, philanthropist
• Manuel Lisa, Fur trapper; see Fort Lisa

Sports figures

• Bob Gibson, National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher for St. Louis Cardinals
• Johnny Rodgers, 1972 Heisman Trophy Winner, College Football Hall of Fame Inductee and voted University of Nebraska's "player of the century".
• Bob Boozer, former National Basketball Association player and gold medalist at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
• Gale Sayers, professional football player, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
• Kenton Keith, professional football player
• Ahman Green, professional football player
• Ron Prince, head football coach at Kansas State University
• Carmen Butler, current Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader
• Houston Alexander, Mixed Martial Arts fighter

Military

• Alfonza W. Davis, Captain in the Tuskegee Airmen, born 1918 in North Omaha, graduate Technical High School (Omaha, Nebraska), graduate Omaha University, member Kappa Alpha Psi. First black military aviator from Omaha to receive his wings from Tuskegee Field. October 29, 1944 Davis was KIA over Germany^[2]
• George Crook, leader of Fort Omaha
• Stuart Heintzelman, stationed at Fort Omaha
• Dan Christie Kingman, stationed at Fort Omaha
• Frank Purdy Lahm, stationed at Fort Omaha Balloon School
• Benjamin Foulois, stationed at Fort Omaha Balloon School
• Thomas Selfridge, stationed at Fort Omaha Balloon School

Cultural figures

• Buffalo Bill - Founded his Wild West Show in North Omaha
• Bertha Calloway - Founded the Great Plains Black History Museum
• Thomas Rogers Kimball - Early Omaha architect; designed Webster Telephone Exchange Building and several other significant buildings in North Omaha
• Rowena Moore - Founder of the Malcolm X House Site
• Ken Vavrina - Influential Liberal activist priest in North Omaha
• Clarence W. Wigington - The first African American municipal architect in the U.S. was raised and began his career in Omaha.

Other

• Joe Coe - Local worker lynched by white mob
• Willy Brown - Local worker lynched by white mob
• Jack Broomfield - Locally significant community figure
• Rick Galusha - Host blues & roots radio program, 'Pacific St. Blues' (20+ years)

See also

• List of people from Omaha, Nebraska
• African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska

References