Hidden Heroes

This series of messages focus on individuals who make advances to society in a number of different areas. Some of the hidden heroes were unknown at the time of their innovations. Others did receive recognition at the time, but are virtually unknown today. In some cases, others took credit for the innovations made by the hidden heroes. The messages are broken down into the following categories:

  • Dorie Miller

    Dorie Miller was born in Texas in 1919. His mother had hoped her third child would be a daughter and hadn’t given thought to a name other than Doris. He grew to be 6’3” and 200lbs, so no one would dare make fun of his feminine name. He could have earned a football...

    Read More
  • Nasir Ahmed

    Nasir Ahmed was born in 1940 in India. He was raised by grandparents. His grandfather, an electrical engineer, was assigned to work in the U.S. earlier in his career, and this experience led Nasir to study in the U.S. He began his studies at the University of New...

    Read More
  • Emma Lazarus

    Emma Lazarus was born in New York City in 1849. Her family was Sephardic Jewish Americans who became quite wealthy doing sugar refining. Emma was a seventh-generation American of immigrants of Portuguese heritage. At an early age, Emma began writing poetry. She had...

    Read More
  • Kate Barnard

    Kate Barnard was born in 1875 in Nebraska. Her mother died when she was two years old and she was raised by relatives. When she was 16, she moved to be with her father, who had a land claim in Oklahoma. She would later move to Oklahoma City, where she obtained a...

    Read More
  • Roy Voris

    Roy (Butch) Voris was born in California in 1919. Growing up, he considered becoming a mortician, but a childhood interest in model airplanes ultimately determined his career path. Two years after receiving an Associate degree, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. The year...

    Read More
  • Oscar Charleston

    When Willie Mays died in June 2024, there was a renewal of the debate over who was the greatest baseball player of all time. Was it Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Honus Wagner, or others? There is one name rarely mentioned: Oscar Charleston. Honus Wagner, of those...

    Read More
  • Berry Gordy

    Berry Gordy was born in 1929 in Michigan. He and President Jimmy Carter share a great-grandfather. He dropped out of high school to become a professional boxer. His boxing career ended when he was drafted to serve in the Korean War. When he returned from the war, he...

    Read More
  • Gouverneur Morris

    They are words that every schoolchild learns. They inspire us. They also frame our values as a nation. We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote...

    Read More
  • Chico Mendes

    Chico Mendes was born in Brazil. His father was a rubber tapper, and at nine years old, Chico began work as a rubber tapper as well. Rubber tapping is the process of obtaining latex from trees. Rubber tappers were denied education by the owners of the rubber...

    Read More
  • Henry Goddard

    Henry Goddard was born in Maine in 1866. His father died when he was 9 years old, and Henry was sent to live with an older sister. Two years later, Henry began studies at a boarding school. He would eventually graduate from Haverford College. A trip to California to...

    Read More