OT: - Who is/was your most famous/successful blood relative? | Page 3 | The Boneyard

OT: Who is/was your most famous/successful blood relative?

Hughie Jennings, who is in the baseball hall of fame. Manager for Detroit when Ty Cobb was playing. Holds the career record for being hit by pitches (including one that left him unconscious for 3 days). Guy has a pretty entertaining wikipedia page.
 
Mazhude said:
I worked in the White House... and went to high school with Earl Kelley.. Other than that, the first Commandant of the Coast Guard adopted my gggrandmother.
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I worked for Jim Calhoun's college bb coach. He was manager of a tennis club at the time. No idea how he got either job.
 
spudzj6 said:
Great-Uncle is a voice over actor. Older folks may have heard his work for "Frontline" series on PBS, younger generations would know him as the voice in the Dos Equis "most interesting man in the world" commercials (not the actor, but the voice). You can almost always find his work on random documentaries on history/discovery/natgeo channels.
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I was just looking at this dude's Wikipedia page the other day lol. I randomly watched some 'Modern Marvels' on YouTube and he was the narrator.
 
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My daughter is into tracing the family tree, and semi-verified the old family tale passed down for generations that I have an ancestor on my father's mother's side who was a baron, but abdicated his title and gave up the property that went along with it, to run off with some nope from Bulgaria, and after she died (very soon after they were wed) he became a hermit. By semi-verified, I mean he was a baron and he did become a hermit after losing all his property -- most likely gambling. The whole Bulgarian peasant woman part of the story appears to be a fabrication.
 
Baseball player Jack Barry. Shortstop on Connie Mack’s famed 100,000 infied . Played from 1909 to 1918. Athletics and Red Sox. player manager his last year. Played with Babe Ruth who lived at his house for a few months. Also coached at Holy Cross and is in the college baseball hall of fame. Met him when is was 10. Remember him rolling up his pant leg and showing me a scar that he got compliments of Ty Cobb and his sharpened spikes. I was honored to represent the family and receive his plaque when he was inducted into the Meriden hall of fame.
 
I'm distantly related to Evel Knievel. Also related to Archibald Willard, the painter of The Spirit of 76 which is moderately famous
spirit of 76.jpg
 
My oldest brother, Leon "Pete" Sinclair, now passed away, was a famous mountain climber during his time. He had a first ascent up McKinley (Denali), invited on the first American Everest Expedition in 1963 (though declined), head mountain ranger in the Grand Tetons for ten years, written up in Sports Illustrated for one mountain rescue he led (Title: "The night of the one-eyed devils"), awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for another rescue he led. A documentary was made of the latter, called "The Grand Rescue." I believe it currently is on IMDBtv.
 
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diggerfoot said:
My oldest brother, Leon "Pete" Sinclair, now passed away, was a famous mountain climber during his time. He had a first ascent up McKinley (Denali), invited on the first American Everest Expedition in 1963 (though declined), head mountain ranger in the Grand Tetons for ten years, written up in Sports Illustrated for one mountain rescue he led (Title: "The night of the one-eyed devils"), awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for another rescue he led. A documentary was made of the latter, called "The Grand Rescue." I believe it currently is on IMDBtv.
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Haven"t you walked around the world, or something like that?
 
HuskyHawk said:
My wife's family goes back to the Prescotts (Mayflower, Sam Prescott midnight ride of Paul Revere), I'm not sure exactly which ones. She's so thoroughly Irish otherwise that it's like a badge of shame.
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That would make you something many times removed, to being part of the Bush clan.
 
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storrsroars said:
The very same Bret Michaels who back in 2013 played the famous Mt. Lebanon Galleria?
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The one and only. He’s fallen way off the star map and is usually good to play a few local fairs/festivals every year in the area.
 
Pgh2Storrs said:
The one and only. He’s fallen way off the star map and is usually good to play a few local fairs/festivals every year in the area.
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Just throwing shade. Was never a Poison fan. But figured you might appreciate the dig.
 
According to 23andme I have a 3rd to 6th cousin named Donald Sutherland. I'm 94% sure it's not THAT Donald Sutherland, but I imagine this guys life must be exhilarating sharing a name with the original Hawkeye Pierce.
 
Pgh2Storrs said:
The Galleria is high class compared to the Butler County Farm Show or whatever other “just above the bottom rung of celebrity” appearance he’s made locally in recent years
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Spent a lot of time there in my fall from grace between demoing appliances at Willliams-Sonoma and bartending/delivery for China Gate. Bret's got nothing on me when it comes to managing a career, lol.
 
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As a kid I saw Jake Gibbs hit a homer at the old Yankee Stadium in 67 or 68 against the Washington Senators. Frank Howard and Joe Pepitone were not in the lineup that night unfortunately. The Yankees won. There might have been 15,000 people in the stands. My paternal grandfather was a dentist in Middletown back when they put gold in peoples teeth for fillings. My maternal grandfather worked until he was 83 as a cobbler repairing shoes, fixing leather handbags, zippers in leather boots, selling shoes, workboots and sneakers and at one time shining shoes in his shop which was fascinating. This was before the throwaway culture.
 
My great-grandfather was a big-time judge in NYC who resigned amid a corruption scandal in the 30's.

My wife is second cousins with Jimmer Fredette. Gigantic French-Canadian family who came over in the early 1900's. I don't know if they ever met, but it's a slam dunk that they're cousins.
 
August_West said:
I took one too. It was really hard. I had to remember 5 words in order.

“person,” “woman,” “man,” “camera,” “TV,”

I aced it though.
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I was tested for hyperactivity when I was in elementary school. I asked to go to the bathroom, and on my way back the bell rang. I thought it was for lunch, so I went home (we went home for lunch). Got distracted on my way back and forgot to go back to school.

They never finished the testing and just put me on Ritalin.
 
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My mom's dad was an iron ore miner in Mineville, NY. Won 22 Miner of the Month Awards. And 2 consecutive MOYs.

Sadly, that's all I know about.
 
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