The Missouri Wall of Fame is a 500-foot (150 m) span of flood wall in downtown Cape Girardeau, Missouri, covered with a mural of 45 panels[1] depicting 46[2] or 47[3] famous people who were born in the state or achieved fame while living there. The names were chosen by "a panel of the Cape's leading citizens" and it was painted in 1995, designed by local artist Margaret Dement.
Those depicted on the wall include:[1]
| Person | Missouri Connection | Origin of Fame |
|---|---|---|
| Burt Bacharach | Kansas City | pianist and composer |
| Josephine Baker | St. Louis | singer and dancer |
| Thomas Hart Benton (painter) | Neosho | painter, painted mural at Missouri State Capitol |
| Thomas Hart Benton (senator) | St. Louis | five term (1821-1851) United States Senator |
| Yogi Berra | St. Louis | Hall of Fame catcher with the New York Yankees |
| George Caleb Bingham | St. Louis | artist |
| Susan Elizabeth Blow | St. Louis | founder of the first public kindergarten |
| Omar Bradley | Clark | United States Army general in World War II, last person to hold the rank of 5-star general |
| George Brett | Kansas City | Hall of Fame third baseman with the Kansas City Royals |
| Lou Brock | St. Louis | Hall of Fame outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals, former all-time leader in stolen bases |
| Jack Buck | St. Louis | long-time St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster |
| August Busch, Jr. | St. Louis | developed Anheuser-Busch into the world's largest brewery, also owned the St. Louis Cardinals |
| Calamity Jane | Princeton | frontierswoman and scout, friend of Wild Bill Hickok |
| Dale Carnegie | Maryville | writer and researcher, best known for the book How to Win Friends and Influence People |
| George Washington Carver | Diamond | inventor and researcher |
| Kate Chopin | St. Louis | author |
| Walter Cronkite | St. Joseph | long-time CBS evening news anchor |
| T. S. Eliot | St. Louis | poet, dramatist, and literary critic |
| Don Faurot | Columbia | former University of Missouri head football coach |
| Eugene Field | St. Louis | author |
| Redd Foxx | St. Louis | comedian, star of NBC hit show Sanford and Son |
| Joe Garagiola | St. Louis | Hall of Fame baseball player and baseball sportscaster |
| Linda M. Godwin | Jackson | scientist and NASA astronaut |
| Betty Grable | St. Louis | actress, singer, dancer |
| Jean Harlow | Kansas City | actress |
| Langston Hughes | Joplin | poet, novelist, and social activist |
| John Huston | Nevada | actor and film director |
| Jesse James and Frank James | Kearney | outlaws |
| Scott Joplin | Sedalia | composer and musician |
| Rush Limbaugh | Cape Girardeau | radio personality, acknowledged creator of the political radio talk-show format |
| Stan Musial | St. Louis | Hall of Fame outfielder with the St. Louis Cardinals |
| Marie Elizabeth Oliver | Cape Girardeau | creator of the Missouri state flag |
| Rose O'Neill | Taney County | illustrator and creator of the Kewpie character |
| James Cash Penney | Hamilton | retailer and founder of J.C. Penney |
| Marlin Perkins | Carthage | host of Wild Kingdom |
| John J. Pershing | Laclede | United States Army general during World War I |
| Vincent Price | St. Louis | actor known for his work in horror films |
| Joseph Pulitzer | St. Louis | newspaper publisher and creator of the Pulitzer Prize |
| Ginger Rogers | Independence | dancer and actress |
| Tom Sawyer | Mississippi River | fictional character portrayed in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn |
| Dred Scott | St. Louis | slave, plaintiff in the infamous Dred Scott v. Sandford case |
| Jess Stacy | Bird's Point | swing pianist |
| Harry S. Truman | Independence | 33rd President of the United States and the only Missourian to hold the office |
| Porter Wagoner | West Plains | country musician |
| Laura Ingalls Wilder | Mansfield | author of the Little House on the Prairie series |
| Tennessee Williams | Columbus | playwright |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b DeLano, Patti (2018). Missouri Off the Beaten Path: Discover Your Fun. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 44–45. ISBN 9781493031177. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ Chafets, Ze'ev (2010). Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One. Penguin. ISBN 9781101434567.
- ^ "Murals". Visit Cape. Retrieved 18 July 2018.