Willard Harrison Bennett (Physicist and inventor b.1903 d.1987)- Invented the radiofrequency mass spectrometer, a device that measures the mass of ions. Bennett made scientific history in the 1930s pioneering studies in plasma physics - the study of gases ionized by high-voltage electricity. Born in Findlay.

Gavin Creel (Broadway actor and recording artist) His first big part was the male lead, Jimmy Smith, in 'Thoroughly Modern Millie', which led to a Tony nomination for Best Actor (Musical). He also had a great run in the revial of "Hair" in 2009. He also issued his first album called "GOODTIMENATION" and has an official website at gavincreel.com

Russel Crouse (actor, writer, and producer) wrote "Life with Father" and "Sound of Music" for Broadway. He won a Tony for 'Sound of Music'in 1960. Born in Findlay. He is the father of actress Lindsay Crouse

David Cryer (stage actor) graduated from Findlay High School in 1954. Performs in the touring production of 'Phantom of the Opera'and recently moved to the Broadway company of the show. Has also appeared in movies and as a guest of various TV shows like "Law and Order". Father of actor Jon Cryer from CBS' "Two and Half Men"

Delos Daniel Drake (b. 1886 d. 1965) was a Major League Baseball player who played 83 games in the Detroit Tigers outfield in 1911 beside Ty Cobb. Grew up in Findlay. His father was manager of the Findlay Sluggers in the 1890's. With the Tigers, he hit for a .279 average in 315 at bats, had 9 triples and 20 stolen bases. Worked for 30 years for Marathon Oil.

Marie Dressler (b. 1868 - d. 1934) was an actress during the golden age of Hollywood. She also appeared on Broadway and in vaudeville. She won a Best Actress Oscar in 1931 for the movie "Min and Bill" Lived in Findlay as a child through her teen years.

Matt Fox (TV Host) along with Shari Hiller hosted the long running HGTV show "room by room". Born and grew up in Findlay.

Lt. Donald Arthur Gary, US Navy, World War II Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. When his ship was hit in battle he risked his life to save many fellow crew members.

Harry Gonso (college football QB, lawyer) led Indiana University to their first and so far only Rose Bowl in 1968. He holds many records for the quarter back position at IU and is still a legend to IU fans. Born in Findlay and graduated from Findlay High.

Ray Harroun (auto racer) Won the first Indy 500 in 1911. Lived in Findlay for a time.

William 'Dummy' Hoy born in Houcktown. His claim to fame was he is the first deaf mute major league baseball player to play the game. Legend has it that it was because of Hoy that umpires use hand signals for balls and strikes today. Some even say that all the various hand signs are the result of his playing days. There is no documented proof of that but it sounds interesting. Hoy was active from 1888 to 1903 and played in 1796 games with an average of .287 that included 2004 hits, 1426 runs, 40 homers and 726 runs batted in. He played for the Cincinnati Redlegs from 1894 to 1898. The Redlegs were the predecessor to the current Cincinnati Reds.

Grant "Homerun" Johnson (baseball player) Played in the Negro Leagues from 1894 to 1932. First played for the Findlay Sluggers in 1894 and hit a reported 60 homeruns. Born in Findlay. http://www.pitchblackbaseball.com/nlotmhomerunjohnson.html

John Kidd (football punter) The highest-selected punter in Buffalo Bills history. Born in Findlay. Graduated from Findlay High School. Star punter for Northwestern.

Dr. Harold Koontz (b. 1908 d. 1984) was a leading mid-twenth centry writer on business management theory and a consultant for US's largest business organizations. His seminal book was "Principles of Management" (1955) with Cyril J. O'Donnell sold around two million copies and has been translated into 15 languages. Born in Findlay.

Rowland V. Lee (actor, director, writer, producer) Directed "Son of Frankenstein" (1939) and Captain Kidd (1945). Born in Findlay.

Bernie Little (b. 1926 - d. 2003) owned the most successful Unlimited Hydroplane boat in history "Miss Budweiser". The team won 134 of the 354 hydroplane races they entered. They won the high points championship 22 years in 40 years of competition, and the Gold Cup 14 times. Grew up in McComb, Ohio.

Mark Metcalf (actor, producer) Played "Doug Neidermeyer" in Animal House (1978) "The Master" in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1996-1998 and 2002) and "Maestro" on a couple of episodes of "Seinfeld" (1996) among others. Born in Findlay.

J. Robin Miller (actress) General Hospital (Lydia Karenin Cassadine #2 2003) Navy NCIS, CSI, JAG, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Born in Findlay.

Katherine Miller (student), resigned from West Point in 2010 in protest of the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. She resigned rather than lie to continue her military career. She was ranked 9th in her class at the time. Her story made national news which included being a guest of singer Lady Gaga at the MTV video music awards on September 12th 2010. Graduated from Findlay High School.

Marilyn Miller (b. 1898 - d. 1936) was one of the most popular Broadway musical stars of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was an accomplished tap dancer, singer and actress, but it was the combination of these talents that endeared her to audiences. She worked for famed Broadway producers Lee Shubert and Florenz Ziegfeld who made her a star after she performed in his Ziegfeld Follies. She also danced with Fred Astaire in 1930. Miller, in her youth, lived for many years in Findlay while with her family's vaudeville act the "Five Columbians".

Steve Morehead (motorcross), aka the "Findlay Flyer," was one of the leading dirt-track racers from the mid-1970s through the 1990s. In all, No. 42 won a total of 23 AMA Nationals during his 26-year professional racing career. He finished ranked in the top-10 a remarkable 17 times. Morehead became a fan favorite and was one of the oldest riders on the professional dirt-track circuit when he retired. Born in Findlay.

Michael Garver "Mike" Oxley (born February 11, 1944) is an American politician of the Republican party who served as a U.S. representative from the 4th congressional district of Ohio (1981-2007). He served as the chairman of the Committee on Financial Services, and was House sponsor of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which provided for oversight of public companies to prevent fraud.

Charlie Parker (basketball coach) was an assistant coach for the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA in 2006-2007. His previous coaching position was at the Dallas Mavericks, where he was an assistant coach for ten seasons (1995-2005). Prior to that, he coached the USC Trojans. Parker was head coach at Wayne State from 1982-88. Prior to that, he coached at Bowling Green and his alma mater, University of Findlay where he had also played as part of the Class of 1972.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (clergyman) lived in Findlay when his father was pastor of the First Methodist Church from 1916 to 1919, and later superintendent of the old Findlay District of the denomination. Dr. Peale worked as a reporter for the Findlay Morning Republican in 1920 before going into the ministry.

Forest Charles "Tot" Pressnell (baseball player b. 1906 - d. 2001) Played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs from 1938 to 1942. Born in Findlay.

Howard T. Ricketts (pathologist b. 1871 d. 1910) - He discovered the bacterium that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever and was one of the researchers who found the same bacterium led to epidemic typhus. He died from typhus during his research in Mexico. The science community named a taxonomic family (Rickettsiaceae) and an order (Rickettsiales) after him. Born in Findlay.

Ben Roethlisberger (football QB). Led Pittsburgh Steelers to 15-1 regular season record as a rookie in 2004. Helped Steelers win Super Bowl XL after the 2005 season and Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. First played quarterback as a senior in high school at Findlay High and finished 2nd in Ohio Mr. Football award with over 4,000 yards and 54 touchdowns. Because he is 6 feet 5" tall his nickname is "Big Ben". Recently had Steelers change his hometown to Cory Rawson, Ohio - a place that doesn't exist. Some believe he did this after Findlay residents criticized him during his personal off the field issues in 2010.

Dave Sorenson - (basketball) Twice named first team All-Buckeye Conference, was Ohio Player of the Year 1965-66, and was named Buckeye Conference MVP. He remains among FHS' all-time leaders in career, season and game scoring. Played for Ohio State. Led Ohio State in scoring and rebounding as a junior and as a senior. Helped the Buckeyes win the 1968 Big Ten championship and hit the game-winning basket against Kentucky that sent the Buckeyes into the 1968 NCAA Final Four. Played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. Sorenson's NBA stats

Dick Strahm (Football coach b. 1934) was head football coach at the University of Findlay (1975-1998). In 24 seasons as head coach, he posted 22 winning seasons. He won a share of 13 conference titles and made 13 NAIA playoff appearances. In 1979, 1992, 1995 and 1997 his Oilers won the national championship, with the 1978 team placing second. He coached 38 NAIA All-America players, 16 NAIA Scholar-Athletes and one NAIA Player of the Year. His career record was 183-46-5. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Tell Taylor (songwriter) born in nearby Vanlue. Wrote the famous song "Down by the Old Millstream" about the Blanchard River that runs through Findlay.

Medal of Honor Recipients

Findlay and Hancock County is the home of six Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients.

William Bensinger, 21st Ohio Infantry (1840-1918) buried in McComb, OH John R. Porter, 21st Ohio Infantry (1838-1923) buried in McComb, OH and John Morehead Scott, 21st Ohio Infantry (1839-1862) (posthumous; was hanged as a spy by the Confederates) buried in The Chattanooga National Cemetery, TN - were part of Andrews' Raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia. The mission was to steal a locomotive and do as much damage to a vital Confederate rail line between Chattanooga and Atlanta.

Wilson J Vance, 21st Ohio Infantry (Died 1911). At Stone River, Tenn., 31 December 1862. William H Williams 82d Ohio Infantry. At Peach Tree Creek, Ga., 20 July 1864.

The sixth Lt. Donald Arthur Gary is noted in the section above.

Members of Congress

Findlay and Hancock County have been the home to several members of Congress over the years.

Jackson Edward Betts (b. 1904 - d. 1993) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio (1951 - 1973). Born in Findlay.

Ralph Dayton Cole (b. 1873 - d. 1932) was a U.S. Representative from Ohio (1905-1911), brother of Raymond Clinton Cole. He was one of the founders of the American Legion at Paris February 16, 1919. Lived and worked in Findlay.

Raymond Clinton Cole (b. 1870 - d. 1957) was a U.S. Representative from Ohio (1919-1925), brother of Ralph Dayton Cole. Lived and worked in Findlay.

Tennyson Guyer (b. 1913 - d. 1981) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio (1973-1981). Born in Findlay.

Richard Williams (b. 1836 - d. 1914) was an American lawyer and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Findlay Ohio, he moved to Oregon in 1851 where he became an attorney. A Republican, he was the United States Congressman representing Oregon's at large congressional district for one term from 1877 to 1879. Born in Findlay.

Others of note:

John E. Benington (basketball coach b. 1921 - d. 1969) was head coach at Michigan State (1966-1969). Benington died of a massive heart attack at age 47. Born in Findlay.

Richard C. "Dick" Clark (basketball player b. 1944) played for the Minnesota Muskies (1967-68) and Houston Mavericks (1968-69) in the old ABA for 58 games. Born in Findlay.

David Gamper is an American composer born in Findlay, Ohio, in 1945. He has been a member of Pauline Oliveros's Deep Listening Band and is currently a member of the duo See Hear Now.

C.J. "Pappy" Hart (Drag Racing b. 1911 d. 2004) - opened first comercial drag strip in Southern California (the Santa Ana Dragstrip) in 1950 to give hot rods a place to race legally. Developed the first rules for drag racing and established the 'quarter-mile' as a standard race distance. Born in Findlay.

Clyde "Diz" Kirkendall (b.1915 - d. 1957) was a pitcher for the champion Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons softball team in the 1940's. Member, National Softball Hall of Fame. Also known as "Dizzy" Kirkendall. Born in Findlay

David "Dave" Lester Laut (b. 1956 - d. 2009) was an American shot putter. He won the bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He also won the gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games and the bronze at the 1981 IAAF World Cup. Born in Findlay.

James D. Parriott (television writer, producer, and director) Lived for a time in Findlay as a youth. Currently executive producer and writer of the show "Grey's Anatomy" (2005) on the ABC network. He also created, wrote, and produced one of my favorite TV shows -"Forever Knight" (1992-1996) and wrote for another - "Voyagers!" (1982) - that I loved in my younger days. He even produced the "The Bionic Woman" (1976-1978) and the "The Incredible Hulk" (1978-1982) shows back in the late 70's. Wow!

Last updated 09/13/2010

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