List of people from the Lehigh Valley

Allentown, the largest city in the Lehigh Valley, third-largest city in Pennsylvania, and county seat of Lehigh County in May 2010

The following is a list of notable people who were born, or have lived a significant portion of their lives, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.

## Authors, journalists, playwrights, and poets

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H.D. Lauren Weisberger

* Christian Bauman, novelist
* Stephen Vincent Benét, former Pulitzer Prize-winning author and poet
* Charles Bierbauer, former University of South Carolina dean and former CNN correspondent
* John Birmelin, former Pennsylvania German language poet and playwright
* Clair Blank, author, Beverly Gray series of books
* Katherine Boehret, former Wall Street Journal technology journalist
* Jen Bryant, poet and author
* Solomon DeLong (pen name Obediah Grouthomel), former Pennsylvania German newspaper columnist
* Michael Flynn, science fiction author
* Matthew Giobbi, author
* H.D., former writer and modernist poet
* Alfred Hassler, former journalist and author
* Carmen Maria Machado, short story author and essayist
* Francis March, former academic and founder of comparative linguistics in Old English
* Randall Munroe, writer, XKCD comic series
* Sandra Novack, novelist
* Alix Olson, spoken word artist
* Michael Pocalyko, business executive and financial novelist
* Marci Shore, author and historian
* Elsie Singmaster, former author
* Jennifer Storm, author, Blackout Girl: Growing Up and Drying Out in America and Leave the Light On
* Lauren Weisberger, author, The Devil Wears Prada

## Business and politics

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Michael Johns Charles Schwab

* Roy Afflerbach, lobbyist and former Allentown mayor
* William F. Andrews, former Florida State Representative
* James Soloman Biery, former member of Congress
* Joseph Force Crater, former New York State Supreme Court justice
* James B. Cunningham, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and Afghanistan
* Charlie Dent, former member of Congress
* Charles L. Gerlach, former member of Congress
* Fred B. Gernerd, former member of Congress
* Rick Glazier, former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
* Murray H. Goodman, former real estate developer[1]
* Eugene Grace, former industrialist and president of Bethlehem Steel
* Erskine Hazard, co-founder of Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, Lehigh Canal, and Lehigh Crane Iron Company
* David W. Hess, member of New Hampshire House of Representatives
* Lee Iacocca, former chairman of Chrysler
* Michael Johns, healthcare executive and former White House presidential speechwriter
* John Kline, former member of Congress
* Marcus C. L. Kline, former member of Congress
* Fred Ewing Lewis, former member of Congress
* Norton Lewis Lichtenwalner, former member of Congress
* John E. McGlade, former chairman, chief executive officer and president of Air Products
* Peter Newhard, former member of Congress
* Andrew Horatio Reeder, former governor of Kansas
* Donald L. Ritter, former member of Congress
* James Ritter, former member, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
* Charles M. Schwab, former president, Bethlehem Steel
* Samuel Sitgreaves, former U.S. commissioner to Great Britain and former member of Congress
* Richard A. Snelling, former governor of Vermont
* George Taylor, Founding Father and Second Continental Congress delegate who signed Declaration of Independence
* Susan Wild, member of Congress, Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district

## Film, television, and stage

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Lisa Ann Devon Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Amanda Seyfried

* Lisa Ann, adult film actress
* Alexandra Chando, actress, As the World Turns
* Jack Coleman, television actor, Dynasty, Heroes, The Office, and Castle
* Dane DeHaan, television and film actor, In Treatment, Chronicle, A Cure for Wellness, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
* Devon, adult film actress
* Omar Doom, actor, Inglourious Basterds
* Oakes Fegley, actor, The Goldfinch
* Winslow Fegley, actor, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
* Jonathan Frakes, actor, Star Trek: The Next Generation
* Mel Harris, actress, Thirtysomething
* Althea Henley, former actress
* Tim Heidecker, actor and comedian, Adult Swim's Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
* Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock"), actor, former professional wrestler[2]
* Daniel Dae Kim, actor, Lost
* Gelsey Kirkland, ballerina
* Carson Kressley, fashion consultant, Bravo's Queer Eye
* Christopher Lennertz, film, television, and video game music composer, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Supernatural
* William Marchant, former playwright and screenwriter
* Michael McDonald, costume designer and 2009 Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee for Hair[3]
* Kristen McMenamy, fashion model
* Kate Micucci, actress, comedian, artist, and singer-songwriter
* Lara Jill Miller, voice actress, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee
* Aimee Mullins, model and actress
* Robert Newhard, former cinematographer
* Sally Jessy Raphael, former television talk show host
* Daniel Roebuck, actor, Lost
* Amanda Seyfried, model and actress, Mean Girls Big Love, Mama Mia!, and Les Misérables
* Sheetal Sheth, actress, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
* Dana Snyder, voice actor, Aqua Teen Hunger Force
* Sarah Strohmeyer, novelist and creator of Bubbles Yablonsky
* Andrea Tantaros, political analyst and commentator
* Christine Taylor, actress
* Jonathan Taylor Thomas, actor, Home Improvement[4]
* David Zippel, Tony-award-winning lyricist, City of Angels

## Music

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Jimmy DeGrasso Steve Kimock Lil Peep

* Rick Braun, smooth jazz trumpet player[5]
* Lillian Briggs, former rockabilly musician
* Howard J. Buss, contemporary classical music composer
* Leon Carr, former Broadway composer and television advertising songwriter
* Jimmy DeGrasso, heavy metal drummer, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper Band, Megadeth, Dokken, and Ratt
* Walt Groller, Grammy-nominated polka musician
* George Hrab, rock and funk musician
* Keith Jarrett, jazz musician
* Steve Kimock, rock musician
* Ludwig Lenel, former organist and composer
* Lil Peep, former rapper
* Albertus L. Meyers, former music conductor, Allentown Band
* Mulgrew Miller, jazz pianist
* Farley Parkenfarker, keyboardist
* Mike Portnoy, progressive metal drummer[6]
* Thom Schuyler, country music singer and songwriter
* Shadow Gallery, progressive metal band
* Melissa VanFleet, alternative metal singer, songwriter, and musician
* Donald Voorhees, former Emmy-nominated orchestra conductor
* Jordan White, rock musician
* Stephanie Woodling, opera singer

## Religion

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* Frank Buchman, founder of the Oxford Group and the Moral Re-Armament religious movement
* Tim Keller, former Christian pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church and author, The Reason for God
* Nathan Homer Knorr, former religious leader and third president of Jehovah's Witnesses

## Science

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* David Bader, director, Institute of Data Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and professor
* Michael Behe, biochemist at Lehigh University and intelligent design proponent
* James McKeen Cattell, first U.S. psychology professor
* Richard Diehl, archaeologist and Mesoamerica scholar
* Edwin Drake, former oil driller
* Terry Hart, former Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut
* Aaron D. O'Connell, created the world's first quantum machine
* Beth Shapiro, evolutionary molecular biologist, University of California, Santa Cruz
* Walter O. Snelling, former chemist and explosives expert who discovered propane

## Sports

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Saquon Barkley Chuck Bednarik Jahan Dotson Tyrese Martin Matt Millen Andre Reed Mario Andretti Larry Holmes, "The Easton Assassin"

### Collegiate sports

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* Chuck Amato, former head college football coach, North Carolina State
* Steve Aponavicius, former placekicker and all-time Boston College Eagles football scoring leader
* Parke H. Davis, former college football coach, Amherst, Lafayette, and Wisconsin
* Jordan Oliver, two-time NCAA national wrestling champion and Bellator MMA fighter

### Major League Baseball (MLB)

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* Slim Emmerich, former professional baseball player, New York Giants
* Bob Heffner, former professional baseball player, Boston Red Sox, California Angels, and Cleveland Indians
* Gary Lavelle, former professional baseball player, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, and Toronto Blue Jays
* John Meister, former professional baseball player, New York Metropolitans
* Jeff Mutis, former professional baseball player, Cleveland Indians and Florida Marlins
* Jimmie Schaffer, former professional baseball player, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals
* Dave Schneck, former professional baseball player, New York Mets
* Brian Schneider, former professional baseball player, Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Nationals
* Curt Simmons, former professional baseball player, California Angels, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals

### National Basketball Association (NBA)

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* Pete Carril, former professional and collegiate basketball coach, Sacramento Kings and Princeton University
* Aaron Gray, former professional basketball player, Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Hornets, Sacramento Kings, and Toronto Raptors
* Tyrese Martin, professional basketball player, Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League
* Brant Weidner, former professional basketball player, San Antonio Spurs
* Bob Weiss, former professional basketball player and head coach of four NBA teams

### National Football League (NFL)

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* Saquon Barkley, professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles
* Chuck Bednarik, former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles, and 1967 Pro Football Hall of Fame member
* Keith Dorney, former professional football player, Detroit Lions
* Jahan Dotson, professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles[7][8]
* Dan Koppen, former professional football player, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots
* Noel LaMontagne, former professional football player, Cleveland Browns
* Jonathan Linton, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills
* Ed McCaffrey, former professional football player, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers
* Joe Milinichik, former professional football player, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, and San Diego Chargers
* Matt Millen, former professional football player, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Redskins, former president and general manager, Detroit Lions, and broadcaster on NFL on Fox
* Andre Reed, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins, and 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
* Larry Seiple, former professional football player, Miami Dolphins
* John Spagnola, former professional football player, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks
* Tony Stewart, former professional football player, Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, and Philadelphia Eagles
* Kevin White, former professional football player, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, and San Francisco 49ers
* Kyzir White, professional football player, Arizona Cardinals[9]
* Andre Williams, former professional football player, New York Giants
* Joe Wolf, former professional football player, Arizona Cardinals
* Walt Zirinsky, former professional football player who won 1945 national championship with Cleveland Rams

### Olympic athletes

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* Joe Kovacs, silver medalist, shot put, 2016 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Olympics
* Thomas Litz, former figure skater, 1964 Winter Olympics
* Kristen Maloney, former gymnastics medalist, 2000 Summer Olympics
* Marty Nothstein, 2000 Summer Olympics gold medal winner, track cycling
* Cheryl Van Kuren, former Olympic field hockey player
* Bobby Weaver, 1984 Summer Olympics gold medal winner, freestyle wrestling
* Cindy Werley, former 1996 Summer Olympics field hockey player

### Professional boxing

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* Larry Holmes, former boxing heavyweight champion who fought under nickname "The Easton Assassin"

### Professional golf

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* Jim Booros, former PGA Tour professional golfer

### Professional racing

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* Jeff Andretti, former professional race car driver
* John Andretti, former professional race car driver, NASCAR and IndyCar Series
* Mario Andretti, former professional race car driver
* Michael Andretti, professional racing team owner, former professional race car driver
* Sage Karam, professional racing driver[10]
* Eddie Sachs, former United States Auto Club race car driver

### Professional soccer

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* Francesco Caruso, former professional soccer player, Harrisburg City Islanders and Otago United
* Jason Yeisley, former professional soccer player, Dallas FC

### Professional tennis

[edit]

* Varvara Lepchenko, professional tennis player

### World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)

[edit]

* Afa Anoa'i Jr., former WWE professional wrestler known as Manu
* Billy Kidman, former professional wrestler
* Brian Knobbs, former professional wrestler
* Jerry Sags, former professional wrestler

### Other sports

[edit]

* Ian "Rocky" Butler, former professional football player, Canadian Football League
* George Daniel, former commissioner, National Lacrosse League
* Michelle M. Marciniak, former women's college basketball coach, South Carolina, and former professional basketball player, WNBA's Portland Fire and Seattle Storm
* Billy Packer, former CBS Sports basketball analyst
* Zach Rey, amateur wrestler who competed in the 2015 World Wrestling Championships
* Ian Riccaboni, author, host of Ring of Honor Wrestling
* Matt Riddle, professional UFC mixed martial fighter
* Theo Tran, professional poker player
* Dave Van Horne, former professional baseball broadcaster, Florida Marlins and Montreal Expos
* Dan Yochum, former professional football player, Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Eskimos
* Christopher Schmoyer, former professional Rugby player, highschool football standout, accountant, Allentown

## Visual arts

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* John E. Berninger, former Pennsylvania impressionist landscape painter and first Allentown Art Museum curator
* Mark Beyer, comic book artist
* Chakaia Booker, sculptor
* Karl Buesgen, former landscape painter and Pennsylvania impressionist
* Mario Dal Fabbro, furniture designer, sculptor, and author
* Don Dixon, astronomical artist
* Peter Alfred Gross, former landscape painter
* Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer, former illustrator, painter, and printmaker
* Herman Leonard, former photographer noted for jazz portraits
* Arlington Nelson Lindenmuth, former landscape and portrait painter and photographer
* Antonio Salemme, former sculptor and painter
* Grover Simcox, former illustrator
* Gary Mark Smith, street photographer
* Karl Stirner, former sculptor
* Boris Vallejo, fantasy artist[11]
* Orlando Gray Wales, former landscape painter and Pennsylvania impressionist

## Others

[edit]

* Stephen Barrett, psychiatrist and webmaster, Quackwatch[12]
* Karen Bausman, architect
* Thom Browne, fashion designer[13]
* Frank Reed Horton, founder of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity
* Sarah Knauss, supercentenarian recognized as the "world's oldest person" by Guinness World Records from April 16, 1998, until her death at age 119 in 1999
* Harvey Miguel Robinson, serial killer
* Ryo Tokita, artist
* Charles A. Wikoff, the most senior ranking U.S. Army officer killed in the Spanish–American War

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Goodman Company - A History of Shopping Center Excellence".
2. ^ lehighvalleylive.com, Sara K. Satullo | For (2017-07-25). "The Rock gives Bethlehem a shout out in his HBO series". lehighvalleylive. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
3. ^ Lauer-Williams, Kathy (June 7, 2009), "Designs on a Tony: Allentown Native Michael McDonald is Nominated for Broadway's Top Honor for Costumes for 'Hair'", The Morning Call
4. ^ Call, KATHLEEN PARRISH, The Morning (31 October 1996). "BETHLEHEM GIRL GETS WISH TO MEET TEEN SITCOM STAR * DREAM COME TRUE ENABLES KRISTEN LISICKY TO HANG OUT WITH JONATHAN TAYLOR THOMAS". themorningcall.com. Retrieved 2020-01-24.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
5. ^ "Rick Braun: bio". Archived from the original on 2008-02-24. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
6. ^ Howell, Dave (23 October 2015). "Next to None: a Lehigh Valley prog metal band on the rise". mcall.com. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
7. ^ "Penn State WR Jahan Dotson returning for 2021 season". Lions247. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
8. ^ Miller, Stephen (24 June 2017). "Star wide receiver Jahan Dotson returning to Nazareth High School football team". mcall.com. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
9. ^ "Eagles sign former Emmaus standout Kyzir White to one-year deal," WFMZ, March 26, 2022
10. ^ "Andretti’s stellar buildup to Indy 500 dissipates on race day", The Express-Times, August 24, 2020. Accessed September 4, 2020. "Nazareth Area High School graduate Sage Karam, competing for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, placed 24th."
11. ^ Call, Tim Higgins, Special to The Morning (7 July 2012). "Renowned artists Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell are grounded in fantasy". themorningcall.com. Retrieved 2020-01-24.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
12. ^ Wlazelek, Ann (June 13, 2007). "Allentown critic of quacks moves to 'milder winters'". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
13. ^ "Designer Thom Browne, a native of Allentown, says his goal is building business, not trends". 23 March 2013.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to People of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

* "Famous People from the Lehigh Valley", The Morning Call, August 18, 2006
* "Lehigh Valley Pop Culture Connections" at Discover Lehigh Valley, January 2, 2023

Portals:

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Lehigh Valley

States|

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Counties|

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Cities|

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Cities and towns
100k-250k|

* Allentown
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Cities and towns
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Cities and towns
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Colleges and universities|

* Baum School of Art
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* DeSales University
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* Northampton Community College
* Penn State Lehigh Valley

Culture and history|

* Allentown architecture
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Geography|

* Blue Mountain
* Chestnut Hill
* Lehigh Valley AVA
* Lehigh Gap
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* South Mountain

Hospitals and health networks|

* Lehigh Valley Health Network
* Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest
* St. Luke's University Health Network

Media|

* Lehigh Valley media

People|

* Notable people

Recreation and events|

* Allentown Band
* Bear Creek Mountain Resort
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* Great Allentown Fair
* Lehigh Valley Zoo
* Marine Band of Allentown
* Mayfair Festival of the Arts
* Municipal Band of Allentown
* Musikfest
* Saucon Valley Country Club
* SouthSide Film Festival
* Trexler Nature Preserve
* Wind Creek Bethlehem

Shopping|

* Lehigh Valley Mall
* Outlets at Wind Creek
* Palmer Park Mall
* Promenade Saucon Valley
* Shoppes at Trexler
* South Mall
* Westgate Mall
* Whitehall Mall

Sports|

* Allentown baseball history
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* Muhlenberg Mules
* The Rivalry (Lafayette–Lehigh)

Transportation|

* Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport
* Braden Airpark
* LANta
* Lehigh Valley International Airport

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