Cliff Kelley - Host of the Cliff Kelley Show on WVON Radio, Kelly first gained recognition as an outspoken and influential Chicago Alderman. In addition to his own program, Kelly is a much sought after guest for local media outlets like Chicago Tonight on Channel 11.

Don Myrick (1948-1993) - As a member of the original horn section for Earth, Wind and Fire, Myrick won a Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental.

Eugene Record (born on December 23, 1940-2005) - Record was one of the leading creative forces behind the Chi-Lites and their hits "Oh Girl" and "Have You Seen Her". In strange twist of fate, Record would not earn a Grammy until 2004 when Beyonce used his song "Are You My Woman" in her song "Crazy In Love."

Gene Chandler (July 6, 1937 - present). Born Eugene Dixon, he began his career as a professional singer while attending Englewood High School. Although he recorded many songs, he is best known for his 1962 #1 Hit, The Duke of Earl. He received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2002 and still performs around the world.

Gwendolyn Brooks (June 7, 1917-2000) - In 1950 Brooks won the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded to an African-American woman for her book of poetry Annie Allen. Brooks served as Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968 and was awarded a special National Book Award in 1994.

Harold Lee Rush - Rush has worked in radio, television, theatre and as an educator for over 25 years. His extensive resume includes working as an executive producer and co-host at WGCI AM/FM Radio, serving as morning show host at WLNR FM radio and announcer for “Ebony-Jet Showcase” TV show for the Johnson Publishing Company. He hosted shows for WVON radio, CAN-TV (“Rush Street” and “One Step Closer To The Top”, which featured youth talent). He toured nationally with the Robin Hood Players Professional Theatre Company and appeared in the first Black-produced dramatic TV series in the U.S., "Bird of the Iron Feather” on Chicago’s Public Television Station WTTW. His community service has been honored by Outstanding Young Men of America, UNCF, Malcolm X College, Chicago Board of Education, The Chicago Police Department “We Care” Role Model Program, and Xi Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Harold returned to Chicago, after time in Atlanta as program manager at WIGO Radio, to help market The Bronzeville Press’ release of ‘KINGS: The True Story of Chicago’s Policy Kings and Numbers Racketeers’, with publisher Nathan Thompson. 2005 brought Rush to WKKC FM, the official radio station of the City Colleges of Chicago as an On-Air Talent and Trainer for students in the Broadcast programs. Learn more at www.HaroldLeeRush.com

Herbert C Brown (May 22, 1912-2004) - The 1979 winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Brown won for his work on hydrides of boron. Over his career, Brown taught at the University of Chicago, Wayne University and finally Purdue University where he served as Professor of Inorganic Chemistry.

Jewel LaFontant-MANkarious (b. Jewel Stradford) (April 28, 1922-1997) - A third generation lawyer, LaFontant-MANkarious blazed a trail of first for women and African-Americans. Following is condensed timeline of her career. In 1946 she became the first African-American woman to receive a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Chicago. 1948, joined the Board of Directors for the ACLU. 1955 first African-American woman named Assistant U.S. Attorney. 1973, appointed delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. 1973-75 First woman appointed Deputy Solicitor General of the United States. 1989, Member of the State Department as Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Refugee Affairs. LaFontant-MANkarious served on over 20 corporate boards in her lifetime, including the Board of Directors for Ariel Capital Management, a firm started by her son John Rogers, Jr.

Joe Williams (December 12, 1918-1999) - Williams was an important figure in Jazz. He is best remembered for his work with Count Basie Orchestra and as the Grandfather on the Cosby Show. Williams won two Grammys and a number of other honors like a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Larry Whiteside - Winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award and enshrined in the writer's wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Whiteside began his career writing for the Kansas City Kansan and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel before becoming a mainstay at The Boston Globe. Whiteside made it easier for other African-Americans to follow. Whiteside was the first black Hall of Fame voter and was responsible for circulating a list of talented African-American journalists to newspaper editors. Among his many honors was a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Black Journalists.

Lorraine Hansberry (May 19, 1930-1965) - Hansberry is a 1944 graduate of Ross Elementary and a 1947 graduate of Englewood High School. Her play A Raisin in the Sun won the New York Drama Desk award for New Play and was the first by an African-American woman to be produced on Broadway.

Margaret Taylor-Burroughs (November 1, 1917-present) - Taylor-Burroughs life and work in Chicago is woven tightly into the fabric of the city. She founded the South Side Community Arts Center at the age of 22, and later the DuSable Museum of African-American Art. She taught for 23 years at DuSable High School, and ten years at Kennedy-King College in Chicago. Taylor-Burroughs is also a gifted artist and author and her work has been celebrated around the world.

Merri Dee (October 30, 1936-present) - As the Community Relations Manager at WGN in Chicago since 1984, Dee is able to leverage her experience as a journalist for the benefit of community organizations doing the work that has become her life's focus. Dee started in radio in 1966 and quickly moved to television in 1968. She hosted her own talk show on several stations before moving to WGN where she became one of the first African-American women to anchor a Chicago newscast. In 1984 she moved into her current position of dedicate more time important causes. She is frequently honored for her dedication and success in promoting adoption and child welfare issues.

Oscar Brown Jr. (October 10, 1926-2005) - Not satisfied harnessing his creative energies in one or two areas, Brown achieved success in multiple arenas, though he may best be remembered for his first critical success Sin and Soul. He composed over 1000 songs, a dozen musicals, and made frequent television appearances. His life and work has been the subject of many programs.

Patricia Roberts Harris (May 31, 1924-1985) - Harris was a trailblazer, becoming the first African American to serve as a delegate to the United Nations, the first African American woman to serve the nation as an Ambassador (to Luxemburg), the first African-American woman to become dean of a law school (Howard University), and the first African American woman to serve in a Presidential cabinet (HUD, HEW).

Richard Hunt (September 12, 1935-present) - One of the world's most critically acclaimed sculptors, Hunt's influence on the art world is as much a result of his work outside the studio as it is his groundbreaking pieces. He served on the first National Council of the Arts, a forerunner of the NEA, the National Board of Directors of the Smithsonian Institute and the American Academy of Arts & Letters. Hunt's pieces are exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, The Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Gallery and the National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others.

Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. (October 2, 1935-1967) - The first African-American astronaut, Lawrence graduated from Englewood High School and went on to earn his doctorate in chemistry from Ohio State University. He died in a plane crash while working as an instructor pilot for the Edwards Air Force base in California. Lawrence earned the Air Force recommendation Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Citation, and was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart medal. The Robert H. Lawrence Elementary School in Chicago is named in his honor.

Russ Ewing (October 28, 1923-present) - Over 100 murder suspects turned themselves into Russ Ewing, the 9 time Emmy Award winning newscaster. Ewing started his life as a professional musician and then parlayed his job as a newsroom courier into a 40-year career in broadcasting.

Walter Roger Brown (1950-present) - Brown played in the ABA and NBA for the Lakers, Bulls, Spurs and Pistons, among others.

Wesley South (March 23, 1914 - present) - Wesley's first job in news was for the Chicago Defender. He quickly joined the Johnson Publishing Company, where he worked for nearly six years. In 1961, South was asked to host a radio program for what would later become WVON. His popular show Wesley South's Hotline ran for 16 years during which South interviewed many of the leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. He became part owner of WVON in 1979.