Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928-2008) - Diddley (legal name Ellas McDaniel) is considered one of the pioneers of Rock and Roll and his signature guitar sound and rhythm is one of the most influential and copied of all time. It was at Foster Elementary School that Diddley made his first musical instruments "including a violin, a bass fiddle and his first home-made guitar." [From Diddley Website].

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.

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.

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.