Percy Lee Bassett
The Bassett family was originally from Danville, Virginia where Percy was born. When he was six years old they moved to Philadelphia and added three more children. The 1940 census…
Read MoreRobert Henderson Gunnis
Born in Philadelphia, Bob was the eighth of nine children but he only had two brothers. One was the firstborn who was 20 years older, so Bob bonded with Bill…
Read MoreHarry “Yo-Yo” Shifren
When Harry Shifren was born in a lower Manhattan tenement in New York, his mother, Gussie, had only been in America about a year. Her husband, Isaac, came from Russia…
Read MoreLeroy Frederick Gollatz
This son of German immigrants was passionate about the sport of bowling. He might not have known that many aspects of modern pin bowling were standardized in Germany, thanks to…
Read MoreWalter Edmund Uffenheimer, D.D.S.
Born in his mother’s hometown of Boston, Walter was the second of three boys. Catharine married Louis Uffenheimer after his job brought him there from Philadelphia, where his father had…
Read MoreRaymond Pimlott Kaighn
Only 18 men can boast that they played the first-ever game of basketball. Raymond was one of those players that put the uniquely American innovation to the test when a…
Read MoreCharles Neal Gault
From major league ball player to teacher, athletic director, and coach, young Charles never could have imagined a long career in sports when he was first entering the world of…
Read MorePeter Clarkson Ellmaker
The Ellmaker family’s roots go deep in Lancaster County and well before the Revolutionary War. Peter had a half-brother, Frederick, born in 1811 but their father died in 1816. That’s…
Read MoreGeorge D. Turner
There are certain terms that most every Philadelphian would recognize. One is Franklin Field and another is the Penn Relays. George Turner was there when they were first created. George…
Read MoreJack O’Brien
People change their names for various reasons but it seems more prevalent when they aspire to achieve celebrity status. Jack’s given name was John K. Byrne, the second of seven…
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