Owosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,713 at the 2000 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent. The city was named after Chief
Wasso, an Ojibwa leader of the Shiawassee area.==Geography== According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.8 km² (5.0 mi²). 12.8 km² (4.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04
mi²) of it (0.40%) is water.
Climate
Owosso experiences frigid winters with the last snow usually falling in April, typically Northern Midwestern spring thaws with
lots of thunderstorms, balmy to hot summers, and wonderfully colorful falls with the first snows usually appearing in
October.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000,
there were 15,713 people. In terms of population, Owosso is the 57th largest city in Michigan and the 574th largest city in the
Midwest.
As of the census2 of 2000,
there were 6,340 households, and 4,076 families residing in Owosso. The population
density was 1,225.6/km² (3,174.5/mi²). There were 6,724 housing units at an average density of 524.5/km² (1,358.4/mi²).
The racial makeup of the city was 97.02% White, 0.17%
African American, 0.60% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.76% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.96% of the population.
There were 6,340 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were
non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from
45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,576, and the median income for a family was $40,355. Males had a median
income of $32,285 versus $22,534 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$16,764. About 10.0% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 16.8% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Neighborhoods
Owosso is divided into four quadrants by state highway M-52, which runs north and south, and state highway M-21, which runs
east and west. It is further divided by the Shiawassee River, which weaves its way through the city. Traditionally, the more
affluent neighborhoods of Owosso are located north of the Shiawassee River and north of M-21. Oliver Street, which runs east and
west through about seventy percent of the city, and its side streets, are the sites of some of the most stately and historic
homes in the county. These neighborhoods, and others in Owosso, are further defined by the many schools in Owosso – each of which
has its own personality – and each of which is or was the core of its surrounding neighborhood.
West Town, a retail area a few blocks west of downtown Owosso, and St. Paul Catholic Church and School, together form the
centerpiece of another of Owosso’s neighborhoods. To the south-southwest of West Town is the neighborhood surrounding Dutchtown –
so named because of its heavy German population during the 1800s and early- to mid-1900s. Sharing the centerpiece of the
Dutchtown neighborhood is Bryant School, which lay four blocks to its south. Another distinct neighborhood is that which
surrounds Washington School in the southeastern section of the city. And the personalities of the Bryant School and Washington
School neighborhoods are affected by the nearby vibrant and growing Baker College of Owosso, which enriches both neighborhoods
and the city as a whole.
Near the western end of the city lay Roosevelt School, and on the western section of the previously mentioned Oliver Street
lay Central School. Near the far eastern end of Oliver Street are the neighborhoods surrounding Emerson School and St. Joseph
Catholic Church and School. Other Owosso schools, including Salem Lutheran School, Seventh-Day Adventist School, Owosso Middle
School, the newer Bentley School and Owosso High School, and the old Lincoln School, have also added flavor to their surrounding
neighborhoods.
New subdivisions north and east of Owosso have blossomed into nice neighborhoods as well.
With renewal, sprawl, improved communications and travel, along with the easing of formalities across America during the last
several years, so has come a blending of neighborhoods. This is especially evident in small older cities like Owosso, where the
neighborhoods tend to begin dissolving into one macro neighborhood – the city itself. Nonetheless, customs, geography, schools,
friendships, socioeconomic factors, and natural and man-made boundaries maintain the structure by which the remains of original
neighborhoods continue to exist to a certain extent. Today’s neighborhoods in Owosso are defined by all of the
aforementioned.
Education
Colleges and Universities
Baker College Owosso offers certificate, associate's, bachelor's, and master's programs in business, engineering/technology,
health, education, human service, office administration, and computers. Baker College Owosso is regionally accredited and the
Baker Center for Graduate Studies is also accredited by the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education.
Owosso is located about twenty-five miles from Flint, Michigan, and the campuses there of University of Michigan Flint,
Kettering University, Baker College Flint, and Mott Community College.
Owosso is also located about thirty-five miles from metropolitan Lansing, Michigan, and the campuses there of Michigan State
University, Lansing Community College, Central Michigan University Lansing, Western Michigan University Lansing, Davenport
University, and Great Lakes Christian College.
Owosso Public Schools
Owosso High School 9-12, Owosso Middle School 7-8, Bentley Elementary K-6, Bryant Elementary K-6, Central Elementary K-6,
Emerson Elementary K-6, Roosevelt Early Childhood Center PK, Washington Elementary K-6, Shiawassee Development Center Special
Education.
Owosso Parochial Schools
Spring Vale Academy(Church of God (Seventh Day)) 9-12, Owosso Christian School (Church of God) K-8, St. Paul
School (Catholic) K-8, Salem Lutheran School PK-8, St. Joseph School (Catholic) K-6, Owosso Seventh Day Adventist School K-6.
Media
Newspaper
Two newspapers are published in Owosso.
The Argus Press publishes an evening edition on Mondays through Saturdays, and a Sunday morning edition.
The Owosso Independent publishes the Sunday Independent.
Radio
Two radio stations are located in Owosso.
WOAP 1080 AM broadcasts religious and Catholic-based talk and sermons.
WJSZ 92.5 FM (The Castle) broadcasts music requests – usually classic rock.
Owosso is also in the daytime reception area of certain radio stations located in Flint, Michigan, and in Lansing,
Michigan.
Transportation
Roads
Two state highways (M-21 and M-52) transect Owosso, and M-71 begins its westward route in Owosso. Each of these highways
expands into a four- or five-lane highway at, or slightly before, entering the city.
M-21, M-52 and M-71 each connect directly with one or more of three expressways/freeways (I-69, I-75, and U.S. 127), within
thirteen to twenty-five miles of Owosso.
Car Rental
Enterprise Rent-A-Car operates an office in Owosso and an office in adjacent Corunna, Michigan.
City Bus Service
The Shiawassee Area Transportation Agency (SATA) provides regularly scheduled city bus service with stops at key locations
throughout Owosso and the adjacent city of Corunna, Michigan. The majority of busses are lift-equipped, and the service operates
from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays. The service also provides a single daily bus run to and from Owosso and
Perry, Michigan, and another to and from Owosso and Durand, Michigan.
Intercity Bus Service
Owosso is the headquarters of Indian Trails Bus Lines, which provides regularly scheduled intercity bus service from Owosso to
connect with points throughout Michigan and the U. S. Indian Trails also provides chartered bus service to and from points
throughout the U. S.
Air
Owosso Community Airport provides a 4,300 x 75 feet lighted runway for private planes and air taxi services.
Owosso is located approximately twenty-five miles from Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan. Bishop International
Airport provides scheduled direct flights to Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Orlando and
Tampa.
Owosso is also located approximately thirty-eight miles from Capitol City Airport in Lansing, Michigan. Capitol City Airport
provides scheduled direct flights to Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Iron Mountain and Minneapolis.
Rail
Owosso is located approximately thirteen miles from the city of Durand, the location of an Amtrak station that provides
regularly schuduled service.
Owosso is the headquarters of the Great Lakes Central Railroad, which provides freight service to Northern and Southern
Michigan. The Great Lakes Central Railroad also provides chartered passenger rail service and tours through its association with
Lake Central Rail Tours.
Owosso is also the headquarters of the Steam Railroading Institute, which has restored the famous Pere Marquette 1225 steam
locomotive and other steam-era locomotives. The Steam Railroading Institute offers weekend excursions throughout the summer and
several all-day excursions throughout the year. The Institute also offers excursions on the famous North Pole Express during
December.
Healthcare
Owosso is the location of Memorial Healthcare; a 148-bed hospital with twenty-four hour, fully staffed emergency services.
Memorial Healthcare has over 1,000 employees, a medical-dental staff of over 130, four specialty campuses in Owosso and
Corunna, and it provides satellite heathcare facilities in seven surrounding cities and towns.
Culture
Library
The Shiawasse District Library was originally known as the Owosso Public Library. The funds for building this beautiful
facility were the result of a grant from Andrew Carnegie, and the land for the library was donated by L. E. Woodard and the
Owosso Casket Company. Groundbreaking took place on September 4, 1913, and the new building was dedicated on July 4, 1914.
The library contains over 70,000 books, tapes and other items. The top level of the library is the Adult Library, and the
lower level is the Children’s Library.
Hanging on the walls of the library are two magnificent original oil paintings. Each of the paintings were donated in 1926 by
two of the world's great artists, both of whom were born and raised in Owosso: Frederick Carl Frieseke and Alice Rogers
Fisher.
===Curwood Castle=== Curwood Castle was the writing studio of the famous author, James Oliver
Curwood. The castle is now a museum that contains period antiques, and Curwood books, photos, and movie posters as well as
memorabilia from the life of another one of Owosso’s native sons: Thomas E. Dewey.[147][148]
The Shiawassee Arts Center
The Shiawasse Arts Center exhibits and sells prints of Frederick Carl Frieseke, original work of other artists, holds art
classes, competitions, and has exhibitions scheduled throughout the year.[149]
The Steam Railroading Institute
Located on South Washington Street, The Steam Railroading Institute includes a visitor center, passenger train cars and other
rolling stock from railroads in the U. S. and Canada, and a 3.5 acre area that holds a round house. Most impressive, however, are
the stream engines, including the 82,000 pound Flagg Coal Company switch engine, the 136.000 pound Mississippian (under
restoration), and the 800,000 pound Pere Marquette 1225 locomotive and tender ― the largest operating steam locomotive in
Michigan. Steven Spielberg’s production company filmed the sights and sounds of the 1225 for the computer rendering of the movie,
Polar Express. The Steam Railroading Institute offers weekend excursions throughout the summer on the trains and several
all-day excursions throughout the year. The Institute also offers excursions on the famous North Pole Express during
December.[145][146]
The Movie Museum
Located in a nineteenth century church on East Oliver Street, The Movie Museum is an interactive education center that
collects and preserves movie memorabilia including films, talks, records, equipment, biographies costumes, and ads. "Picture Show
Snaps" are shown every Saturday evening beginning at 8:00 p.m.[141]
Historical Markers
In Owosso you can follow the Historical Markers to the birthplaces and homes on some of its most famous natives: James Oliver
Curwood, Thomas E. Dewey, Frederick Carl Frieseke....
Curwood Days
Curwood Days is a four-day celebration of the life of the world-renown Owosso author, James Oliver Curwood. The festival
begins on the first Thursday of every June.
Curwood Days has become a huge festival that draws people from around the United States and Canada. It includes a street fair,
parades, contests including raft races, carnival rides, concerts and more.[140]
The Mitchell Amphitheater
The Mitchell Amphitheater is located in the valley behind Owosso Middle School and along the river, across from Curwood
Castle. It is home to concerts and other events throughout every summer.[139]
People from Owosso
Owosso has served as the birthplace, long-term home, or both, to an exceptionally high number of people whose lives made
impact on national and even international levels.
- Thomas E. Dewey, lawyer, author, mob-busting District Attorney of New York City,
three term Governor of New York (1942, 1946, 1950), and the Republican presidential nominee in 1944 and 1948..[1][2][3]
- John Judson Bagley, Governor of Michigan from 1873 to 1877, and organizer of the
Michigan National Guard. Bagley also played a role in the founding of the Republican Party.[4][5][6]
- Alvin M. Bentley, philanthropist, foreign service officer and U. S.
Congresssman. Bentley was one of the five congressmen injured, on March 1, 1954, when Puerto Rican nationalist terrorists opened
fire on the floor of the House of Representatives in the U. S. Capital.[6][7][8]
- Charles A. Towne, U. S. Congressman and Senator. Towne is the only person to have
been elected to Congress from two different states: Minnesota and, later, New York.[9][10]
- Bill Ross and Bob Smith, Owosso businessmen who founded the first Ronald Reagan for
President campaign and opened its headquarters in Owosso on October 28, 1964.[11]
- Jerry Hultin, former Under Secretary of the Navy, and Chief Administrator for the Wesley J.
Howe School of Technology Management of the Stevens Institute of Technology, and President of New York's Polytechnic
University.[12][13]
- John Perkins, scholar, artist, author, Under Secretary of the Department of Health,
Education and Welfare, Controller of the State of Michigan, Professor Emeritus at the University of California Berkley and
system-wide, President of the University of Delaware, and former Chairman of the Board of Dunn and Bradstreet.[14][15][118]
- Frederick Carl Frieseke, early American impressionist artist whose work in
France won many awards in Europe and North America. Frieseke was very influential to other artists and, for several years, he and
Claude Monet were next door neighbors. Frieseke’s paintings adorn the walls of many of the world’s great art
museums.[16][17][18][19]
- Alice Rogers Fisher (Alice R. Fisher), early American artist whose work in the U. S. and
Europe brought many honors. In 1924, The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., held a special nearly four-month-long
exhibition of forty-one of her paintings.[110][111]
- Elmer Harland Daniels, American artist whose work is on permanent exhibit in the Indiana
State Capitol building, at Indiana State University, and in California.[135][136][137][138]
- Felix Oscar Schlag, artist and winner of a dozen European art awards by 1929, designer of the
Jefferson Nickel in 1938, and award-winning designer of many other medals and sculptures in the United States.[20][21]
- Albert Spear Hitchcock, artist, author, botanical explorer, systematic
agrostologist, and co-developer of the Smithsonian Institution’s Hitchcock-Chase Collection.[22][23]
- Alfred D. Hershey, bacteriologist, director of genetics research at Carnegie
Institution of Washington, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, and co-winner of the 1969 Nobel Prize in medicine/physiology. Hershey,
who was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1958, was also the 1958 winner of the Albert Lasker Award of the American
Public Health Association, and the 1965 winner of the Kimber Genetics Award of the National Academy of
Sciences.[24][25][26][27]
- B. Smith Hopkins, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois, whose contributions
to rare earth chemistry led to tremendous advances in the field. Dr. Hopkins was the co-discoverer of the long sought element 61,
named illinium (technetium). He was a star holder in American Men of Science, and the author of twelve books
including Essentials of General Chemistry and Chemistry of the Rarer Elements.[130][131][132][133]
- C. Warren Thornthwaite, Professor of Climatology at Johns Hopkins University, adjunct
professor at Drexel University, President of the Commission for Climatology of the World Meteorological Organization, co-author
of the book Water Balance, recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Association of American Geographers, and
the Cullum Medal – the highest award of the American Geographical Society. The doctor’s published research on climatology is
considered to be some of the most influential of the twentieth century. His life is the subject of the book, The Genius of C.
Warren Thornthwaite, Climatologist-Geographer. Dr. Thornthwaite also served as a teacher at Owosso High School from 1922 to
1924.[185][186][187]
- Harry Loren Arnold, Sr., medical doctor, head of the Territorial (Hawaii) Medical
Association, President of the Hawaiian Academy of Science, Chief of the Emergency Medical and Ambulance Service of the Office of
Civilian Defense in Hawaii from 1941 to 1946 (during the attack on Pearl Harbor), and author of Poisonous Plants of
Hawaii, a book which has become a classic in the field.[128]
- Harry Loren Arnold, Jr., medical doctor, Clinical Professor in Dermatology at the University
of Hawaii, and a specialist in leprosy. Dr. Arnold, Jr., served as the editor of the Hawaii Medical Journal for forty-one years,
corresponding editor for the Pacific Area of the International Journal of Leprosy, and he authored four books, thirteen
monographs and 200 published articles. Dr. Arnold, Jr., also served as President of the American Academy of Dermatology and
Syphilolgy, Chairman of the Section on Dermatology of the American Medical Association, President of the Hawaii Academy of
Science, etc.[196]
- Eric Louis Kohler, professor at Northwestern University, visiting professor at several other
universities, and author of ten books on accounting, including A Dictionary for Accountants. Professor Kohler served as
Controller of the Tennessee Valley Authority; Controller of the Economic Corporation Administration, President of the American
Association of Accounants, etc. In 1945, Professor Kohler was recipient of the AICPA Gold Medal – the highest honor granted by
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He was also recipient of the Alpha Kappa Psi Foundation Accounting Award
in 1958.[28][29]
- Timothy R. Zinnecker, Professor of Law at the South Texas College of Law, and author and
co-author of books on law and business.[194][195]
- Lloyd R. Welch, Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern California. Dr. Welch is the
developer of the Welch Bound standard and the co-developer of the Baum-Welch algorithm. Dr. Welch was elected to
the National Academy of Engineering in 1979, and he is the recipient of the 2003 Claude E. Shannon Award – the highest honor
granted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Information Theory Society.[30][31][32]
- Molly Faries, Professor Emeritus of the Department of History of Art of Indiana University,
and Professor and Chairperson of Technical Studies in Art History at the University of Groningen, Netherlands. Dr. Faries
initiated and developed the use of infrared reflectography to see through layers of paint down to artists’ original drawings,
thereby revolutionizing the fields of technical art history and authorship identification. Dr. Faries is the author and co-author
of several books and monographs, and she has been honored with top awards in higher education and
scholarship.[188][189][190]
- Richard E. Young, Professor Emeritus at Carnigie-Mellon University, author of scholarly books
and other works on English and rhetoric, and founder of one of North America’s first Ph.D. programs in
rhetoric.[35][36][37][38][39]
- Benjamin A. Stolz, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan and author, co-author,
and editor of scholarly books and other works on language and literature.[33][34]
- Kimberly A. (Burek) Neuendorf, Professor of the Department of Communications of Cleveland
State University. Dr. Neuendorf is the author and co-author of several books and chapters of books, and scores of papers, on
advertising and communications. Dr. Neuendorf is a videographer, editorial board member of four professional journals, and she
has taught over twenty different courses on film and other media.[197][198]
- Howard Suber, Professor Emeritus of UCLA’s School of Theatre Film & Television, and
author of The Power of Film. Dr. Suber has taught over 65 different courses in film and television screenwriting,
directing, production, etc., and he founded and chaired UCLA’s Critical Studies and Ph.D. program in the history, theory and
criticism of film and television. He is also a founding director of UCLA’s Film Archive, which is the largest collection of
preserved films west of the Library of Congress.[40][41][42][43][44]
- Harry Burns Hutchins, President of the University of Michigan from 1910 to
1920, Professor of Law and Dean of the University of Michigan Law School, organizer of the law school at Cornell University,
Director of Owosso Public Schools during 1871 and 1872.[202]
- Father John Cavanaugh, former President of the University of Notre Dame. He is portrayed in
the movie, Knute Rockne, All American, by actor Donald Crisp.[45][46][150]
- Edward Hardy, President of the State Normal School/San Diego State College/San Diego State
University from 1910 to 1935, and executive director of the San Diego Museum of Man.[134]
- Lawrence H. van den Berg, President of the State Normal School/State University of New York
at New Paltz from 1923-1943. The doctor's prior resume includes serving as Principal of Owosso High School from 1904 to
1907.[182]
- James Oliver Curwood, Conservationist and best-selling author of thirty-three
novels. More than twenty movies were made of Curwood’s books and stories, including The Bear. The tourist attraction and
museum now known as Curwood Castle in Owosso was built by Curwood to serve as his writing studio, and Mount Curwood (1978 ft.) in
Michigan’s upper peninsula was named in his honor.[47]48]
- Gregory Brodeur, author of forty-six science fiction novels, including eight New York Times
Bestsellers.[120]
- Diane Carey, author of forty-six novels including several Star Trek books, and
seven New York Times Bestsellers.[49]50]
- Dave Galanter, author and co-author of several Star Trek books including the
Voyager book, Battle Lines, and the Next Generation duology Maximum Warp. His short story, Eleven Hours Out
was included in the Tales of the Dominion War anthology.[120][121]
- Ed Dodge, author of Dau, which sold over 1.3 million copies making it one of the
best-selling Viet Nam War books in history.[51][52]
- Gary Slaughter, author Cottonwood Summer, Cottonwood Fall, Cottonwood
Winter: A Christmas Story, and Cottonwood Spring.[112]
- Tom G. Gerst, author of Owosso Rain: Memories of a Michigan Boyhood & Other
Stories.[54]
- Shaffer Fox, author of humor books and the award-winning health sciences book, 100 &
Healthy. In December of 1999, Radio/TV Interview Report announced that Fox was their most requested guest for radio
interviews in the U.S.[55][56][57]
- Richard Amidon, author, poet, award-winning playwright and Dean of Baker College
Owosso.[184]
- John E. Glowney, attorney, author of Swimming Lessons, Volume 66,and award-winning
poet.[117]
- Inez Ross, award-winning author of Southwest gothic romance, history adventure and detective
novels, and children’s books.[122][123]
- Lynette Dyer Vuong, award-winning author of children’s books, and the historical saga, The
Shadow of the Sickle, and former President of the Associated Authors of Children's Literature[113]
- Janie Lynn Panagopoulos, historian and award-winning author of a dozen historically-based
adventure books for young adults.[58][59]
- Patricia (Pedigo) De Santi, author of twenty textbooks and educational self-help books for
children.[60]
- Elisabeth A. Freeman, award-winning author of Christian self-help books.[142][143][183]
- Halleck (Hal) Duncan Fry, Jr., a reporter at the Argus Press in Owosso during the 1940’s, a
reporter, feature writer, editor, and editorial writer at the Akron Beacon Journal until 1983. Fry was part of the team that won
the Pulitzer Prize for the Akron Beacon Journal’s coverage of the Kent State shootings in 1970, and he was the recipient of the
John S. Knight Award for Journalism in 1984. He also was the editor of several books, and author of the book Publish
It![191][193]
- Gordon Graham, decorator, designer, artist, and author of children’s books.[61]
- LaDonna Morales, co-author of the comic book series, Faith: Warrior Princess, and
other work.[62][63]
- Betty Mahmoody, lecturer, advocate for the rights of women and children, and
co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated, best-selling book, Not Without My Daughter: Escape from Iran. The book was the
basis for the movie, Not Without My Daughter, which starred Sally Fields and Alfred Molina. In 1990, Betty was voted Most
Courageous Woman of the Year and Woman of the Year in Germany.[64][65]
- Steve Crumrine (Steve Tracy), actor who appeared in several movies, including National
Lampoon’s Class Reunion, Save the Last Dance for Me, Forever Young, Say Yes, Desperate Moves,
etc., and who guest starred or co-starred in several TV shows, including, Quincy, The Jeffersons, The Frankie
and Annette Show, etc. Steve was probably best known for playing Percival Isaac Cohen Dalton, the husband of Nellie Oelson on
the TV series Little House on the Prairie.[66][67][68]
- Robert Lyons, actor in the German TV soap opera, Gute Zeiten,
schlechte Zeiten. He played himself in the German TV soap opera 17, and was an episode director of the German TV soap
opera, Unter Uns.[177]
- Aaron Sherry, actor in seven movies, producer of two movies, and actor in TV commercials. He
played the part of Obi-Wan Kenobi in American Jedi, and Nightmare Man in the movie Nightmare Man.[178]
- Tony Hornus, journalist, actor in nine independent movies, screenplay writer, producer of
four movies, director and writer of The Making of a Miracle at Sage Creek, and An Ordinary Killer.[69]
- Robert L. Gibson, actor who appeared in TV shows of the 1970s and 1980s, including
Amazing Stories, Welcome to My Nightmare, Otherworld, Highway to Heaven, etc.[70][71]
- Greg Crandall, magazine model, and actor in the movie, Gypsy Boys.[180]
- Lee Zatkovic, actor in independent movies.[179]
- Rob Oliver, character layout artist, team artist and episode director of The Simpsons
TV show, and additional sequence director of The Simpsons Movie.[199][200]
- Peggy Dillingham, host of Miss Peggy’s Playhouse, which was broadcast mostly live on
Lansing’s WJIM TV (WLNS TV). One of Michigan's/America’s great early children TV shows, Miss Peggy’s Playhouse ran from
1954 to 1959.[72][73]
- Heather Claborn, reporter/producer for National Public Radio (WNPR) in Hartford, CT. Former
host of All Things Considered and reporter/anchor for the USA Radio Network.[129]
- Jane M. (Feltes) Golombisky, Peabody Award-winning producer of the public radio program
This American Life. Producer and music supervisor of the Showtime television series This American Life.[74[75]
- Victor Welte, played coronet in John Phillip Sousa's band for over twenty-two
years.[76][77]
- Mel Schacher, bass guitarist and a vocalist for the rock band Question Mark and the
Mysterians and, later, a co-founding member, bassist and vocalist for Grand Funk Railroad – a rock band that sold twenty-five
million records and had four gold albums.[78][79]
- Scott Kinsey, jazz keyboardist with several groups and best known for his work with
Tribal Tech. Kinsey’s work is also part of many major motion picture soundtracks.[80]
- Richard S. Bruner, composer/sound designer/producer of New Age/ambient/atmospheric/electronic
music. Winner of the 1994 Stemra Award for best use of music in TV.[151]
- George Sidman, Medal of Honor winner. During the Civil War, Sidman was a sixteen year old
drummer boy with the rank of private in Company C of the 16th Michigan Infantry. While in battle at Gaines Mill, Virginia, on
June 27, 1862, Private Sidman “rallied his comrades to charge vastly superior force until he was wounded in the
hip.”[117][118]
- John Steck, former brigadier general in the U.S. Army, and active in the Spanish American
War, World War I and World War II.[81]
- Ralph Hamilton Tate, former brigadier general in the U.S. Army during World War II.[82]
- Robert Ploger, former major general in the U. S. Army, who fought on Omaha Beach on D-Day,
and was active in the Korean War and the Viet Nam War. He is the author of the book, Viet Nam Studies: U. S. Army Engineers
1965-1970. His son, Robert Ploger III, and his son’s wife, were passengers on Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon on
9/11.[114.][115][116]
- Reverend William Scott Ament, minister, missionary and temperance advocate. Reverend Ament
gained international acclaim during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. Outnumbered 50 to 1 by the marauding revolutionary Boxers,
Reverend Ament heroically defended and rescued Christians from Tung Chow, China, and escorted them to safety in Peking. Ament’s
life is the subject of the book, William Scott Ament, Missionary of the American Board in China, by Henry D. Porter,
published in 1911 in Canada and in Great Britain.[83][84]
- Rabbi Leonard Beerman, lecturer, teacher, activist, and founding Rabbi of Los Angeles’ Leo
Baeck Temple. Among his notable life events, he performed the wedding of Barbra Streisand to James Brolin.[85][86]
- Bobbi McCaughey, the Iowa mother, and wife of Kenny McCaughey, who made
international news when she gave birth to septuplets in Des Moines on November 19, 1997.[87][88]
- Chief Wosso/Chief Wasso, chief of the Shiawassee band of Ojibwa Indians. Chief Wosso was a
signatory of the Treaty of Saginaw in 1819 which ceded 15,000 square miles in central Michigan to the U. S. Government. He was
also a signatory of the Treaty of Detroit in 1837, which ceded much of southeastern Michigan and northwest Ohio to the U. S.
Government. Chief Wosso lived in and near Owosso, and the city was named in his honor.[89][90]
- Cora Taylor, co-founder of Owosso’s Indian Trails Bus Line. On April 19, 1914, Cora
Taylor became the first women in the United States to obtain a commercial chauffeur's license.[91][92]
- Bette Lou Pittman, represented Michigan in the Miss America pageant. Miss Michigan
1950.[152]
- Vicki Witt, known as "the ultimate girl next door" and the “Holy Grail” of Playboy
Playmates. Miss August 1978.[126][127]
- Richard Cain (Ricardo Scalzitti), mobster, double agent, chief aide and emissary of mob chief
Sam Giancana. Cain's life is the subject of the book The Tangled Web.[124][125]
- Paul T. Spaniola, named six-time world champion pipe smoker by the The International
Association of Pipe Smokers' Clubs, Inc. In 1952, Spaniola was recruited by Twentieth Century Fox Studios to teach Susan Hayward
how to smoke a pipe for the movie The President's Lady.[93][94]
- Tara Davis, female professional featherweight boxer. Ranked 17th in the world as of March 15,
2007.[144]
- William Graham, left-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Browns from 1908 to
1910.[95][96][97]
- Bill Reichert, engine builder, National Champion Top Alcohol Dragster, and top speed national
record holder in top alcohol dragsters. Reichert won three national events through 2004, won seven of seven national events
during 2005 and 2006, and won seventeen consecutive rounds of racing from mid-July to September of 2006. In Joliet, Reichert set
a national record for hitting 280.66 miles per hour in a quarter mile – the highest speed ever reached in an alcohol fueled
dragster. Reichert became the National Champion Top Alcohol Dragster with his win of the Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals in
Richmond, VA, in 2006.[98][99][100][101]
- Earl Sutphen, trick roper and rodeo star. In 1927, Sutphen won the world championship in
trick roping at the International Rodeo at Tampa, Florida.[102]
- John Tomac, bicycle racer, bicycle builder, and an icon in the mountain bike racing
field. Tomac won more international mountain bike races than anyone else in the sport. He was voted the top all-around bike racer
in the world in 1988, and was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1991.[103]
- Chester Brewer, star athlete, coach and athletic director. Chester Brewer was a four
sport star at the University of Wisconsin, and football coach at Michigan Agricultural College/Michigan State University for 1903
to 1910, 1917 and 1919 where he posted shutouts in 49 of 88 games and went undefeated in 43 straight home games. He also coached
track, field, and cross country, and as baseball coach led his teams to a .564 record from 1904 to 1910, and coached the school’s
basketball teams to a .736 record from 1904 to 1910. He served as athletics director and coach at the University of Missouri from
1910 to 1917, Director of Army Athletics for the U. S. War Department during 1918, served as director of athletics and professor
of physical education from 1919 to1922 at MAC/Michigan State University, and held the same positions at the University of
California-Davis until returning to Missouri where he served as athletics director until 1935. Brewer also coached his home town,
Owosso, Michigan’s, West Side Indoor Baseball Team to win the world championship in 1905-1906.[104[105]
- Bradlee Van Pelt, American football star. Bradlee Van Pelt, one of the all-time
favorite quarterbacks for the Colorado State University Rams, set several records there during his years as a starter. He is
currently a free agent and was last a backup quarterback for the Houston Texans of the NFL. Bradlee Van Pelt is the son of
American football star, Brad Van Pelt. He spent less than 1 year at Owosso High School. [106][107]
- Brad Van Pelt, American football star. Van Pelt was a three sport star at Michigan
State University. In football, he was a two-time All American, and in 1972 he became the first defensive back to win the Maxwell
Award as the nation’s top collegiate football player. Van Pelt was a first round draft pick for the NFL where he played, from
1973 through 1986, with the New York Giants, the L.A. Raiders and the Cleveland Browns. Van Pelt was named the Giants’ Player of
the Decade for the 1970s , and he was selected for the Pro Bowl five years in a row from 1976 through 1980. He was inducted into
the College Football Hall of Fame in 2002, and has recently been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame[108][109].
Owosso Trivia
- There is only one city in the world spelled Owosso, and that city is Owosso, Michigan.[169]
- There are avenues, boulevards, roads and/or streets named in honor of Owosso, Michigan, in Benton, Arkansas; Hermosa Beach,
California; Coco, Lake Worth, Lantana, Merritt Island and Palm Beach, Florida; Indianapolis, Indiana; Beaverton, Brighton,
Chesaning, Crystal, Detroit, East Tawas, Fowlerville, Harrison, Howell, Morenci and Roscommon, Michigan; Akron and Cleveland,
Ohio; and Eugene, Oregon.[170]
- The Shiawassee River, which flows through Owosso, is one of the few rivers in the Northern Hemisphere that flows
north.[163]
- At 11:11 p.m. on 11/11/11 (October 11, 1911), a tornado touched down in Owosso and ripped through the city causing massive
destruction.[158]
- Two presidents, William McKinley and Benjamin Harrison, are buried in Owosso Caskets.[159]
- The first GMC Truck was built in Owosso, Michigan.[160]
- The first production truck to use pneumatic tires (tires inflated with air) was built in Owosso, Michigan.[160]
- During 1922, Field Manufacturing of Owosso, Michigan, was the largest manufacturer of truck bodies in the world.[161]
- During World War II, Owosso Speedway served as a P.O.W. camp. Opened on May 30th of 1944 with 200 veterans of Field Marshall
Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps, it quickly grew to hold 375 P.O.W.’s.[164]
- During the 1940’s and early 1950’s, Owosso’s Redmond Company was the largest manufacturer of fractional horsepower motors in
the world. Its successor to that title was its competitor, another Owosso firm: the Universal Electric Corporation.
- President Gerald R. Ford married his wife, Betty, on Friday, October 15, 1948. On the next day, the first full day of their
honeymoon, they attended a U of M football game in Ann Arbor, and they spent that night standing in a field in Owosso, Michigan,
listening to a speech by Thomas E. Dewey. “My wife will never forgive me for that,” said President Ford during an interview on
C-SPAN.[154]
- Claire "Babe" Howe of Owosso, and the musician and songwriter Tommy Durden (who with Mae Axton wrote Heart Break
Hotel, Elvis Presley's first #1 hit and million-selling record), were married during the 1950’s and spent the rest of their
lives together at Houghton Lake, Michigan.[155][156][157]
- During the 1950’s, Byerly’s – founded and headquartered in Owosso – was the largest grocery store/supermarket chain in
Michigan with fifty-seven stores.
- From 1959 through 1964, all Corvette car bodies were manufactured by the Mitchell-Bentley Corporation in Owosso.[165]
- During 1960, Kushal Pal Singh, worked at Owosso's Universal Electric Company as part of a joint venture between his family
and the Owosso company. Today, Mr. Singh is known as “The Real Estate Barron of India." Besides his completed holdings in India,
Mr. Singh’s company, DLF, also has 100 million square feet in residential, commercial and retail projects under
development.[181]
- The first Beatles record to be released in the United States was Please, Please Me, which was stamped into vinyl at
American Record Pressing Company in Owosso, Michigan.[162]
- About 80% of Motown’s records were stamped into vinyl at American Record Pressing Company in Owosso, Michigan, until the
company burned down in 1972 ― and, eventually, about 80% of American Record Pressing Company’s business came from Motown
records.[166][167][168]
- During 1968, President Richard M. Nixon offered Owosso’s Thomas E. Dewey the position of Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme
Court. However, Dewey turned down the offer because of his age.[174]
- Dr. Jack Kevorkian worked as a pathologist at Memorial Hospital in Owosso during 1979.[153]
- When Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels performed in concert at Owosso's Capitol Theater during the 1980s, the theater was
rocking so hard that the ceiling caved in. (Plaster from the ceiling fell onto the crowd.)
- The jet-looking cars used in the movie, Back to the Future II, were the LiteStar Pulse (a.k.a. the Owosso
Car), which were designed and built in Owosso, Michigan.[176]
- During the mid-1980’s, William Hoffer, the co-author of Midnight Express, spent months checked into a room at Owosso’s
Pines Country Inn where he co-wrote much of the Nobel Prize-nominated book, Not Without My Daughter: Excape from
Iran.
- The U. S. premiers for the hit movies, Not Without My Daughter and The Bear, were held at the Owosso Cinemas in
Owosso, Michigan.
- In 1990, James Paul Sterba of Owosso, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, married Frances FitzGerald, a writer for New
Yorker magazine who is also the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Fire in the Lake.[192]
- Owosso is the setting for the book, Dewey Defeats Truman, by Thomas Mallon.[175]
- The actor, Aaron Sherry, who was born in Owosso, is the son of Michael Sherry ― the three-time Emmy Award-winning editor of
Oprah.[178]
- The award-winning poet, playwright and essayist Steve De France penned the poem, The Garage on Owosso Street, which
was published in Vol. XXXII, of The Amherst Review.[171][172]
- Over 220 U. S. Patents have been issued to Owosso residents.[201]
- Woodard wrought iron outdoor furniture, designed and built in Owosso, has been in use at The White House for
decades.[173]
Interesting places
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External links
Coordinates:
42°59′52″N, 84°10′36″W
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