Famous people or things from or invented in Omaha or NE

General discussion on all things Omaha.

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scraper
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Post by scraper »

Maybe not "famous", but Kutak Rock was the first national law firm in the country.
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Asten
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Post by Asten »

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:No way that Omaha got the first Super Target.
Yes, it did.  I worked there for 5 years, and helped stock the shelves and open it back in February, 1995.  Joe Montana and Amy Grant came for the grand opening.  

The Papillion one was planned long before the Maple store ever opened, though.    But yeah, they were both phenomenal successes.
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Big E
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Post by Big E »

Bitchin' new avatar, Coyote.  You rep the hood well.

-Big E
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hey guys...

Post by Erik »

I collected much of the data here on famous nebraskans and posted a thread on city-data.com, god knows that anything positive is needed over their!!

I'm just letting you all know, thanks!   :music:
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Post by ricko »

Thanks

I saw the threads listed by number(1 thru 224) but I couldn't find your thread.  If you could give me the thread number it would be much appreciated.


The city-data forum is, uh, interesting.
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Post by ricko »

OK, found it.


It wasn't listed in the 'titles' list but I found it when I went to the forum itself---maybe their admin hadn't listed it in the 'titles' list as of early Sunday morning.

I'd still like some details on these folks (high schools, addresses, anecdotes, etc.) if anyone has 'em.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

ricko wrote:The city-data forum is, uh, interesting.
to say the least.  I don't even waste my time over there.
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Post by Coyote »

OK - here is my one and only anecdote. I graduated from Creighton Prep with Alexander Payne in 1979. I have probably told this story here before. But he was known to play pranks and make films back then. One day he and 10 friends staged their senior prank - the shootout at the OK Corral in the Library during lunch hour and everyone except the administration knew about it so the Library was packed - standing room only. First comes in the white hatted cowboys with spurs and all - who kicked kids off one table sat down and started playing poker - lit cigars. The Barkeep comes in with them - kicks the Librarian out from behind the counter and starts cleaning glasses and filling pitchers of beer. After about a minute of this the black hatted cowboys come in and an argument ensues when all of the sudden a fire fight begins with fake blood flowing everywhere - dead bodies strewn over the entire library. Blood stains on tables, carpet, books... I am sure the stains are still there now. Alex got in major trouble for that - I can't remember how long he was expelled - but the Shootout became a legend at Prep.
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Post by OmahaJaysCU »

Coyote wrote:I am sure the stains are still there now.
The library actually was just redone about four years ago, so sadly, any trace of this is long gone.  I actually have never heard of that one before, and know of most of the major ones.  It stinks how the administration at Prep has had to crack down on senior pranks.  Whenever I hear stories like that one, I think about how awesome it would have been to be apart of something like that.  There are several stories that are talked about every year, it would have been cool to take part in one (although it would have risked a certain document that proved my graduation).
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Post by Coyote »

Youth was preview of film career

Omaha World Herald wrote:Payne is known for making thought-provoking films about regular people. But in high school, he wasn't averse to a few special effects.

At Creighton Prep, Payne took part in the senior class "prank," a "Gunfight at the OK Corral" parody set in the library. Seniors played bandits and lawmen with toy pistols.

Classmate Bryce Thull remembers that the library was full that day. So the pranksters asked classmates to move so they could perform.

The stunt was fairly intricate, too, with popping "blood" packets.

As the editor of the yearbook, Payne made a point to have photographers in the library, and the prank is featured in the book. "He always thought visually," said longtime Prep teacher Jeannie Brayman.
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Post by Coyote »

I can attest to it since I was there.
It was featured in the OWH February 21, 2006:

Coyote wrote:Youth was preview of film career

Omaha World Herald wrote:Payne is known for making thought-provoking films about regular people. But in high school, he wasn't averse to a few special effects.

At Creighton Prep, Payne took part in the senior class "prank," a "Gunfight at the OK Corral" parody set in the library. Seniors played bandits and lawmen with toy pistols.

Classmate Bryce Thull remembers that the library was full that day. So the pranksters asked classmates to move so they could perform.

The stunt was fairly intricate, too, with popping "blood" packets.

As the editor of the yearbook, Payne made a point to have photographers in the library, and the prank is featured in the book. "He always thought visually," said longtime Prep teacher Jeannie Brayman.
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nebugeater
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Post by nebugeater »

The Vise Grip, a tool used by anyone with more than 3% mechanical ability was invented in DeWitt Nebraska.


Image




Kool-Aid was "invented" if you want to call it that in Hastings Nebraska.  They have a summer festival geared around it every year.


Image


http://www.hastingsmuseum.org/koolaid/kahistory.htm


The 911 emergency system was started and first used in Lincoln Nebraska





Just a few things that come to mind when the question of what comes from Nebraska comes up.
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Re: Omaha's notable sons and daughters.

Post by gisbuxfan »

Big E wrote:
Omababe wrote:
ricko wrote:Nick Nolte
Two people I know went to high school, Westside, with him. They say "he thought he was a real badass ..." or words to that effect.

I guess that would put him in the then-suburban Westside district.
When did Westside become not suburban?   :;):

We're family friends with one of Nick's best friends in high school.

-Big E

Nolte didn't spend all of high school at Westside. My uncle always talked about having classes with him at Benson High School...oh yes, Nick Nolte was a Bunny, at least for a little while.
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Post by Coyote »

OK - lets see - a few recognizable grads from Creighton Prep of which I can remember:

Alexander Payne - Oscar Winning director
Conor Oberst - Bright Eyes
Tim Kasher, Matt McGinn, Steve Pederson - Cursive
Junior Bryant - 49ers Defensive Lineman '95-'00
Kyle Peterson - MLB Pitcher, ESPN CWS analyst
Daniel Quinn - author - 1991 Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award (Ishmael)
Gutzon Borglum - Mount Rushmore sculptor
Ted DiBiase - WWF 1988 King of the Ring
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Post by Coyote »

We have to also include two truly great Omaha musicians I have met and have/had an acquaintance with: Buddy Miles and Preston Love.
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Post by ricko »

Wow---thanks Coyote.

How did I forget Buddy Miles?---I actually met the guy at a party in Mid-town around 1974.  For those who don't know him, he was the drummer/vocalist for the 'Electric Flag', a California based psychedelic (really more psychedelic 'soul') band in the late 60's.  He later founded the 'Buddy Miles Express' around 1969, and put out several albums thru the mid-70's, garnering both critical acclaim and commercial success.  He also did a stint as Jimi Hendrix's drummer during his 'Band of Gypsies' incarnation.

His most popular album was 'Them Changes' which I believe sold more units (up to that time) than any other Omaha band in history.  The title song from that album was an international hit.

A musician friend who knew him quite well said that he was quite a guy.
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Post by Coyote »

Also - Buddy Miles was the voice behind the California Raisins commercial song "I Heard it Through the Grapevine"

[youtube][/youtube]
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Post by Big E »

Coyote wrote:We have to also include two truly great Omaha musicians I have met and have/had an acquaintance with: Buddy Miles and Preston Love.
Any old Omaha Racers (CBA at AkSarBen) fans on here?  

I played alto sax in the pep band there for a couple of years, 1991-1992 or so (freshman and sophomore in high school).  Preston Love played the national anthem for one game, and we coaxed him in to coming up and jamming with us during a couple of time outs.  He was super friendly and it was a great thrill for me.

-Big E
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Post by joeglow »

OmahaJaysCU wrote:
Coyote wrote:I am sure the stains are still there now.
The library actually was just redone about four years ago, so sadly, any trace of this is long gone.  I actually have never heard of that one before, and know of most of the major ones.  It stinks how the administration at Prep has had to crack down on senior pranks.  Whenever I hear stories like that one, I think about how awesome it would have been to be apart of something like that.  There are several stories that are talked about every year, it would have been cool to take part in one (although it would have risked a certain document that proved my graduation).
What year did you graduate?  We had no Senior Prank as they were REALLY cracking after what Jim Esch and the class of 1994 did with the locks on the lockers.
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Post by joeglow »

Coyote wrote:OK - lets see - a few recognizable grads from Creighton Prep of which I can remember:

Alexander Payne - Oscar Winning director
Conor Oberst - Bright Eyes
Tim Kasher, Matt McGinn, Steve Pederson - Cursive
Junior Bryant - 49ers Defensive Lineman '95-'00
Kyle Peterson - MLB Pitcher, ESPN CWS analyst
Daniel Quinn - author - 1991 Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award (Ishmael)
Gutzon Borglum - Mount Rushmore sculptor
Ted DiBiase - WWF 1988 King of the Ring
I believe Conor Oberst transferred after his freshman year.
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Post by Coyote »

joeglow wrote:I believe Conor Oberst transferred after his freshman year.
Not that the OWH would ever get anything wrong:

Review: Oberst gets Holland crowd rowdy
Omaha World Herald wrote:The 27-year-old Creighton Prep grad was back in his hometown as part of a U.S. tour in support of his new album, "Cassadaga" - the No. 4 record in the country this week.
Sales of new Bright Eyes CD looking good
Omaha World Herald wrote:The band, fronted by Omaha Creighton Prep grad Conor Oberst, also is on the Billboard charts as the top-selling Internet record, the No. 1 independent release and the No. 2 digital album.
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Post by OmahaJaysCU »

joeglow wrote:
OmahaJaysCU wrote:
Coyote wrote:I am sure the stains are still there now.
The library actually was just redone about four years ago, so sadly, any trace of this is long gone.  I actually have never heard of that one before, and know of most of the major ones.  It stinks how the administration at Prep has had to crack down on senior pranks.  Whenever I hear stories like that one, I think about how awesome it would have been to be apart of something like that.  There are several stories that are talked about every year, it would have been cool to take part in one (although it would have risked a certain document that proved my graduation).
What year did you graduate?  We had no Senior Prank as they were REALLY cracking after what Jim Esch and the class of 1994 did with the locks on the lockers.
I am a proud 2007 alum.  Our they still have been pretty tight about pranks.  Someone let off a bunch of pheasants in the commons during lunch, which would have been great, but they didn't fly and just kind of stood there until the custodians picked them up.  We did have a slip and slide in the east parking lot, which was amazing.  But no real prank, just a bunch of stupid things that annoy faculty and the administrators.
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Post by ricko »

I was toiling away in the data mines yesterday (and procrastinating on those projects around the house) and stumbled across a name I hadn't heard before, and I actually have some of his music somewhere in a box in the basement (just couldn't bring myself to part with those old LP's).


(Michael) Andre Lewis, born in Omaha in the late 40's---Rock/Jazz/Blues/R&B keyboardist, got his start at Allen's Showcase Lounge on 23rd & Lake in Omaha as one of the house keyboard players when he was in his early teens.

He began his professional life with a series of local bands and eventually toured with the legendary Sam Cooke.  He did session work, toured with, or wrote songs for: The Who,  Frank Zappa, Sly & the Family Stone,  Jimi Hendrix,  Johnny "Guitar" Watson,  Buddy Miles,  Patti Labelle,  Marvin Gaye,  Diana Ross,  Edwin Star,  Huey Lewis, the Doobie Brothers (and also co-wrote some of their songs with Michael McDonald),  New Riders of the Purple Sage (remember Panama Red?),  the Sir Douglas Quintet,  Leon Russel,  Earth,Wind & Fire, and others.  Also had his own band,  'Mandrax',  on the Motown label.

He moved to Germany in the 80's and got involved in the music scene over there, and ended up writing scores for German movies, one of which, 'Nur Uber Mein Koper' (Over My Dead Body) won the Munich Arts Awards grand prize.

He eventually moved back to the U.S. (the bio doesn't say when) and worked and toured with the late Ike (slugger) Turner.
Last edited by ricko on Tue Feb 17, 2009 1:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by joeglow »

If anyone is looking for a GREAT fantasy series to read, check out Omaha native Terry Goodkind's recently completed Sword of Truth series.
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Post by Uffda »

I have read several of those and they are pretty good.
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Post by ricko »

and another



Nicholas Sparks, born in Omaha, Dec.31, 1965---Writer/Author.


Sparks and J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter saga) are the only contemporary novelists to have a novel spend more than a year on both the New York Times hardcover and paperback best-seller lists.

Books written:

The Notebook (also a movie)

Message in a Bottle (also a movie)

A Walk to Remember (also a movie)

The Rescue

A Bend in the Road

Nights in Rodanthe (movie rights sold)

The Guardian (movie rights sold)

The Wedding

Three Weeks With My Brother

True Believer (movie rights sold)

At First Sight (movie rights sold)


All were domestic and international bestsellers and all have been translated into 35 languages.
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Post by Omababe »

This weekend a guy told me that the guy who used to play organ with Iron Butterfly is from Omaha. (Doug Ingle)

I just googled it and it seems to be true.
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Post by GuyInLenexa »

One can't forget Joseph Siedlik, host of the Big Joe's Polka Show on the RFD TV.  My grandmother's favorite shoe (in TX).  She is always asking me if I have gone to see it in NE since I moved to the Midwest.
It is one of the top rated shows on RFD TV which has almost 30,000,000 subscribers.
I suppose it is a Czech thing.  We think of Omaha and Cedar Rapids as the Prague and Brno of America.
Long live Bohemian Cafe!



http://www.rfdtv.com/shows/bigjoe.asp
Ich Bin Ein Omahan !
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Post by yelley »

Elliott Smith was born on August 6, 1969 at Clarkson Hospital.   :music:  
I'd have to say From a Basement on the Hill is one of my top 10 favorite cd's of all time (although Figure 8 and XO are amazing in their own right).  :yes:  
Such a tragic end though - he was only 34 when he died.
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Post by ShawJ »

i didn't see this mentioned, but wasn't the lawnmower or vacuum (can't remember which) invented in omaha?
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Post by Big E »

And what would a Who's Who? be without a mention of the pot-smoking four year old:

http://www.ketv.com/news/15390832/detail.html

Linked directly from the headlines on the front page of CNN.com, no less.

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Post by zedmib »

Not sure if she was born here but I knew her in High School at Omaha Central:

Jill Andersen, Singer, actress (Omaha, the Movie; About Schmidt)
To Growth! When do we get a Supertall! :mrgreen:
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Post by nebugeater »

If this pans out it will not change the fact that the Vise grip was invented in Nebraska but it will end a current tie to the state.  Sad news and the direction that too much of this type of manufacturing is headed.

http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/d ... 919303.txt
Newell Rubbermaid, the owner of the historic Vise-Grip brand and its plant in DeWitt, will tell the remaining 300-plus employees next week the plant is closing at the end of October, sources told the Journal Star.

The production will be transferred, at least in part, to China.

And with it will go a piece of Nebraska’s 20th century industrial legacy — and a big part of the village of DeWitt’s livelihood and history
The Journal Star learned of the closing from an employee and a Nebraska civic leader. Both asked not be identified for fear of retaliation against plant employees.

Others plant workers told the Beatrice Daily Sun newspaper they have signed agreements not to disclose company information or risk being fired.

Employees were expecting a meeting this week to announce news at the plant, an employee told the Journal Star, but it was postponed until Wednesday.
Vise-Grip has a celebrated history in DeWitt and Nebraska.

Danish immigrant Bill Petersen developed his first pair of locking pliers in 1915, according to popular histories. He patented the device in 1924 and began production at his blacksmith shop in DeWitt.

By 1928, the company had more than 600 employees.

When Petersen died in 1962, his family took over.

Peterson’s daughter, Harriet Fort, still lives in DeWitt. A son, Richard, died in 2006.

In 1985, Richard’s son, Allen Petersen, bought his family’s interests and the business was renamed American Tool Companies. Allen Petersen died in November in Chicago.

American Tool sold out in 2002 to Newell Rubbermaid, a minority owner since 1985. Since then, the DeWitt plant has operated under the name of Irwin Industrial Tools, a company American Tool bought in 1993
For the record  NEBUGEATER does not equal BUGEATER    !!!!!!!
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Post by nebugeater »

Saw this on another board and just had to toss it out there.


Image
For the record  NEBUGEATER does not equal BUGEATER    !!!!!!!
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Post by ladyred »

Patty Beeken
MDS Coordinator Eastern Nebraska Veteran's Home
Serving America's Heroes

There is no time limit to solving a mystery
url=http://postimage.org/]Image[/url]
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Post by Coyote »

Interesting slide show of Famous Nebraskans.
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Post by Stargazer »

Image

Did we steal that line from Illinois??
Shoot for the Moon... if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
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Post by Big E »

Stargazer wrote:Did we steal that line from Illinois??
"Iowa: Like Nebraska, except without the city."

"Kansas: Like Nebraska, except our city is in Missouri."
Stable genius.
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Post by UNOstudent »

Add to the list Top 40 Radio, courtesy of Todd Storz of Omaha.

http://www.chapmanrecording.com/Storz.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Storz
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Post by Brad »

nebugeater wrote:If this pans out it will not change the fact that the Vise grip was invented in Nebraska but it will end a current tie to the state.  Sad news and the direction that too much of this type of manufacturing is headed.

http://www.journalstar.com/news/local/d ... 919303.txt
Newell Rubbermaid, the owner of the historic Vise-Grip brand and its plant in DeWitt, will tell the remaining 300-plus employees next week the plant is closing at the end of October, sources told the Journal Star.

The production will be transferred, at least in part, to China.

And with it will go a piece of Nebraska’s 20th century industrial legacy — and a big part of the village of DeWitt’s livelihood and history
The Journal Star learned of the closing from an employee and a Nebraska civic leader. Both asked not be identified for fear of retaliation against plant employees.

Others plant workers told the Beatrice Daily Sun newspaper they have signed agreements not to disclose company information or risk being fired.

Employees were expecting a meeting this week to announce news at the plant, an employee told the Journal Star, but it was postponed until Wednesday.
Vise-Grip has a celebrated history in DeWitt and Nebraska.

Danish immigrant Bill Petersen developed his first pair of locking pliers in 1915, according to popular histories. He patented the device in 1924 and began production at his blacksmith shop in DeWitt.

By 1928, the company had more than 600 employees.

When Petersen died in 1962, his family took over.

Peterson’s daughter, Harriet Fort, still lives in DeWitt. A son, Richard, died in 2006.

In 1985, Richard’s son, Allen Petersen, bought his family’s interests and the business was renamed American Tool Companies. Allen Petersen died in November in Chicago.

American Tool sold out in 2002 to Newell Rubbermaid, a minority owner since 1985. Since then, the DeWitt plant has operated under the name of Irwin Industrial Tools, a company American Tool bought in 1993
Well its official, off to China!  Now you can't drink Budweiser or Use Vise-Grips when working on you American errrr Mexican car.
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