Anna Moffo - Opera Diva and Actress

Anna Moffo - Wayne

Anna Moffo was born in Wayne, Pennsylvania to first generation Italian parents. After graduating from Radnor High School where she performed in school shows and plays, she turned down an offer from Hollywood to attend the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia.

Moffo continued her education in Rome where she studied with Mercedes Llopart and Luigi Ricci. She made her official operatic debut in 1955 at Spoleto as Norina in Don Pasquale. With very little experience, she was offered the challenging role of Cio-Cio in an Italian TV production of Madame Butterfly and became an overnight sensation in Italy.

After many roles overseas, Moffo returned for her American debut as Mimi in La Boheme at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago. Her Metropolitan Opera debut took place in 1959 when she appeared as Violetta in La Triviata, a part that would become her signature role. She performed at the Metropolitan Opera for 17 years, appeared in both movies and TV, and toured throughout the world.

Moffo's heavy workload led to physical exhaustion and a serious vocal breakdown in 1968 from which she never fully recovered. Her last performance at the Met was during the 1983 Centennial celebrations, where she sang the Sigmund Romberg duet Will you Remember with Robert Merrill.

Anna Moffo died in 2006 at the age of 73.

Danny Murtaugh - Professional Baseball Player and Manager

A native of Chester, Pennsylvania, Danny Murtaugh played during nine seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies (1941–43, 1946), Boston Braves (1947) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1948–51).

Most notable is that Murtaugh became the second winningest manager in Pittsburgh Pirates history behind Hall of Famer Fred Clarke and is one of two managers to spend four or more stints with one club.

Murtaugh took over the helm of the Pirates big club in 1957 and turned around the Pittsburgh franchise to finish 7th the season he took over for Bobby Bragen and then beat the heavily favored New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series. The 1960 World Series is the only Fall Classic to end on a walk off home run as Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski blasted a home run off New York’s Ralph Terry in the bottom of the ninth of Game 7.

Health issues forced Murtaugh to resign following the 1964 season, but he would manage three more times with the Pirates. In 1970 and 1971, Danny led the Pirates to the National League East title and his second World Series title. Danny Murtaugh compiled a 1,115-950 record over 15 seasons with the Pirates (1957-1064, 1967, 1970-1971, 1973-1976).

Alice Neel, Portrait Artist

Alice Neel (from self portrait), Colwyn, Delaware County

Alice Neel was an American painter and considered "one of the greatest portrait artists of the 20th century”.

She was born in Merion Square, Philadelphia in 1900 and moved to Colwyn, Delaware County in mid-1900. After graduating from Darby High School, Neel took a civil service exam and got a high-paying clerical position. While working, she enrolled in the Fine Arts program of the Philadelphia School of Design for Women.

Neel's life was troubled and difficult. Her world was composed of artists. intellectuals and political leaders in the Communist party. Her paintings were predominately of friends, family and lovers she had met along the way. She lived in a mansion in Cuba and then became an impoverished single mother during the 1930s and 1940s.

Toward the end of the 1960s, the feminist movement brought intensity in the interest in Neel's work, and in 1970, Alice was commissioned to do a portrait of the feminist activist Kate Millet for Time magazine.

At the age of 79, Neel received the National Woman Caucus for Art award for outstanding achievement from President Jimmy Carter. She was given a retrospective of her work at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1974, and in 2001 a retrospective at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Since then she has hailed with retrospect at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, the Whitechapel Gallery in London and the Moderna Museet Malmo in Sweden, and interest in her art and life continues to grow thirty years after her death at age 84.

Peter Nero - Pianist, Conductor and Composer

Peter Nero - Media

Though Nero has lived in Media, Delaware County for several years, he began life in Brooklyn, New York as Bernard Nierowin in 1934. Despite the fact that his family was non-musical, Nero showed remarkable natural ability on the piano after beginning lessons at age 7. While attending New York's High School of Music and Art, he won a scholarship to study part-time at the Juilliard School of Music in Manhattan.

In 1951 he won a contest sponsored by New York radio station WQXR that was judged by an illustrious jury that included pianist Vladimir Horowitz. From there he went on to win several contest including Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.

By the 1960s he became a sought after pianist of popular music and recorded more than twenty albums for RCA Victor in the 60s including a Grammy winning recording for Best Performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist with an Orchestra for The Colorful Peter Nero.

Since the early 1950s Nero made numerous appearances as a pianist in concert halls, theatres, and night clubs and on television throughout North America and Europe; has also appeared as a guest artist with various orchestras, including the Boston Pops. Conductor and music director for the Philly Pops since 1979; pop music director and conductor for the Florida Philharmonic since 1981, and for the Tulsa Philharmonic since 1987; has been guest conductor for dozens of other orchestras. He also was the composer of Sunday in New York (film score); Blue Fantasy and Improvisations; His World; 70 & Suite in Four Movements; The Diary.

Jameer Nelson - Basketball Star

Born in 1982, Jameer Nelson is an American professional basketball player from Chester, PA who attended Chester High School in Chester and was a letterman in basketball. In 2000, he helped lead his team to the PIAA AAAA State championship.

Nelson led the Saint Joseph's Hawks to a 27–0 regular season record in 2003–04 and ecause of his extraordinary accomplishments as a senior, he won the 2004 Wooden Award, the 2004 Naismith Award, the 2004 Bob Cousy Award, the Rupp Trophy, the Oscar Robertson Trophy and many more accolades, including being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Nelson was the first Atlantic 10 athlete to be on the cover of the magazine since Mark Macon in 1988.

Over his career, he has played for the Dallas Mavericks, the Boston Celtics, the Denver Nuggets and most recently the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, where he was named national college player of the year in 2004. Drafted 20th overall in the 2004 NBA draft, Nelson spent the first ten years of his NBA career with the Orlando Magic. In 2009, he was named an All-Star and helped lead the Magic to the NBA Finals. He has also played for the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets.

On October 22, 2017, Nelson signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Agnes Nixon - Writer, TV Producer

Agnes Nixon - Radnor Township

Agnes Nixon is a writer and producer best known for her soap operas, All My Children, One Life to Live, and Loving. She has lived in Radnor for more than 28 years.

She began her career in "soaps" as a writer on Woman in White, As the World Turns, Search for Tomorrow, Guiding Light and Another World, where she created the character of Rachel Davis, an early prototype of one of her more lasting creations, Erica Kane played by Susan Lucci.

Agnes Nixon began addressing social issues in 1962 after a friend died of cervical cancer. She wrote the struggle into Guiding Light and had difficulty with certain words that could not be used on TV such as "uterus", "cancer" or "pap test”. Despite this limitation, the number of women who took a pap smear surged dramatically.

In 1970, Nixon got the green light for All My Children, a soap opera that addressed social issues such as the anti-war movement, homosexuality, AIDS and American television's first onscreen abortion, by character Erica Kane.

In 1983, Nixon began a series called Loving, a show that ended its run in 1997.

In 1992, Agnes Nixon was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, and in 2010 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Ms. Nixon died in September 2017 in Rosemont, PA from pneumonia resulting from Parkinson’s disease.

Vince Papale - Football Hero, Speaker, Business Executive

Vince Papale - Chester/Prospect Park

Vince Papale was born in Chester, Pennsylvania and attended Interboro High School in Prospect Park where he excelled in football, basketball, and track and field.

He attended St. Joseph's University on a track scholarship and as a junior won a United States Track & Field Federation college development pole vault at Madison Square Garden.

Papale's post-collegiate football career began with the Aston Green Lights of the semi-pro Seaboard Football League. Papale was a teacher at Interboro High School and was coaching the Junior Varsity Football Team when he successfully tried out for the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League as a wide receiver.

In his first season, Papale caught nine passes and in 1975 caught only one pass for a forty-nine yard touchdown. His performance earned him a meeting with Eagle's coach Dick Vermeil. He eventually made the team, thereby at age 30, becoming the oldest rookie in the history of the NFL to play without the benefit of college football experience. He was voted Special Teams Captain by his teammates and Man of the Year by the Eagles in 1978 for his many charitable activities. A shoulder injury ended his football career in 1979.

Papale's determination and indomitable spirit were the inspiration for the 2006 movie Invincible, starring Mark Wahlburg as Papale.

Today he remains a sought-after speaker, and is the regional director of marketing and senior account executive for higher-education marketing at Sallie Mae.

Alex North - Film Composer

Alex North - Chester

Alex North (Isadore Soifer) was born to Russian immigrant parents in Chester, Delaware County in 1910.

He is best known for the 1955 song made famous by the Righteous Brothers in 1965, Unchained Melody. But beyond his success as a popular composer, he was revered for his scores for many Hollywood blockbusters including: Spartacus, Cleopatra, The Misfits, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Good Morning Vietnam, and A Streetcar Named Desire.

He was nominated for an Oscar 15 times, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy in 1986.

North was also recognized for his classical pieces and his television scores.

The American Film Institute ranked North's score for A Streetcar Named Desire No. 19 on its list of greatest film scores.

North passed away in 1991.

Will Price - Architect

Will Price – Rose Valley

Though Will Price was born and raised in Philadelphia, his legacy is tied significantly to Delaware County through the homes and other buildings he created in the communities of Wayne, Media and Rose Valley.

Price began his career at age 17 working in the architectural offices of Addison Hutton. Will and his brother Frank formed their own firm in 1881 and got their first major commission designing suburban houses in Wayne for real estate developers Wendell and Smith. The homes that occupy much of North Wayne are based on the Price brothers' designs.

Though Will Price was born and raised in Philadelphia, his legacy is tied significantly to Delaware County through the homes and other buildings he created in the communities of Wayne, Media and Rose Valley.

Price began his career at age 17 working in the architectural offices of Addison Hutton. Will and his brother Frank formed their own firm in 1881 and got their first major commission designing suburban houses in Wayne for real estate developers Wendell and Smith. The homes that occupy much of North Wayne are based on the Price brothers' designs.

Through his Quaker connections, it is conjectured, that Will Price found his way to the owners of Strawbridge & Clothier Department Store and their partner George W. Vanderbilt to provide the design for the Kenilworth Inn and then to a commission for Woodmont, the future home of steel magnate Alan Wood, Jr.

Price became a pioneer in the use of reinforced concrete that was cheaper for constructing industrial buildings and hotels, and allowed for wide spans and soaring spaces. Price's most famous building was the Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel in Atlantic City.

Over the summer of 1901 Will and a sculptor Frank Stephens purchase nearly 80 acres of land that included a water-powered mill and workers’ houses in the valley of Vernon Run, a tiny tributary of Ridley Creek. The project was to build a self-sufficient community dedicated to "the manufacture of structures, materials and products involving artistic handicrafts”. The community was to have an association which helped run it, and the association held land and private land. Homes were made simply and affordable with workers able to contribute to the processes.

Many of the Price designed homes still exist in Rose Valley including the Price House, the Guest House and the Bishop White House. The community and the Thunderbird Lodge are listed on the National Historic Register. And the community itself has a private school (The School in Rose Valley) and a theatre (Hedgerow) that carry forward many of the concepts envisioned by Price and Stephens.

Lisa Raymond - Tennis Champion

Lisa Raymond, born in 1973, grew up in Radnor and attended Notre Dame High School. She is an American retired professional tennis player who has achieved notable success in doubles tennis. Raymond has 11 Grand Slam titles to her name: 6 in women's doubles and 5 in mixed doubles. On June 12, 2000, she reached the world number one ranking in doubles. Her career high singles ranking was fifteenth in October 1997.

Earning more than US $9 million in prize money in her career, Raymond reached the quarterfinals in singles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon. Raymond, who plays right-handed, has wins over Venus Williams, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati and Martina Hingis. She is one of the few players to win a career Grand Slam in doubles. Among her doubles partners are Lindsay Davenport, Martina Navratilova, Rennae Stubbs, Samantha Stosur, Květa Peschke, Cara Black and Liezel Huber, among others. Raymond is also an Olympic medalist, winning the bronze medal in the mixed doubles competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics for the United States, partnering with Mike Bryan.

Samuel D. Riddle - Race Horse Breeder, Philanthropist

Samuel D. Riddle (shown with War Admiral) - Glen Riddle

Samuel D. Riddle, a native of Delaware County, owned and operated a woolen mill started by his father, but is best known as a sportsman. His father Samuel Riddle was born in Ireland and arrived in America in 1825.

The owner of Glen Riddle Farm, Riddle bred and raced thoroughbred racehorses. His most famous horses were Man o' War and U.S. Triple Crown winner, War Admiral.

Upon his death in January 1951, Mr. Riddle's will stipulated that his estate be used to provide a hospital for the community of Media, Pennsylvania, the nearest town to Glen Riddle. With the $2.5 million and the 72 acres of land, fronted by Baltimore Pike, provided by Mr. Riddle, a charter for the hospital was granted in 1956. Riddle Memorial Hospital was built, opening in 1963, on 34 acres of land. It was thought appropriate that the balance of the land be used at some future date in some manner related to the health and well being of the community.

The Riddlewood residential housing development in Middletown Township, Delaware County is named for Mr. Riddle and its streets are named for the horses he owned.

Todd Rundgren - Musician & Composer

Todd Rundgren - Upper Darby

Todd Rundgren was born in the Stonehurst section of Upper Darby in 1948. He attended Beverly Hills Middle School and performed Bob Newhart routines in the school talent show. He graduated from Upper Darby High School and attended Indiana University.

His career began at Woody's Truck Stop, but he left the band in 1967 with bassist Carson Van Osten to form the garage rock group Nazz. The group gained minor recognition with Rundgren's songs, Open my Eyes and Hello It's Me, a song he later recorded solo.

Rundgren's debut solo album Runt (1970) was strongly influenced by Laura Nyro, a musician he admired and wrote about in the song Baby Let's Swing.

Since 1969, Rundgren has been heavily involved in music production, and has engineered and produced albums for several notable acts such as Ian and Sylvia, Meatloaf, Badfinger, Hall & Oates and Patti Smith.

Rundrgen has always been on the cutting edge of technology and is considered a genius by many in the business including Grammy winning producer Jim Steinman. In 1981, Rundgren developed one of the first computer paint programs for the Apple II. His song, Time Heals was among the first videos aired on MTV. As a composer he has written for the 1986 TV series Pee-wee's Playhouse, Crime Story and the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber.

In 2011 he toured with Ringo Star & His All-Star Band for the third time and in 2013 Rundgren performed with the Akron Symphony Orchestra. He continues to explore new and exciting areas of music and technology.

Alvin Sargent - Award Winning Screenwriter

Alvin Sargent - Upper Darby

Alvin Sargent is an American screenwriter who was born in 1927 in Philadelphia and graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1945.

Sargent began writing scripts for television in the 1950s for episodes of Route 66, Ben Casey and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. In 1970s he gained recognition for a collaborative screenplay for  I Walk the Line starring Gregory Peck and Tuesday Weld. Then in 1973 he won the WGA Award for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Source for Paper Moon starring Ryan and Tatum O'Neill. In 1978 he won an Academy Award for the film Julia and another in 1981 for Ordinary People directed by Robert Redford.

His career has spanned 6 decades. In 2002 he collaborated with William Broyles Jr. on the film Unfatithful, and he has worked on all of the Spider-Man films including The Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone in 2012.

Helen Hope Montgomery Scott - Socialite & Philanthropist

Hope Scott - Villanova

Helen Hope Montgomery Scott was once called "the unofficial queen of Philadelphia's WASP oligarchy”. She is most famous as the inspiration for the main character in Philip Barry's play, The Philadelphia Story, which was made into a film of the same name with Katherine Hepburn playing her character, and a musical, High Society, with Grace Kelly as Hope Scott.

Scott was born in 1904, one of four children of Robert L. Montgomery and Charlotte Hope Montgomery. She married Edgar Scott, an investment banker and heir to a railroad fortune and lived on a 750 acre estate in Radnor, Delaware County, where she entertained notables of society, government and the arts including Cole Porter and Katherine Hepburn. The family portraits on the wall were by notable artists such as Thomas Sully, Gilbert Stuart and Charles Wilson Peale.

Hope Scott was a principle organizer of the Devon Horse Show, which raises funds for Bryn Mawr Hospital. She served as a director of the United States Equestrian Team and of the American Horse Show Association. It is said that she was a warm and welcoming lady who was knowledgeable and enthusiastic on many subjects and had a good sense of humor.

Wanda Sykes - Writer, Actress & Comediane

Wanda Sykes - Media

Comedian Wanda Sykes was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1964, and now divides her time between L.A. and Media, Delaware County.

She began her comedy career at a Coors Light Super Talent Showcase in Washington D.C. in 1987 while working for the National Security Agency. She moved to New York in 1992 and opened for Chris Rock at Caroline's Comedy Club. By 1997, Wanda had secured a job on the writing team of The Chris Rock Show, also making appearances on the show. In 1999, she won an Emmy Award for writing Rock's show.

Since that time, Sykes has built a successful career in TV and movies and in 2004 was named one of the 25 funniest people in America. She is well known for her role as Barbara Baran on The New Adventures of Old Christine and for her appearances on HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm. She also has appeared in the films Monster-in-Law, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Evan Almighty, and License to Wed, and has voiced characters in Over the Hedge, Barnyard, Brother Bear 2, Rio, and Ice Age:Continental Drift.

Sykes also played the role of Miss Hannigan in the Media Theatre production of Annie in 2010. She commented that Media is so small of a town compared to L.A., that she even knows the Media police officers.

She commented, "I know most of the police officers in town, not because I've been arrested, but because it's a small town.”

Mares Stellfox - Race Car Driver

Since she was just four years old, Mares wanted to drive race cars.

Her interest in fast cars continued after school, and she often attended the drag races at Maple Grove, Atco and Englishtown. She married Mark Stellfox who shared her interest in drag racing.

In 1984, Mares made her debut with her micro sprint car at Delaware's Airport Speedway. She only ran four races in 1984, but liked racing so much that she bought a new car for the 1985 season. She set as her goal to finish in the top ten in points that year, and she finished out the year in 10th place. Then next year, she set her goal on being in the top five, and she finished 4th. The following year she won the championship – 1st place!

Mares was not crash-free. In fact, she had a crash about one race in ten. These crashes would often damage the car and motor, and it would be up to Mark to put them back together. Even if he had to stay up all night, Mark would always have the car ready for the next day of racing. Mares never missed a start due to a broken car. An interesting difference between male and female racers is how they are treated after a crash. For a male racer, a crash is taken in stride, a "these things will happen..." kind of attitude from the other racers. But whenever Mares would crash, the other male racers would rush to make a big deal out of it. They would hold it as an example of why women should not be allowed to race cars.

Driving a race car is very hard work. It takes strength and stamina to wrestle a 1200 lb. car around a dirt track, often several times a night. Since Mares is a small woman (about 100 lbs.), the exertion required during the race was, at first, a problem. The G-forces were so great on her helmet that at times she felt "as if my head was being torn off." Most things about these cars, built for men, would not fit Mares' smaller frame. Mark had to create almost everything custom to fit his wife's features. For example, a standard steering wheel is 15" wide, the same width as a man's shoulders. In Mares' race car, the wheel was reduced to 13", the same width as her shoulders. This smaller diameter wheel, in turn, required that the power-assist on the steering be boosted. Her seat had to be smaller, her flame-resistant suit had to be custom made to her size. To counter the extreme G-force on her helmet, Mark installed a bar beside her right ear, so that the helmet would be supported when she went around a turn at 90 MPH.

Back in 1988, when she was still struggling to gain acceptance as a driver, she joined a racing club called The Outlaws. There were 97 men in the club, and she was the only woman. Because of this, she became known in the racing world as "The Lady Outlaw."