| Learn Who The Famous People Born on February | | | | (1982-1987) and the San Francisco Giants |
| 14th Are – Jack Benny And More!!! | | | | (1987-1989). He is remembered for his fight against |
| BENJAMIN KUBELSKY (JACK BENNY) was a | | | | cancer that ended his career as his team was |
| comedian, vaudevillian, and an actor for radio, television | | | | reaching the World Series. A cancerous desmoids |
| and film. He’s considered one of the leading | | | | tumor was found in his pitching arm. In October 1988 |
| entertainers of the 20th century. His usual role was | | | | he underwent surgery on the arm to eliminate the |
| that of someone who was comically “tight” | | | | cancer cells. However, in July 1989, as he was |
| with his money and insisting that he was 39 years old | | | | pitching in a game, his bone snapped and he Dravecky |
| whatever his actual age might have been. He also | | | | collapsed. His left arm and shoulder were amputated |
| tried the violin but played it badly. He was born in | | | | in 1991. The baseball career was finished. He |
| 1984, in Waukegan, Illinois, the son of a Jewish | | | | became a motivational speaker and an author about |
| saloonkeeper/haberdasher who came to America | | | | his battle with cancer, his book Comeback was |
| from Poland. His mother came from Lithuania. His | | | | published in 1990, and When You Can’t Come |
| weekly radio show, The Jack Benny Program | | | | Back in 1992, written with his wife Jan and Ken Gire. |
| (NBS-1932-1948 & CBS-1949-1955) was one of | | | | He’s also written a Christian motivational book titled |
| radio’s highest rated programs. It made Benny | | | | Called Up and Comeback has been republished as a |
| famous. Then there was the television version of his | | | | ‘self-titled autobiography for children in 1992. He |
| program that aired from 1950-1965. He also acted | | | | won the 1989 Willie Mac Award honoring his spirit and |
| in movies, including The Hollywood Revue of 1929 | | | | leadership. |
| which won an Academy Award. (d. 1974) | | | | RENEE FLEMING was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania |
| HUGH MALCOLM DOWNS was born in Akron, | | | | in 1959. She is a Grammy Award winning (3 times) |
| Ohio in 1921. He is a retired broadcaster, TV host, | | | | soprano who specializes in opera and lieder. She has |
| producer and author. He’s been anchor of 20/20, | | | | a full lyric soprano voice. She studied at the Crane |
| (1978-1999), host of The Today Show, announcer for | | | | School of Music, State University of New York at |
| The Tonight Show (w/ Jack Paar), host of the | | | | Potsdam. She won a Fulbright Scholarship enabling |
| Concentration game show, host of PBS talk show | | | | her to work in Europe and then followed up by studies |
| Over Easy (1977-1983). He earned a degree in | | | | at The Juilliard School. Fleming has sung roles in |
| gerontology from Hunter College while he was doing | | | | Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian and |
| the PBS show. He also was co-host of the talk | | | | English. Her roles include Countess Almaviva in |
| show Not for Women Only. He was a special | | | | Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Desdemona in |
| consultant to the UN for refugee problems (1961-1964) | | | | Verdi’s Otello, Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata, the |
| and as Chairman of the Board of the United States | | | | title role in Dvolak’s Rusalka, the title role in |
| Committee for UNICEF. He is a member of the | | | | Massenet’s Manon, and Thais, the Marschallin in |
| Board of Governors of the National Space Society | | | | Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, and the title |
| and president and chair of its predecessor National | | | | heroine in Arabella. She performs in opera houses |
| Space Institute. There is an asteroid named after | | | | and concert halls all over the world. She was |
| him; 71000 Hughdowns. | | | | awarded the Swedish Polar Prize in 2008, |
| PAUL EFTHEMIOS TSONGAS was born in 1941 in | | | | GREGORY OLIVER HINES was born in New |
| Lowell, Massachusetts. He was educated at | | | | York City in 1946. He is an actor, singer, dancer and |
| Dartmouth, Yale Law School, and Kennedy School of | | | | choreographer. With his brother Maurice, Hines |
| Government (Harvard). Tsongas served in the U.S. | | | | started at early studying with choreographer Henry |
| House of Representatives from 1975-1979; the | | | | LeTang. He was lead singer and musician in a rock |
| Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1962-1964; and as the | | | | band called Severance (1975-1976). His movie debut |
| Peace Corps Country Director in the West Indies from | | | | was in Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part 1 and |
| 1967-1968. He was a United States Democratic | | | | later on appeared in movies such as The Cotton Club, |
| Senator from Massachusetts from 1979-1985. The | | | | White Nights, Running Scared, Tap and Waiting to |
| diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1984 | | | | Exhale. In 1997 he had his own series, The Gregory |
| caused him to retire from the senate to fit his illness. | | | | Hines Show on CBS. He also had a recurring role on |
| In 1992 he ran for the Democratic nomination for | | | | Will & Grace. His Broadway debut happened in The |
| president. He lost out to Bill Clinton. In 1997 the | | | | Girl in Pink Tights, (1954) and for his earned Tony |
| cancer came back. He died of pneumonia and liver | | | | Award nominations for Eubie (1979) and Comin’ |
| failure on January 18. | | | | Uptown (1980). For Jelly’s Last Jam he earned |
| DAVID FRANCIS DRAVECKY is a Christian | | | | the Drama Desk Award and a Tony. Hines died of |
| motivational speaker, an author and former Major | | | | liver cancer on August 3, 2003. |
| League Baseball player for the San Diego Padres | | | | |