Local Notables

 

 

The big hats 'round here
By VERONICA ALANIZ
Special Contributor / The Dallas Morning News

Many a rising star began shining brightly in North Texas - or at least spent formative time here. Take a look at just a few of the celebrities and leaders with ties to this area.

ERYKAH BADU ­ Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter. She was born in 1972 in Dallas, graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and still lives in the city.

KATHY BATES ­ Actress. Born in Memphis, Tenn., and graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Won an Oscar in 1990 for her performance in Misery. Also received Academy Award nominations for Primary Colors and this year for her role in About Schmidt.

SANDRA BROWN ­ Prolific novelist whose works have made The New York Times' best-seller list 50 times. Reared in Fort Worth, she attended Texas Christian University and the University of Texas at Arlington before launching her literary career in 1981. Her early writing years were devoted to romance novels, but she branched out to mainstream fiction in the late 1980s. Mrs. Brown lives in Tarrant County.

DICK CHENEY ­ Vice president of the United States. Mr. Cheney lived in Highland Park from 1995, when he became chairman of Dallas-based Halliburton Co., until he resigned in 2000 to run for vice president.

KELLY CLARKSON ­ Singer. Won Fox TV's inaugural American Idol competition in September. Born and raised in Burleson.

DIXIE CHICKS – After spending its early years performing in Deep Ellum, the group sang at President Clinton's 1993 inauguration and became the best-selling country act of 1998. Now made up of Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison, the Chicks became the object of boycotts this spring after Ms. Maines said at a London concert that she was ashamed that President Bush was from Texas.

ORNETTE COLEMAN ­ Musician. Native of Fort Worth who is credited with revolutionizing jazz music in the 1960s. He developed a new form of the art known as free jazz.

ROY HARGROVE ­ Musician. Began playing the trumpet at age 9 and became interested in jazz music while enrolled at Dallas' Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Won a Grammy this year for best jazz instrumental album, Directions in Music.

ROBERT HUGHES – Boys basketball coach at Dunbar High School in Fort Worth who became the national high school leader in career victories last season and has been elected to the National High School Sports Hall of Fame. Mr. Hughes has coached high school basketball since 1958 and has never had a losing season.

LEE TREVINO, BYRON NELSON, JUSTIN LEONARD and KATHY WHITWORTH – Mr. Trevino – a two-time winner of the U.S. Open, the PGA and the British Open golf tournaments – was born and still resides in Dallas. Mr. Nelson, who grew up in Waxahachie and Fort Worth and now lives in Roanoke, won 11 consecutive tournaments in 1945. Mr. Leonard, who also was born and still lives in Dallas, won the British Open in 1997. Ms. Whitworth, a Flower Mound resident, has won more professional tournaments – 88 – than any golfer in history.

WILSON BROTHERS ­ Screenwriters and actors Owen and Luke Wilson were born in Dallas and attended St. Mark's School of Texas. Both have corroborated on a number of films, including The Royal Tenenbaums, in which older brother Andrew also got involved.

Joel Saget/Agence France-Presse

LANCE ARMSTRONG – Olympic cyclist and cancer survivor who has won the Tour de France a record-tying five consecutive times. His athletic ability first came to notice when he began winning triathlons as a teenager living in Plano.

GEORGE W. BUSH ­ President of the United States. Made his home in Dallas for a time while he owned an interest in the Texas Rangers baseball team. Served as Texas governor before emerging as the Republican front-runner in the 2000 presidential campaign.

KALPANA CHAWLA (1961-2003) ­ Columbia space shuttle astronaut who perished along with six others when the craft disintegrated Feb. 1 over Texas. The native of India came to the United States in 1982 to attend the University of Texas at Arlington, where she earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering.

TOMMY FRANKS ­ Four-star Army general who led the campaign in the most recent war with Iraq. Joined the military in 1965. After serving in Vietnam, he earned a business degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. He then returned to the military and quickly worked his way up the chain of command.

NORAH JONES ­ Singer who won five Grammys in February, including best new artist and album of the year, for Come Away With Me. Ms. Jones moved to Grapevine when she was 4 and attended Dallas' Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and the University of North Texas in Denton.