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Hoosier history overflows with bold visionaries, noble heroes and lovable rogues. May Wright Sewall struggled to uplift womankind and unflinchingly called for peace in a world sleepwalking toward conflict. In the guise of Abe Martin, Kin Hubbard graced the Indianapolis News's back page for twenty-six years with folksy humor. Combat photographer John A. Bushemi bravely faced the terrors of war and perished capturing its violence. Audacious automotive pioneer Carl G. Fisher went to any length to promote himself, even flying a car via a hot-air balloon. Drawing on more than thirty years of experience, author Ray E. Boomhower, the dean of Hoosier biographers, brings together forty of the most notable figures from the nineteenth state.

Minnesotans are a tough lot, capable of pulling a house six miles by muscle alone or giving birth to a sixteen-pound boy. In 1921, young Phoebe Fairgrave set a parachute world record, stepping off the wing of a biplane 15,200 feet above the Twin Cities. In 1962, the last powerhouse Gophers football team brought home the Rose Bowl trophy. A year later, thirteen-year-old Jean Webb of Minneapolis risked arrest and refused to leave a segregated restaurant. In 1979, Gerry Spiess crossed the Atlantic alone in a 10-foot sailboat he built in his White Bear Lake garage. These inspiring stories and dozens more, culled from the Star Tribune newspaper archives, are presented in their original form by author Ben Welter, along with in-depth background, fresh interviews and more than seventy-five historic photos.

Since 1884, Temple University alumni have overcome poverty, hardship and disappointment to achieve greatness. Daniel Aaron, a refugee from Nazi Germany, grew up in foster care and went on to co-found Comcast Cable, the largest cable television provider in the United States. Theo-Ben Guriab was born in apartheid Namibia and became president of the United Nations General Assembly. Edith Windsor, a daughter of immigrants, brought a case before the Supreme Court at the age of seventy-seven ensuring that all gay people in the United States receive equal protection under the law. Author Ronnyjane Goldsmith, who received her BA, MA and PhD from Temple, presents thirty inspiring profiles of what it means to be Temple Made.  The author’s proceeds from the book are dedicated to the Temple University Alumni Scholarship Fund established by the author to assist future alumni.

Johnny White's Sports Bar was a French Quarter institution. Often called the locals' living room, Johnny White's was the only twenty-four-hour bar on Bourbon Street and attracted a colorful cast of regulars, local characters and tourists looking for a good time. Memorable French Quarter personalities like Ruthie the Duck Girl and Perri the Hobo frequented the bar in their rounds. During Hurricane Katrina, the bar remained a refuge to those who'd stayed in the city, despite authorities ordering the bar to close at gunpoint. When the bar's lease was finally up in 2012, patrons mourned its loss with a full jazz funeral procession. Marita Woywod Crandle offers an insider's look at the gritty, unique and often hilarious world of this beloved and much-missed French Quarter icon.