Connecticut Hall of Fame

[Germaine]

I've thought for a long time that Connecticut's contributions to the country and to the world go mostly unnoticed. This is tragic since Connecticut has contributed so many interesting and critical people to advancement and entertainment of the world. In fact, I can't tell you all how much it bugs me that Hartford's own Frederick Law Olmsted - the Father of Landscape Architecture - is honored by a National Historic Site...in Massachusetts!!!!!!!!

I think the next big project for Hartford should be a Connecticut Hall of Fame. Imagine exhibits highlighting and educating the world about Connecticut's greatest residents and achievements. It would focus on those born here, those raised here, or those who were born elsewhere but have chosen to make their homes here.

In addition to Olmsted, some of the other natives would include:

Harriet Beecher Stowe,

Samuel Colt,

JP Morgan,

Noah Webster,

P.T. Barnum,

John Brown,

Ethan Allan,

Benjamin Spock,

Charles Goodyear,

Katherine Hepburn,

Carly Simon,

Glenn Close, etc...

Or those who chose to make Connecticut their homes:

Mark Twain,

Paul Newman,

Martha Stewart,

David Letterman,

Henry Kissinger, etc...

Imagine, the museum could also be showcase for Connecticut "Firsts" and "Inventions".

I imagine it would appeal to people from the around the world - many of whom would be surprised to learn that so many and so much has come from so small a place.

Just a thought; just a vision...

What do you think?

[GregV]

Incorporating these elements into a Museum of Hartford run by the historical society would be great once Hartford is a bigger attraction than it is today, as the Museum of the City of New York does here in Manhattan.

[Germaine]

Incorporating these elements into a Museum of Hartford run by the historical society would be great once Hartford is a bigger attraction than it is today, as the Museum of the City of New York does here in Manhattan.

That's also a great idea.

A "Museum of Hartford" would certainly not be lacking for material!!!! Nevertheless, as attractive and significant as a Hartford-centric museum would be I think a Connecticut museum would be far more important.

[ctman987]

Something like this would be unique, one of a kind because a museum about CT can only be in CT, you wont be able to see the same things elsewhere

[RCase]

Don't forget Benedict Arnold.

[HartfordTycoon]

Don't forget Benedict Arnold.

Not that he's anything to be proud of. But I would be interested in seeing an exhibit about the events of his life.

[SOCOM]

Or those who chose to make Connecticut their homes:

Mark Twain,

Paul Newman,

Martha Stewart,

David Letterman,

Henry Kissinger, etc...

In addition to these people, there are hundreds of celebs/writers/journalists that call CT home or have a second home here.

to name a few...

Michael J. Fox (Litchfield Hills)

Conan O'Brien (Litchfield Hills)

Stephanie Seymour (Gold Coast) she used to be the star model for Victoria's Secret in case anyone was wondering

Tommy Hillfigger (Gold Coast)

Ralph Lauren (Gold Coast)

Honestly, a list of famous people who have homes in our state would be endless. Outside of Hollywood and the Miami area, The Gold Coast (Greenwich - Bridgeport) is the 3rd most star populated area in the US.

The Hartford area has its fair share of celebs as well with all the ESPN personalities and many top figure skaters calling Avon, Simsbury, and West Hartford their home.

Afterall, The Stepford Wives wasn't set in Connecticut by accident.

[Germaine]

In addition to these people, there are hundreds of celebs/writers/journalists that call CT home or have a second home here.

to name a few...

Michael J. Fox (Litchfield Hills)

Conan O'Brien (Litchfield Hills)

Stephanie Seymour (Gold Coast) she used to be the star model for Victoria's Secret in case anyone was wondering

Tommy Hillfigger (Gold Coast)

Ralph Lauren (Gold Coast)

Honestly, a list of famous people who have homes in our state would be endless. Outside of Hollywood and the Miami area, The Gold Coast (Greenwich - Bridgeport) is the 3rd most star populated area in the US.

The Hartford area has its fair share of celebs as well with all the ESPN personalities and many top figure skaters calling Avon, Simsbury, and West Hartford their home.

Afterall, The Stepford Wives wasn't set in Connecticut by accident.

Exactly...imagine how interesting the exhibits could be...

[Mike D]

I've thought for a long time that Connecticut's contributions to the country and to the world go mostly unnoticed. This is tragic since Connecticut has contributed so many interesting and critical people to advancement and entertainment of the world. In fact, I can't tell you all how much it bugs me that Hartford's own Frederick Law Olmsted - the Father of Landscape Architecture - is honored by a National Historic Site...in Massachusetts!!!!!!!!

I think the next big project for Hartford should be a Connecticut Hall of Fame. Imagine exhibits highlighting and educating the world about Connecticut's greatest residents and achievements. It would focus on those born here, those raised here, or those who were born elsewhere but have chosen to make their homes here.

In addition to Olmsted, some of the other natives would include:

Harriet Beecher Stowe,

Samuel Colt,

JP Morgan,

Noah Webster,

P.T. Barnum,

John Brown,

Ethan Allan,

Benjamin Spock,

Charles Goodyear,

Katherine Hepburn,

Carly Simon,

Glenn Close, etc...

Or those who chose to make Connecticut their homes:

Mark Twain,

Paul Newman,

Martha Stewart,

David Letterman,

Henry Kissinger, etc...

Imagine, the museum could also be showcase for Connecticut "Firsts" and "Inventions".

I imagine it would appeal to people from the around the world - many of whom would be surprised to learn that so many and so much has come from so small a place.

Just a thought; just a vision...

What do you think?

Definitely a great idea that would attract people to Hartford, especially schools looking for something different to do for field trips. It should focus on people as well as exhibits. I think there should be more of a focus on exhibits.

[Captain59]

Ron Francis

Kevin Dineen

[runawayjim]

In addition to these people, there are hundreds of celebs/writers/journalists that call CT home or have a second home here.

to name a few...

Michael J. Fox (Litchfield Hills)

Conan O'Brien (Litchfield Hills)

Stephanie Seymour (Gold Coast) she used to be the star model for Victoria's Secret in case anyone was wondering

Tommy Hillfigger (Gold Coast)

Ralph Lauren (Gold Coast)

Honestly, a list of famous people who have homes in our state would be endless. Outside of Hollywood and the Miami area, The Gold Coast (Greenwich - Bridgeport) is the 3rd most star populated area in the US.

The Hartford area has its fair share of celebs as well with all the ESPN personalities and many top figure skaters calling Avon, Simsbury, and West Hartford their home.

Afterall, The Stepford Wives wasn't set in Connecticut by accident.

there's actually a lot of famous people living in CT or that have lived in CT. remember oksana baiul, the figure skater? she used to live there (and has a drunk driving charge). mike tyson recently sold his home there. martha stewart lives in westport or greenwich i believe. i think jay leno lives in greenwich. meatloaf, last i knew lived somewhere in ffld county. and who can forget new haven's own michael bolton?

there's a lot more that i'm either forgetting or just leaving out for no apparent reason...

oh yeah, supposedly renee zellweger has a home in eastern CT.

[HartfordTycoon]

there's actually a lot of famous people living in CT or that have lived in CT. remember oksana baiul, the figure skater? she used to live there (and has a drunk driving charge). mike tyson recently sold his home there. martha stewart lives in westport or greenwich i believe. i think jay leno lives in greenwich. meatloaf, last i knew lived somewhere in ffld county. and who can forget new haven's own michael bolton?

there's a lot more that i'm either forgetting or just leaving out for no apparent reason...

oh yeah, supposedly renee zellweger has a home in eastern CT.

Let's not forget who moved into Mike Tyson's house. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. One of the biggest rap stars ever. He's probably one of the most famous people to ever live in CT and certainly Metro Hartford.

[runawayjim]

Let's not forget who moved into Mike Tyson's house. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. One of the biggest rap stars ever. He's probably one of the most famous people to ever live in CT and certainly Metro Hartford.

i'd say he's on par with mike tyson as far as fame is concerned... he'll be a has been in a couple years and find that he's back living on the street because he blew all his money on bling.

[HartfordTycoon]

i'd say he's on par with mike tyson as far as fame is concerned... he'll be a has been in a couple years and find that he's back living on the street because he blew all his money on bling.

I'm not a huge fan but would say 50 is much smarter than that. He is at least a million times smarter than Mike Tyson. He has too many business ventures to ever go broke: A Major Record Label, a promising acting career (even if he's not good), sneakers, clothing, vitamin water, video games, etc. The list goes on. I'm only defending him as a businessman though, not as an artist or a person for that matter. He built a multi-million dollar business from scratch in large part by himself. That speaks volumes about his intelligence, don't let the bling and ignorant lyrics of these rappers fool you. The successful ones are not fools by any means. Plus, bling is long established way to keep wealth. Diamonds, gold, and platinum appreciate in value, not depreciate.

[runawayjim]

I'm not a huge fan but would say 50 is much smarter than that. He is at least a million times smarter than Mike Tyson. He has too many business ventures to ever go broke: A Major Record Label, a promising acting career (even if he's not good), sneakers, clothing, vitamin water, video games, etc. The list goes on. I'm only defending him as a businessman though, not as an artist or a person for that matter. He built a multi-million dollar business from scratch in large part by himself. That speaks volumes about his intelligence, don't let the bling and ignorant lyrics of these rappers fool you. The successful ones are not fools by any means. Plus, bling is long established way to keep wealth. Diamonds, gold, and platinum appreciate in value, not depreciate.

diamonds have no re-sale value, at the most, you get back exactly what you paid for... chances are, you don't get that. de beers has made sure that there's no second-hand diamond market. gold and platinum don't appreciate a whole lot either... they really go by the market, which fluctuates. the best investment most of them make is real estate. cars do nothing but depreciate unless you invest in classics.

[MadVlad]

Gene Simmons from KISS lives in Cheshire.

[HartfordTycoon]

diamonds have no re-sale value, at the most, you get back exactly what you paid for... chances are, you don't get that. de beers has made sure that there's no second-hand diamond market. gold and platinum don't appreciate a whole lot either... they really go by the market, which fluctuates. the best investment most of them make is real estate. cars do nothing but depreciate unless you invest in classics.

The best investment they make are in other businesses. The exact same way that any other power player does. It's really not a big deal, I just have a respect for him and other young entreprenuers that figure out how to become millionaires on their own without formal training or expert guidance. I didn't bring up cars, because everyone knows that those are not investments. Also, if you think that 50, Diddy, and Jay Z and the like don't have money invested in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, you're kidding yourself. Most of these guys will never go broke. They own the publishing rights to the music they create and of the other artists they produce. Royalties alone would keep them rich and that's not taking into account the other enterprises that they have a financial stake in. I follow hip hop though, so I could easily rattle off a list of dumb rappers who are still broke and will alway be broke. 50 is just not one of them.

[runawayjim]

The best investment they make are in other businesses. The exact same way that any other power player does. It's really not a big deal, I just have a respect for him and other young entreprenuers that figure out how to become millionaires on their own without formal training or expert guidance. I didn't bring up cars, because everyone knows that those are not investments. Also, if you think that 50, Diddy, and Jay Z and the like don't have money invested in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, you're kidding yourself. Most of these guys will never go broke. They own the publishing rights to the music they create and of the other artist they produce. Royalties alone will keep them rich.

puff daddy or p diddy or whatever his name is now is in a different league than 50 cent or jay z. even jay z is in a different league than 50 cent, at least when it comes to the music, and i use that term loosely here. 50 is just another street thug turned rap star. he'll most likely go the same route that many before him have gone... into music history and just a memory. while he may not lose money because of his investments and business deals, he will be forgotten.

but back to the original purpose of this thread, i'd say mike tyson is far more famous than 50 cent.

another addition to the hall of fame, i'm surprised no one mention it... it's written on a big sign on 95 when driving into new haven (why they want to use it as a claim to fame is beyond me)... new haven is the birthplace of our fearless leader, george bush.

some others... baseball player for the astros and former rookie of the year, jeff bagwell, went to my high school and grew up in killingworth. brian leech, formerly of the NY rangers is from cheshire... he helped them win their first stanley cup in like 54 years.

[HartfordTycoon]

OK, Back to the topic. Let's not forget about Marcus Camby of the Denver Nuggets who graduated from my HS, Hartford Public. Eric LaSalle of ER fame who graduated from Weaver High School in Hartford, Rick Mahorne (used to date my aunt in college at Hampton University) formerly of the Detroit Pistons another Hartford native. Dwight Freeney of the Indianapolis Colts who graduated from Bloomfield High. Even the twins Brian and Brandon from R&B group Jagged Edge, if you guys know who that is, are from Hartford. My parents are good friends with theirs.

[runawayjim]

OK, Back to the topic. Let's not forget about Marcus Camby of the Denver Nuggets who graduated from my HS, Hartford Public. Eric LaSalle of ER fame who graduated from Weaver High School in Hartford, Rick Mahorne (used to date my aunt in college at Hampton University) formerly of the Detroit Pistons another Hartford native. Dwight Freeney of the Indianapolis Colts who graduated from Bloomfield High. Even the twins Brian and Brandon from R&B group Jagged Edge, if you guys know who that is, are from Hartford. My parents are good friends with theirs.

my ex-girlfriend's mother went to high school with John Ratzenberger, cliff the mailman, from cheers... he's from bridgeport.

[MadVlad]

Brooke Burke grew up here too (where was she when I was young). So did Mark McGrath...

[uconn99]

While we are at it, Bill Romanowski went to Rockville High, later had a long NFL career. Tebucky Jones went to New Britian high, now playing for the Patriots again, Steve Young went to Greenwich High, now in the hall of fame. Vin Baker was from Old Saybrook. For all you NHL fans, Chris Drury was from Trumbull and is still a good player in the league. Drury I believe was the winning pitcher on the 1989 Trumbull World series little league team.

Also,

Vince McMahon- Greenwich

Mel Gibson- Greenwich

Donald Trump- Has or had a house in Greenwich

Montel Williams- Greenwich

Regis- Greenwich

Judge Judy- Greenwich

I know there a ton more with ties to Fairfield county.

[MadVlad]

Don't forget Martha Stewart, Paul Newman, and Joanne Woodward in Westport...

[Richhamleigh, DC]

No doubt a center highlighting Connecticut's famous inventors, sports heroes, politicans (yes, GW Bush is a CT native), artists, actors, etc., would be very exciting and a great destination. Why isn't it happening????

[runawayjim]

No doubt a center highlighting Connecticut's famous inventors, sports heroes, politicans (yes, GW Bush is a CT native), artists, actors, etc., would be very exciting and a great destination. Why isn't it happening????

i wouldn't call him a native, i'd just say he was born there... he grew up elsewhere.