Most people reading this will say where is Elmira? Who are Elmirans? But Elmira is a place and Elmirans are its people. A small
New York town located just over the
Pennsylvania
border, it doesn't receive much notice. But a few famous people have
been born here, while others made Elmira their final resting place.
Harold
"Hal" Roach was born January 14, 1892 to Charles and Mabel Roach, on
Columbia Street in Elmira. In interviews, Hal said, "Elmira was a fine
place for a boy to grow up." He recalled playing in Grove Park and upon
his death in 1992 the park pavilion was renamed in his honor. He
claimed to have "attended and been kicked out of almost every school in
Elmira." St. Patrick's, Booth and Elmira Free Academy can all claim him
as a student. When he got kicked out EFA, Hal started traveling and
went as far from Elmira as he could, Alaska. He held numerous
jobs
including mining for gold, and delivering mail for the army, before he
made his way to California. Hal began working as an extra and worked
his way to assistant director. And eventually opened his own studio
ROLIN. He thought out comedy situations, outlined his ideas to his
company and put his crew to it. The method and Hal proved successful.
Geoff
Bodine was born April 18, 1949 in Elmira's St. Joseph's Hospital. Geoff
began racing in local speedways in the micro-midget division when he
was only 5. Geoff went on to NASCAR stardom and won many races in the
modified division.
Eileen Collins was born in Elmira in 1956.
April 9, 2005 upon the successful landing of the space shuttle
Discovery, Eileen became the first
woman to pilot a U.S. space shuttle and command a U.S. space flight.
Tommy
Hilfiger was born March24, 1951 in Elmira. In 1969 he opened a store in
Elmira called "The People's Place." And from there his rise to
fashion fame began.
Ernie Davis was born December 14, 1939 in Elmira. Ernie became the star
running
back at Syracuse University and was the first black player to win the
Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins and traded to
Cleveland. Unfortunately, Ernie died of leukemia before he ever played
a professional game.
Ross Gilmore Marvin was born in Elmira in 1880. He graduated from
Cornell University and became a member of the Perry Polar Expedition
but drowned in the Arctic in 1909.
Brian Williams was born in
Elmira on May 5, 1959 and grew up on Church Street. He attended Hendy
Avenue Elementary before he and his parents. After leaving
college with no degree, Brian started broadcasting at KOAM-TV in Pittsburg, Kansas. In March of 1993, Brian began
work at NBC News and his climbed the ranks to his current position.
John
W. Jones arrived in Elmira in July of 1844 with his family. An
important historical figure, John made great contributions to the
Underground Railroad. Jones'
home in Elmira was a major stop along the railroad and was a very important stop as it was the only stop between
Philadelphia
and Ontario. By 1860, Jones had aided in the escape of 860 runaways. Of
those 860, none were captured or returned to the south. Jones later
became the sexton for Woodlawn Cemetery and his primary role was to
bury deceased Confederate soldiers from the Elmira Prison Camp. Of the
2,963 soldiers he buried, only seven are listed as unknown. Because of
Jones' precise records the government declared the site a national
cemetery in 1877. Jones was paid $2.50 for each soldier he buried and
he became rated as the wealthiest black man in this part of the state.
Mark
Twain (Samuel Clemens) was not born and did not die in Elmira but he
did live here for a while and is buried in Elmira's own Woodlawn
Cemetery. He wrote parts of several great works while he lived in
Elmira. His wife, a native Elmiran, Olivia Langdon and Mark lived here
in the latter part of the 19
th century. A small octagonal study, given to him as a
gift when he lived at Quarry Farm, is now located on the grounds of Elmira College.
While Elmira may not hold the claim to fame that some larger cities hold, it is not a
city without a history. It's claims to fame will forever hold a place in the
city and the hearts of its residents.
