El Paso

The Plaza Theatre is a historic building in El Paso, Texas. The theater stands as one of the city's most well-known landmarks, and remains... operational today, showing various Broadway productions, musical concerts, and individual performers. In February 1927, the owner of the principal El Paso theaters, Louis L. Dent, bought a property on Pioneer Plaza with the intention of doing something good for the city of El Paso. Upon purchase of the property, he told the El Paso Times, "El Paso has been good to me, and I am going to put something everybody will proud of." In 1929, construction of the Spanish Colonial Revival style Plaza Theater began. H. T. Ponsford & Sons built the theater, designed by architect W. Scott Dunne and constructed by C.A. Goetting Construction Company. The Plaza was designed, as a modern film house in a Spanish Colonial revival style with the flexibility of presenting stage shows. Opening night was on September 12, 1930 with the movie "Follow Through" to a capacity crowd of 2,410. Although several theaters existed in downtown El Paso at the time the Plaza Theatre opened, its size, elaborate decor, and technical innovations made it stand out.
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Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political... activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and distinctive voice. He wrote hundreds of songs in the 1960s and released eight albums in his lifetime. Ochs performed at many political events, including anti-Vietnam War and civil rights rallies, student events, and organized labor events over the course of his career, in addition to many concert appearances at such venues as New York City's Town Hall and Carnegie Hall. Politically, Ochs described himself as a "left social democrat" who became an "early revolutionary" after the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago led to a police riot, which had a profound effect on his state of mind. After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs's mental stability declined in the 1970s. He eventually succumbed to a number of problems including bipolar disorder and alcoholism, and took his own life in 1976.
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Adam Fredric Duritz is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. He is best known for his role as frontman and vocalist... for the rock band Counting Crows, in which he is a founding member and principal composer of their catalogue of songs. Duritz has recorded solo material of his own and collaborated with other musical acts, leading him to branch out as the owner of at least two record labels, acting as his own A&R man. His work scoring music for film has been recognized by the music industry, notably with an award for co-writing the song "Accidentally in Love" for the movie Shrek 2 from BMI. Duritz's lyrics have been described as "morose" and "tortured" and as "wordy introspection" and his vocals "expressive." He also suffers from depersonalization disorder, which he describes as "a dissociative disorder, which makes the world seem like it's not real," which contributes to the length of time between albums and the inspiration for many of his lyrics. Adam Duritz was born in Baltimore, Maryland to a Jewish family. Duritz moved to Boston, then El Paso, Texas, and finally to Berkeley, California.
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Eduardo Gory Llanes Guerrero, better known by his ring name Eddie Guerrero, was a Mexican American professional wrestler. Born into a legendary... Mexican wrestling family, Eddie Guerrero managed to maintain the storied legacy of his family. Through the 1990s, he had a distinguished career, working for every major professional wrestling promotion in the United States. Guerrero's in-ring character was that of a crafty, resourceful wrestler who would do anything to win a match. His famous mantra became "Lie. Cheat. Steal". Despite being a heel for much of his career, he became popular in and outside the ring. Throughout his career, Guerrero encountered various substance abuse problems outside of wrestling, including alcoholism and an addiction to pain killers. His problems outside of the ring were sometimes integrated into his storylines.
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Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and... member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling. He is a one-time world champion, having held the ECW Championship in 2008, a six-time Cruiserweight Champion, a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion with Eddie Guerrero and a one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion with Corporal Cajun. He is the grandson of Gory Guerrero; the son of Chavo Guerrero, Sr.; the nephew of Eddie Guerrero, Hector Guerrero, Mando Guerrero, and Enrique Llanes; and the cousin of Javier Llanes and Hector Mejia. His grandfather, Gory Guerrero, was one of the most famous wrestlers in Mexican history. His father, Chavo Guerrero, Sr., was also a legendary wrestler in Mexico and worked in WWE as a part-time wrestler and full-time manager. One of his uncles, Eddie Guerrero, was one of WWE's biggest stars. Eddie performed for the SmackDown! brand, as did Chavo Sr. . Chavo Jr.
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William Lee Shoemaker was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record of number of professional jockey victories. Referred to as... "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Shoemaker was born in the town of Fabens, Texas. At 2.5 pounds , Shoemaker was so small at birth that he was not expected to survive the night. Put in a shoebox in the oven to stay warm, he survived, but remained small, growing to 4 feet 11 inches and weighing only 95 pounds . His diminutive size proved an asset as he went on to become a giant in thoroughbred horse racing, despite being a high school dropout at El Monte High School. His career as a jockey began in his teenage years, with his first professional ride on March 19, 1949. The first of his eventual 8,833 career victories came a month later, on April 20, aboard a racer named Shafter V, at the Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California. In 1951, he won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. At the age of 19, he was making so much money that Los Angeles Superior Court appointed attorney Horace Hahn as his guardian, with the consent of his parents.
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Barbara Jean Lee is the U.S. Representative for California's 9th congressional district, serving since 1998. She is a member of the Democratic... Party. She is the first woman to represent that district. Lee was the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Lee is notable as the only member of either house of Congress to vote against the authorization of use of force following the September 11, 2001 attacks. This made her a hero among many in the anti-war movement. Lee has been a vocal critic of the war in Iraq and supports legislation creating a Department of Peace. Congresswoman Lee was born in El Paso, Texas. She moved from Texas to California in 1960 with her military family parents, and attended San Fernando High School in San Fernando, California. She was a young single mother of two receiving public assistance when she began attending college. Lee was educated at Mills College and received an M.S.W. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1975.
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Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political... activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and distinctive voice. He wrote hundreds of songs in the 1960s and released eight albums in his lifetime. Ochs performed at many political events, including anti-Vietnam War and civil rights rallies, student events, and organized labor events over the course of his career, in addition to many concert appearances at such venues as New York City's Town Hall and Carnegie Hall. Politically, Ochs described himself as a "left social democrat" who became an "early revolutionary" after the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago led to a police riot, which had a profound effect on his state of mind. After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs's mental stability declined in the 1970s. He eventually succumbed to a number of problems including bipolar disorder and alcoholism, and took his own life in 1976.
more

Eduardo Gory Llanes Guerrero, better known by his ring name Eddie Guerrero, was a Mexican American professional wrestler. Born into a legendary... Mexican wrestling family, Eddie Guerrero managed to maintain the storied legacy of his family. Through the 1990s, he had a distinguished career, working for every major professional wrestling promotion in the United States. Guerrero's in-ring character was that of a crafty, resourceful wrestler who would do anything to win a match. His famous mantra became "Lie. Cheat. Steal". Despite being a heel for much of his career, he became popular in and outside the ring. Throughout his career, Guerrero encountered various substance abuse problems outside of wrestling, including alcoholism and an addiction to pain killers. His problems outside of the ring were sometimes integrated into his storylines.
more

Salvador "Chavo" Guerrero IV also known as Chavo Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero, Jr., is a third generation Mexican-American professional wrestler and... member of the famed Guerrero wrestling family who was well known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment and World Championship Wrestling. He is a one-time world champion, having held the ECW Championship in 2008, a six-time Cruiserweight Champion, a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion with Eddie Guerrero and a one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion with Corporal Cajun. He is the grandson of Gory Guerrero; the son of Chavo Guerrero, Sr.; the nephew of Eddie Guerrero, Hector Guerrero, Mando Guerrero, and Enrique Llanes; and the cousin of Javier Llanes and Hector Mejia. His grandfather, Gory Guerrero, was one of the most famous wrestlers in Mexican history. His father, Chavo Guerrero, Sr., was also a legendary wrestler in Mexico and worked in WWE as a part-time wrestler and full-time manager. One of his uncles, Eddie Guerrero, was one of WWE's biggest stars. Eddie performed for the SmackDown! brand, as did Chavo Sr. . Chavo Jr.
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Barbara Jean Lee is the U.S. Representative for California's 9th congressional district, serving since 1998. She is a member of the Democratic... Party. She is the first woman to represent that district. Lee was the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Lee is notable as the only member of either house of Congress to vote against the authorization of use of force following the September 11, 2001 attacks. This made her a hero among many in the anti-war movement. Lee has been a vocal critic of the war in Iraq and supports legislation creating a Department of Peace. Congresswoman Lee was born in El Paso, Texas. She moved from Texas to California in 1960 with her military family parents, and attended San Fernando High School in San Fernando, California. She was a young single mother of two receiving public assistance when she began attending college. Lee was educated at Mills College and received an M.S.W. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1975.
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Donald Virgil "Don" Bluth is an American animator, video game designer and independent studio owner. He is best known for his departure from The... Walt Disney Company in 1979 and his subsequent directing of animated films such as The Secret of NIMH , An American Tail , The Land Before Time , All Dogs Go to Heaven , and Anastasia , as well as his involvement in the laserdisc game Dragon's Lair. He is also often credited for providing competition to Disney during the years leading up to the films that would make up the Disney Renaissance. Bluth was born in El Paso, Texas, the son of Emaline and Virgil Ronceal Bluth. His great-grandfather was Latter Day Saint leader Helaman Pratt, and politician Mitt Romney is his second cousin. At the age of six his family moved to Payson, Utah where he lived on a family farm. In 1954 at the age of 17 his family moved to Santa Monica, California, where he attended his final year of high school. Bluth attended Brigham Young University in Utah for one year and after got a job at The Walt Disney Company. He started in 1955 as an assistant to John Lounsbery for Sleeping Beauty.
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Alan Wray Tudyk is an American actor known for his roles as Hoban "Wash" Washburne in the science fiction/western television series Firefly and... movie Serenity, Simon in the British comedy Death at a Funeral, as Steve the Pirate in DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, as Sonny in the science fiction drama I, Robot, as Doc Potter in 3:10 to Yuma, as Tucker in Tucker & Dale vs Evil and as Alpha in Dollhouse. He currently co-stars on the ABC sitcom Suburgatory. Tudyk was born in El Paso, Texas, the son of Betty Loyce and Timothy Nicholas Tudyk. He is of Polish and English descent and was raised in the Dallas suburb of Plano, Texas, where he attended Plano Senior High School. Tudyk studied drama at the Methodist-affiliated Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, Texas where he won the Academic Excellence award for drama. While in college, he played Beaver Smith in an eastern New Mexico summer stock theater production of Billy the Kid. Tudyk entered Juilliard but left in 1996 before earning a degree. In 2000, Tudyk played Gerhardt, a homosexual German drug addict, alongside Sandra Bullock and Viggo Mortensen in 28 Days.
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