Lynchburg

The tallest object on the downtown skyline of Lynchburg, Virginia, Court Street Baptist Church stands as a testament to the black Baptist population... of Lynchburg. Organized in 1843, the congregation—originally known as the African Baptist Church of Lynchburg—was the first of its kind in the city. The church was designed by R.C. Burkholder, and completed in 1880. It is the largest church structure in Lynchburg.
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Dr. Robert Walter Johnson House and Tennis Court is a historic building located in Lynchburg, Virginia, that was built in 1911 and added to the... National Register of Historic Places in 2002. Dr. Robert Walter Johnson was a Lynchburg physician, the first minority doctor in the entire city to be granted practice rights at the Lynchburg General Hospital. In addition to his work, Dr. Johnson was a successful trainer for promising African-American tennis players. His American Foursquare style home, built in 1911, includes an adjacent tennis court on the lot next door. A successful college athlete, Johnson used his athletic skill and personal funds to found the Junior Development Program of the American Tennis Association during the 1950s. Stressing sportsmanship and discipline, Johnson trained stars such as Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, the first African-Americans to ever win at Wimbledon. The house was also offered as lodging to distinguished African-Americans passing through the city, as blacks were usually denied occupancy from hotels. Guests included the famed Duke Ellington, Jackie Robinson, Lionel Hampton, and Roy Campanella.
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Carter Glass House was a home of Virginia congressman and senator Carter Glass who was influential in establishing the fiscal policy of the United... States. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
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The Kentucky Hotel is a historic building located at Lynchburg, Virginia. It is one of Lynchburg's three remaining early 19th century ordinaries. It... was probably built before 1800, and is a 2 ⁄2-story structure of brick laid in Flemish bond. In about 1814, two side bays were completed, converting the house to a center hall plan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
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Lucius Shepard is an American writer. Classified as a science fiction and fantasy writer, he often leans into other genres, such as magical realism.... His work is infused with a political and historical sensibility and an awareness of literary antecedents. Shepard's first short stories appeared in 1983, and his first novel, Green Eyes, appeared in 1984. At the time, he was considered part of the cyberpunk movement. Shepard came to writing late, having first enjoyed a varied career, including a stint playing rock and roll in the Midwest and extensive travel throughout Europe and Asia. Algis Budrys, reviewing Green Eyes, praised Shepard's "ease of narrative style that comes only from a profound love and respect for the language and the literatures that have graced it." Lucius Shepard has won several awards for his science fiction: in 1985 he won John W. Campbell Award for best new writer, followed in 1986 with a best novella Nebula Award for his story "R&R", which later became part of his 1987 novel Life During Wartime. His novella "Barnacle Bill the Spacer" won a Hugo in 1993. His poem "White Trains" won the Rhysling Award in 1988.
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Bryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying... Billy Loomis in Scream. He also established a cult following for starring in the cult ABC drama Miracles. Recently, he starred in the police and courtroom drama Law & Order: LA for fourteen episodes before being let go due to a creative overhaul. Ulrich was born Bryan Ray Trout in Lynchburg, Virginia and was raised in Concord, North Carolina by his mother, Carolyn Elaine Wax , who owns the special-events marketing agency Sports Management Group. Ulrich's father is a restaurateur and his first stepfather was former NASCAR driver and team owner D. K. Ulrich. His mother has since re-married to Edward Lewis Wax. Ulrich's uncle is retired NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Ricky Rudd and his maternal grandfather was Alvin Ray Rudd, Sr., the president of Al Rudd Auto Parts. The nickname "Skeet" originated from the nickname "Skeeter" he was given by his Little League coach because of his small stature.
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Luke Jordan was an American blues guitarist and vocalist of some renown in his local area of Lynchburg, Virginia. Born in Appomattox County,... Virginia, United States, his professional career started at age 35, when he was noticed by Victor Records, and went to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1927 to record several records. These records sold moderately well, and Victor decided to take Jordan to New York in 1929, for two more sessions. He recorded very few known tracks in his career, but a few remain intact. He died in Lynchburg in June 1952. His song, "Church Bells Blues" was later recorded by Ralph Willis.
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James Melville "Mel" White is an American clergyman and author. White was a behind-the-scenes member of the Evangelical Protestant movement through... the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, writing speeches and ghostwriting books for televangelists such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Billy Graham. After years of writing for the Christian right, he came out as gay in 1994. In 1962, White graduated from Warner Pacific College. That same year, he married his wife Lyla. They had two children, one of whom is the actor/comedian and screenwriter Mike White. After receiving his B.A. from Warner Pacific College, then graduating with an M.A. in communications from the University of Portland, White followed with graduate work in communications and film at University of Southern California, UCLA, and Harvard. He received his Doctorate of Ministry from, and was a professor of communications and preaching for over a decade at, Fuller Theological Seminary. During this time he also worked as an evangelical pastor. After their marriage, White admitted to his wife that he had always been attracted to men.
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Constance "Connie" Britton is an American actress. She is best known for the roles of Nikki Faber on the ABC sitcom Spin City , Tami Taylor on the... NBC/ DirecTV critical success sports drama Friday Night Lights ,for which she was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and as Vivien Harmon in the FX drama series American Horror Story . Her most notable films are Friday Night Lights and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Britton was born Constance Womack in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Linda and Allen Womack, who was a physicist. When she was seven years old, she moved with her parents and twin sister Cynthia to Lynchburg, Virginia where she attended E.C. Glass High School. She majored in Asian studies at Dartmouth College. After graduating in 1989, she moved to New York City, where she spent two years at the Neighborhood Playhouse studying with Sanford Meisner. Britton uses her married name as her stage name, though she is now divorced from her husband John Britton. In November 2011, she adopted a son, Eyob "Yoby" Britton, from Ethiopia.
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For the German anarchist, see Johann Most. John Most is an American poet. John Most, poet, was born Jonathan Eccard in Covington, Virginia, a small... mill town in the Alleghany Mountains, the son of Emmitt and Sandra Eccard. His parents, both native Ohioans, moved to Virginia in 1971, where his father continued his work as a United Methodist minister. Most and his brother, Alex Eccard, who is a CPA at Yount, Hyde, & Barbour, grew up in several towns in Virginia, including Covington, Waynesboro, Leesburg, and Lynchburg. In 1995, Most graduated from E.C. Glass High School and went on to attend the University of Virginia, double majoring in Psychology and Religious Studies. After graduating in 1999, he lived for three years in Richmond, Virginia. While in Richmond, he married his long-time girlfriend, Lynne Wesley in 2000. Most and his wife moved to New York City in 2003. Most had relocated to Manhattan because his wife was pursuing a graduate degree in graphic design from Pratt Institute. While in New York, Most founded the arts organization AQP Collective and started writing poetry, publishing work in places like Lungfull! and Jacket.
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John Edward Peck is an American film and television actor, known professionally as J. Eddie Peck. He lived in Joplin, Missouri during the 1970s and... graduated from Joplin Parkwood High School in 1976. He attended Missouri Southern State University. Early in his career, Peck guest-starred on a number of popular TV series, including Diagnosis: Murder, Highway to Heaven, Cheers, Murder, She Wrote, and Knight Rider. Peck guest-starred in the ABC Family hit series Kyle XY as Adam Baylin in the season finale of season one and certain episodes of season two. Much of Peck's work has been on both daytime and prime time soap operas. He is perhaps best known for his role on The Young and the Restless as Cole Howard, which he played from 1993 to 1999. He is also known for succeeding Michael Lowry in the role of Jake Martin on All My Children, from 2000 to 2003. His other soap credits include Days of our Lives ; Dynasty and Dallas . Peck has also appeared in films such as Dangerously Close, Lambada, and Blind Heat, and he was the Miss USA 1998 pageant. Peck has been married to Sonya Zaza since 1989.
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Lucius Shepard is an American writer. Classified as a science fiction and fantasy writer, he often leans into other genres, such as magical realism.... His work is infused with a political and historical sensibility and an awareness of literary antecedents. Shepard's first short stories appeared in 1983, and his first novel, Green Eyes, appeared in 1984. At the time, he was considered part of the cyberpunk movement. Shepard came to writing late, having first enjoyed a varied career, including a stint playing rock and roll in the Midwest and extensive travel throughout Europe and Asia. Algis Budrys, reviewing Green Eyes, praised Shepard's "ease of narrative style that comes only from a profound love and respect for the language and the literatures that have graced it." Lucius Shepard has won several awards for his science fiction: in 1985 he won John W. Campbell Award for best new writer, followed in 1986 with a best novella Nebula Award for his story "R&R", which later became part of his 1987 novel Life During Wartime. His novella "Barnacle Bill the Spacer" won a Hugo in 1993. His poem "White Trains" won the Rhysling Award in 1988.
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Charles Vess is an American fantasy artist and comic-book illustrator who has specialized in the illustration of myths and fairy tales. His... illustrations are strongly influenced by the work of artists and illustrators such as Arthur Rackham and Alphonse Mucha. Vess has won several awards for his illustrations. Charlies Vess began drawing comic art as a child. He graduated with a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1974. His first professional position was as a commercial animator for Candy Apple Productions in Richmond, Virginia, which he held for approximately two years. In 1976 he moved to New York City and became a freelance illustrator. He contributed illustrations to publications including Heavy Metal, Klutz Press , and National Lampoon. One notable publication from this early period was The Horns of Elfland published by Archival Press in 1977, which Vess wrote and illustrated. From 1980-82 Vess worked as an art instructor at the Parsons School of Design in New York City.
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Bryan Ray Trout , best known as Skeet Ulrich, is an American actor best known for starring in the CBS drama Jericho as Jake Green and for portraying... Billy Loomis in Scream. He also established a cult following for starring in the cult ABC drama Miracles. Recently, he starred in the police and courtroom drama Law & Order: LA for fourteen episodes before being let go due to a creative overhaul. Ulrich was born Bryan Ray Ulrich in Lynchburg, Virginia and was raised in Concord, North Carolina by his mother, Carolyn Elaine Wax , who owns the special-events marketing agency Sports Management Group. Ulrich's father is a restaurateur and his first stepfather was former NASCAR driver and team owner D. K. Ulrich. His mother has since re-married to Edward Lewis Wax. Ulrich's uncle is retired NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Ricky Rudd and his maternal grandfather was Alvin Ray Rudd, Sr., the president of Al Rudd Auto Parts. The nickname "Skeet" originated from the nickname "Skeeter" he was given by his Little League coach because of his small stature.
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Anthony Higgins Clark , is an American actor and comedian who starred in the television series Yes, Dear, in which he played the character Greg... Warner. Clark grew up in Virginia, where his father was a factory worker and his mother owned a general store. Clark was named College Entertainer of the Year while studying at Emerson College. Clark graduated from Emerson in 1986 with a degree in mass communications. After college, Clark broke into stand-up comedy. Before landing a regular starring television role, Clark starred in the short-lived television comedy series Boston Common and Soul Man. He had also had a recurring role on Ellen. Clark was a feature on a 1995 HBO young comedians special hosted by Garry Shandling along with Dave Chappelle, Dave Attell, and Louis C.K. In 1993, he had a supporting role as "Billy" in the film "The Thing Called Love" starring River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis and Dermot Mulroney. In 1996, he appeared in The Rock as Paul, the flamboyant hotel barber. He was also the lead character in the short-lived sitcom, Boston Common. In 2000, Clark landed the role of Greg Warner in the television comedy Yes, Dear.
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Kenneth Earl Clay is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the major leagues from 1977 to 1981 for the New York Yankees, Texas... Rangers, and Seattle Mariners. Clay appeared at the 2007 Old-Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium. Clay batted and threw right-handed. Clay was drafted by the Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft. He won two World Series championships as a relief pitcher with the Yankeeas in 1977 and 1978. His most memorable postseason performance occurred in Game 1 of the 1978 ALCS against the Kansas City Royals. Clay relieved starter Jim Beattie in the sixth inning with one out and the bases loaded. Clay limited the Royals to scoring one run on a sacrifice fly by Hal McRae and then retired Al Cowens on a groundout to get out of the inning. Despite the presence of formidible closers Goose Gossage and Sparky Lyle in the Yankee bullpen, Clay remained in the game and pitched two more shutout innings to earn the save.
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