Tech4 Carmen Contreras-Bozak, (December 31, 1919 – January 30, 2017) was the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps (WAC) where she served as an interpreter and in numerous administrative positions.
First Lieutenant César Luis González (June 10, 1919 – November 22, 1943) was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Gonzalez was the first Puerto Rican pilot in the United States Army Air Forces, one of the first to participate in the July 1943 invasion of Sicily, and the first Puerto Rican pilot to die in World War II. His name is listed on the "Roll of Honor" of the 314th Troop Carrier Group World War II and his hometown Adjuntas and the capital of Puerto Rico, San Juan, have honored his memory by naming a street after him.
Clemente Ruiz Nazario (November 23, 1896 in San Germán, Puerto Rico – December 25, 1969), was the first Puerto Rican appointed as District Judge to the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.
Carlos Manuel Cecilio Rodríguez Santiago, also known as "Blessed Charlie" (November 22, 1918 – July 13, 1963), was a Catholic catechist and liturgist who was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 29, 2001. He is the first Puerto Rican and the first Caribbean-born layperson in history to be beatified.
Hiram Gabriel Bithorn Sosa (March 18, 1916 – December 29, 1951) was a professional right-handed pitcher who became the first baseball player from Puerto Rico to play in Major League Baseball.Standing 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and weighing about 200 pounds (90 kg), Bithorn was a hard-throwing pitcher who commanded attention when he began his delivery with a distinctive windup, raising his long left leg high in the air and throwing a blazing fastball toward home plate.
Dr. Juan Arturo Rivero Quintero (March 5, 1923 in Santurce, Puerto Rico – March 3, 2014) was a Puerto Rican biologist who founded the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo at the University of Puerto Rico's Mayagüez Campus.
Johnny Albino (December 9, 1919 – May 7, 2011) was a Puerto Rican bolero singer, born in Yauco, Puerto Rico but lived most of his life in Guayama, Puerto Rico.
He played and sang through his youth years. It was not until years later, however, that he would get a chance to sing as part of an organized act. Albino joined the United States Army during World War II, where he formed a quartet and was allowed to sing for his fellow soldiers.
In 1946, Albino performed in a trio for the first time. Later on, he would become a member and lead voice of the Trio San Juan, which went on to become an internationally acclaimed group.
Trio San Juan was rivaled at the time by the Trio Los Panchos for popularity. Albino later on left Trio San Juan and joined Los Panchos, as the leading voice, replacing another legendary trio singer, Julito Rodríguez.
Albino joined Los Panchos in 1958 and he remained there until 1968. The group became famous across the world, and Albino toured the United States, Europe and Japan. With Los Panchos, he recorded Japanese albums, and he also performed alongside well known performers such as Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. Steve Lawrence and others.
Albino left Los Panchos and went on to form, or become a member of many famous Puerto Rican trios. Notably, Miguel Poventud whose participation in the album Los Panchos by Special Request are a compilation of love songs recorded in English for CBS. Also, Grandes Exitos de Johnny Albino con Los Panchos DHIT 2093.2 21 June 2005 is his main performance with Miguel Poventud on "requinto" (guitar) and voice accompaniment.
His career spanned over 300 albums and CDs. At 93, he died on May 7, 2011, in Long Island, New York.
Gildo Massó González (December 8, 1926 – January 15, 2007) was the founder and CEO of Masso Enterprises and the developer of the concept of "build it yourself" low-cost houses.
Víctor Manuel Blanco (March 10, 1918 – March 8, 2011) was a Puerto Rican astronomer who in 1959 discovered Blanco 1, a galactic cluster. Blanco was the second Director of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, which had the largest telescope in the Southern Hemisphere at the time. In 1995, the 4-meter telescope was dedicated in his honor and named the Víctor M. Blanco Telescope; it is also known as the "Blanco 4m."
Pedro Juan Soto (July 11, 1928 - November 7, 2002) was a Puerto Rican writer, activist, and playwriter who is known for inspiring Puerto Rican Independence in his novels and short stories. In his stories, he depicts the life of people living in Puerto Rico under United States occupation during the 1930's to the Puerto Rican diaspora to the United States in the 1950's.