1916 births

Ann Cottrell Free (June 4, 1916 – October 30, 2004) was an American journalist who wrote extensively on animal protection issues.

Edward Anthony Rucinski (July 12, 1916 – April 22, 1995) was a professional American football player who played end for six seasons for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cardinals and "Card-Pitt" of the National Football League. Rucinski was named to the 1939 College Football All Polish-American Team. He played college football at Indiana University where he was a member of Sigma Pi fraternity. He died in Florida on April 22, 1995. He was drafted in the six round of the 1941 NFL Draft by the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Alex M. Clark (March 22, 1916 – February 14, 1991) was an American politician. He became the youngest mayor of Indianapolis in 1951. He served one term and later ran again in 1967, losing in the primary to eventual winner Richard Lugar. He was a World War II veteran, and a former POW. In 1956 he and a number of friends formed the Wyoming Antelope Hunters Club in Indianapolis, which is still an active social club today. Prior to being mayor, Clark was a deputy prosecutor and judge in Marion County, Indiana.
Clark died in Argentina in 1991 of a head injury while on a cruise, returning from Antarctica in pursuit of his goal to visit every continent.

Cliff Griffith (February 6, 1916 in Nineveh, Indiana – January 23, 1996 in Rochester, Indiana) was an American racecar driver.
Griffith served in the United States Army during the Second World War.
Griffith drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1950–1952, 1956 and 1961 seasons with 19 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 races in each of those years except 1950. He finished in the top ten 8 times, with his best finish in 4th position, in 1950 at Springfield. His best Indy finish was 9th in 1952.
Prior to joining USAC, Griffith won a pair of championships on the Midwest Dirt Track Racing Association circuit behind the wheel of Hector Honore's legendary sprint car known as the "Black Deuce".

John Frederick "Jake" Townsend Sr. (September 20, 1916 – December 4, 2001) was an American basketball forward and center. He was an All-Big Ten player for the University of Michigan from 1935 to 1938. In 1938, he was named an All-American. He later played professional basketball for the Indianapolis Kautskys, Oshkosh All-Stars and Rochester Royals.

Mary Jane Croft (February 15, 1916 – August 24, 1999) was an American actress best known for roles as Betty Ramsey on I Love Lucy, Miss Daisy Enright on the radio and television versions of Our Miss Brooks, Mary Jane Lewis on The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy, and Clara Randolph on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

Irvin Sylvan "Kip" Kipper, (November 13, 1916 – April 21, 2016) was a US Army Air Forces bomber pilot, prisoner of war, and the founder and namesake of Kip's Toyland, the oldest toy store in Los Angeles, located in the Farmer's Market since 1945.

Horace Seaver "Stump" Carswell Jr. (July 18, 1916 – October 26, 1944) was a United States Army major who was killed in action while serving as a member of the Army Air Forces during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.He is the namesake of Carswell Air Force Base near Fort Worth, Texas, since 1948.

Louis Morris Crump (May 21, 1916 – April 6, 2019) was an American politician in the state of Texas. Crump was born in Santa Anna, Texas. He was a lawyer, residing in San Saba, Texas. He served in the Texas State Senate from 1959 to 1967 as a Democrat from the 16th district. From 1963 to 1967, he served as president pro tempore of the state senate. He turned 100 in May 2016 and died at the age of 102 in 2019.

John Andrew Young (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2002) was a Democratic politician from Texas who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1957 to 1979.
Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Young attended Incarnate Word Academy and Corpus Christi College-Academy. He earned his B.A. at St. Edward's University in 1937 and his L.L.B from the University of Texas School of Law in 1940. After starting his career as a lawyer, he served in the United States Navy from 1941 to 1945.
Young served as a lawyer for Nueces County, Texas in various positions, as assistant county attorney in 1946, assistant district attorney from 1947 to 1950, county attorney from 1951 to 1952 and county judge from 1953 to 1956. He ran successfully as a Democrat for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956, defeating incumbent John J. Bell in the primary election and winning the general election. He took seat in 1957 and was reelected ten times. Young voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964, but voted in favor the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.Young came under fire in 1976 when a former female member of his staff, Colleen Gardner, accused him of requiring her to have sex with him in order to keep her job. Young, who was married with five children at the time, denied the accusation and an investigation produced no evidence. His wife, Jane, committed suicide on July 13, 1977, by a gunshot to the head.The scandal caused his defeat to Joseph P. Wyatt, Jr. in the primary election in 1978 and he left office in 1979.
Afterwards, he worked as a consultant until his death on January 22, 2002. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.