1920s birth stubs

Richard_J._Grosh

Richard Joseph Grosh (born October 29, 1927) was the thirteenth president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
He was born on October 29, 1927, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He attended Purdue University, where he received B.S., M.S. and P.h.D. degrees in mechanical engineering (in 1950, 1952 and 1953 respectively). In 1953, he was appointed assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue. In 1953, he was appointed professor of mechanical engineering and in 1961, he was appointed head of the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue. In 1965, he was named associate dean of the Schools of Engineering. In 1967, he was appointed dean of the Schools of Engineering. In 1971, he was appointed president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1976, he left Rensselaer to become CEO of Ranco Inc. of Columbus, Ohio and remained in that post until the company was acquired by Invensys in 1987.In 1969, he was elected as a member into the National Academy of Engineering for significant contributions to heat transfer research. In 1991, he received the Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Award from the Purdue University School of Mechanical Engineering. He served on the board of the Maine Maritime Academy from 1997 until 2012.

Knox_Ramsey

Knox Wagner "Bulldog" Ramsey (February 13, 1926 – March 19, 2005) was an American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Cardinals, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Washington Redskins. Ramsey also played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Los Angeles Dons. When the All-America Football Conference dissolved in 1950, the NFL an AAFC dispersal draft to assign players from the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Hornets and Los Angeles Dons. Ramsey was drafted (1st Round) by the San Francisco 49ers as the 10th overall pick and traded to the Chicago Cardinals.
Knox Ramsey played college football at the College of William & Mary where he was selected for three consecutive years to Virginia's all-state teams and the Southern Conference teams. He also was named to the all-time state of Virginia team and the all-time William & Mary football team. Ramsey received second-team All-American honors in 1947 when he was selected by the Associated Press. He played in the 1948 College All-Star Game against the NFL Champions Chicago Cardinals where he faced his brother Buster Ramsey. Ramsey was drafted in the fifth round of the 1948 NFL Draft (32nd pick overall) by the Chicago Bears and in the ninth round (37th pick overall) of the 1948 AAFC Draft by the Los Angeles Dons. Following his professional football career Ramsey was inducted into the William & Mary Hall of Fame and the Blount County (TN) Sports Hall of Fame.

Doyle_Cofer

Doyle Cofer (January 18, 1923 – January 15, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball League for the Detroit Vagabond Kings during the 1948–49 season and averaged 3.4 points per game.He spent one season as a member of the Indiana State Sycamores. In his lone season, the Sycamores reached the finals of the 1946 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament, they were led by Glenn Curtis.
A civil engineer after basketball, Cofer was killed at age 75 in an accident when he was trying to load a bulldozer onto a flatbed. The bulldozer toppled over and crushed him.

Bob_Donham

Robert E. Donham (October 11, 1926 – September 21, 1983) was an American professional basketball player. Donham was selected in the third round of the 1950 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics after a collegiate career at Ohio State. In four NBA seasons, all with the Celtics, Donham recorded 1,818 points, 1,071 rebounds and 706 assists.

Milt_Schoon

Milton W. Schoon (February 25, 1922 – January 18, 2015) was an American professional basketball player.
A 6-foot-7, 230-pound center, Schoon began his college career at Tri-State College (now Trine University) during the 1941–42 season before going on to play at Valparaiso University during the 1940s, gaining fame for his ability to defend top-ranked player George Mikan of DePaul University. Schoon then played professionally in the BAA, NBL, NBA, and NPBL as a member of the Anderson Packers, Detroit Falcons, Flint Dow Chemicals, Sheboygan Redskins and Denver Refiners.
Schoon was the last full-time player surviving from the Sheboygan Red Skins' 1949-50 NBA team. He platooned with Noble Jorgensen at center and played in all 62 games for the Red Skins that season, averaging eight points and shooting a team-best 41 percent from the field. Sheboygan's greatest conquests that season were victories over the New York Knicks, Rochester Royals, Syracuse Nationals and Minneapolis Lakers at the Sheboygan Auditorium and Armory. The Red Skins advanced to the NBA playoffs where they nearly eliminated the Western Division champion Indianapolis Olympians in a best-of-three series.
With the NPBL's Denver Frontier-Refiners in 1951, Schoon scored 363 points in 31 games, an 11.7 point average. He set a professional basketball scoring record with 64 points in a 99–72 victory over the Kansas City Hi-Spots on Jan. 21, 1951, at the Denver Auditorium. That record is currently held by Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points in a 1962 NBA game.
The Frontier-Refiners compiled an 18–16 record, but the team moved to Evansville late in the season and Schoon's professional career ended.
Schoon was elected to the Valparaiso Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.
Schoon died on January 18, 2015, in his home in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Russell_W._Kruse

Russell Wayne Kruse (December 9, 1922 – May 4, 2007) was an American auctioneer best known for building the business of auctioning classic cars through Kruse International.Born in Auburn, Indiana, he took up farming after graduating from high school. After losing crops to flooding two years in a row, he took up auctioneering to cover the costs of raising his seven children. He attended the Reppert School of Auctioneering in December 1952 and started a local real estate and farm auction business. He was a licensed auctioneer, real estate broker and certified residential appraiser in the state of Indiana.In 1971, the Auburn Chamber of Commerce needed fundraising for their annual classic-car show. Kruse suggested auctioning off some of the antique cars. When a bidder's $61,000 bid for a locally-made Duesenberg was turned down, the press picked up the story, and his fame as a car auctioneer took off. He started the Kruse Auction Institute in 1972 to give pre-licensing training to auctioneers. Russell was on the original Indiana Board of Auctioneers and served as chairman. He was also a past president of the Indiana Auctioneer's Association, and a member of their hall of fame, along with two of his son's - Dean Kruse and Dennis Kruse.
Because of the lucrative divisions that auctioned real estate and oil field equipment, ITT bought Kruse International in 1981, but the family bought it back in 1987. eBay then bought the company in 1999 but sold it back in 2003. Three of his sons are involved in the auction business: Dean Kruse, Dennis Kruse and Daniel Kruse, as well as eight grandchildren. He founded the Kruse Auction Institute in 1972, and served as an instructor at the Reppert School of Auctioneering from 1996 until his death in 2007.
His first wife, Luella (Boger), the mother of his seven children, died in 2000. Kruse died in Fort Wayne, Indiana of a stroke, aged 84.

Leo_Barnhorst

Leo A. "Barney" Barnhorst (May 11, 1924 – August 25, 2000) was an American basketball player.
A 6'4" forward/guard from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Barnhorst played four seasons at University of Notre Dame, where he was an honorable mention All-American. He then played professionally in the NBA for the Chicago Stags, Indianapolis Olympians, Baltimore Bullets and Fort Wayne Pistons. Barnhorst appeared in two NBA All-Star Games (1952, 1953) and scored 3,232 career points.Barnhorst was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.

Pete_Mount

Paul Winford "Pete" Mount (March 10, 1925 – February 3, 1990) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball League for the Sheboygan Red Skins during the 1946–47 season and averaged 1.5 points per game. Pete was the father of American Basketball Association player Rick Mount. In his post-basketball career, he worked at the Detroit Diesel Allison Plant in Indianapolis, Indiana.