1908 births

Samuel Preston Bayard (April 10, 1908, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – January 10, 1997, in State College, Pennsylvania) was an American folklorist and musicologist. He received a B.A. in English from Pennsylvania State University in 1934 and later earned an M.A. from Harvard University.
He collected fiddle and fife tunes in southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia from 1928 to 1963. He is known for his interest in the melodies of traditional music at a time when often only the texts were collected. He introduced the concept of "melodic families", which are groups of tunes that appears to be structurally related. He traced the origins of many traditional American fiddle tunes back to the British Isles.
In addition to his work on fiddle tunes, he was the expert on the use of the fife in traditional American music. He is fondly remembered by former students for his large collection of snuffboxes, which he used regularly.
He established the folklore program at Pennsylvania State University, and taught there from 1945 to 1973
He was a fellow of the American Folklore Society, and its president from 1965 to 1966.
He died on January 10, 1997, in State College, Pennsylvania. An award in his name has been established at Penn State for graduate students in comparative literature.

Edward Estis Holloway (June 12, 1908 – April 8, 1993) was a Philadelphia cardiologist who also served as the last elected city coroner.
Holloway was born in 1908 in Philadelphia, the son of Daniel Holloway and Margaret Estis Holloway. Daniel Holloway was a doctor, one of just a few African Americans practicing medicine at the time. As a boy, Holloway often accompanied his father as he made housecalls on horseback in Southwest Philadelphia. After graduating from Central High School and Howard University, the son followed his father into the medical profession. He interned at Freedman's Hospital in Washington, D.C., before returning to his hometown in 1937 and starting his own practice in North Philadelphia.He married Mildred Brazington in 1938, but they divorced in the early 1940s. In 1944, he married again, to Ruth Smart, a social worker. Holloway quickly became recognized as one of the top men in his field; despite a lack of formal post-graduate training, he was certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1946. In 1950, he became the second black doctor ever elected to the American College of Physicians. In 1955, he was the first ever elected to the American Board of Cardiovascular Diseases.In 1953, Holloway married again, to Carmen Chisholm, with whom he later had two daughters, Michelle and Cheryl. That same year, he ran in the local election for Philadelphia city coroner as a Republican and won. He never took office, however, as the Democratic-majority City Council abolished several county offices, including coroner, and converted the jobs to civil service positions. Holloway and city treasurer Francis D. Pastorius filed suit to retain their offices, but were unsuccessful.Meanwhile, Holloway's medical career progressed as he rose from an instructor at Women's Medical College to a clinical associate professor of medicine. He also gained a reputation as an engaging speaker at medical conferences. He served as the final chief of staff at Frederick Douglass Memorial Hospital and the only chief of staff at its successor, Mercy-Douglass Hospital.Holloway and his wife divorced in 1977. He married for the last time soon thereafter to Agatha Lawson. He continued to practice medicine until 1991, when he retired. Two years later, Holloway died at the age of 84 at Philadelphia's Graduate Hospital and was buried at Mount Lawn Cemetery in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania.

Henry John Heinz II (July 10, 1908 – February 23, 1987) was an American business executive and CEO of the H. J. Heinz Company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. His grandfather Henry J. Heinz founded the company in the nineteenth century, and he worked in a variety of positions within the company before becoming CEO.
Heinz II was the father of John Heinz, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, who died in a 1991 plane crash.

Alexander H. Leighton (July 17, 1908 – August 11, 2007) was a sociologist and psychiatrist of dual citizenship (United States, by birth, and Canada, from 1975). He is best known for his work on the Stirling County (Canada) Study and his contributions to the field of psychiatric epidemiology. Leighton died at the age of 99 at his home in Digby, Nova Scotia.

Wilton Wendell Blancké (June 29, 1908 – 1971) was an American diplomat and author. He was the United States Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo (1960–1963), Central African Republic (1961), Chad (1961), and Gabon (1961) upon their independence, whilst resident at Brazzaville.

Cyrus Herzl Gordon (June 29, 1908 – March 30, 2001) was an American scholar of Near Eastern cultures and ancient languages.

Howard Payne House, M.D. (1908 – August 1, 2003) was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. House founded the House Ear Institute in 1946 in Los Angeles, CA, and is often considered to be the father of modern otology. The House Ear Institute developed the cochlear implant and the auditory brain stem implant.
House perfected many critical otologic surgical procedures, such as the fenestration operation in the 1940s and the stapedectomy surgery in the subsequent three decades. He performed more than 30,000 of these procedures restoring hearing to those affected by otosclerosis.
House treated Ronald Reagan, James Stewart, Bob Hope, and many other notable figures. His wife's name is Helen and they have three children: Kenneth House, who is a noted psychoanalyst; Caroline House, who is an Olympic swimmer; and John House, who is the current president of the House Ear Institute.
In 1972, he received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.In 1975, House was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree from Whittier College.

Joseph Anthony Savoldi Jr., (born Giuseppe Antonio Savoldi; March 5, 1908 – January 25, 1974) more commonly known by his nickname "Jumping Joe" Savoldi, was an Italian-American professional wrestler, football player, and Special Ops agent for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II.

Frank Edward Fitzsimmons (April 7, 1908 – May 6, 1981) was an American labor leader. He was acting president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1967 to 1971, and president from 1971 to 1981.

Susanne E. Laird (July 18, 1908 – November 7, 1933), also known by her married name Susan Scavey, was an American competition swimmer who represented the United States at the 1928 Summer Olympics.
Laird was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, and was one of four girls, including Josephine McKim and Lenore Kight, who trained at the Carnegie Library Athletic Club under coach Jack Scarry, her uncle, to represent the United States as members of the Olympic swim team. She began swimming at age 14 on the advice of a physician after developing St. Vitus Dance. The doctor believed swimming as a daily exercise would help to cure her nervous condition.
Laird won her first championship in 1924 at Lake Elizabeth in Pittsburgh, completing the 50-yard freestyle in 32 seconds. She placed second in the 100 meters and third in the 300-yard medley at the 1926 Sesquicentennial in Philadelphia. That year, she went on to win the national 100-yard junior championship. In 1928 she qualified for the American Olympic Team, and traveled aboard the S.S. President Roosevelt to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, for the 1928 Summer Olympics. Laird finished fifth in the women's 100-meter freestyle. She also helped the American relay team to qualify for the final of the women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay as they set a new world record in the semifinals. Laird did not receive a gold medal, even though the American team finished first in the event final, because she did not swim in the final.
After graduating from Temple University in 1930, Laird was appointed girls' coach and physical education instructor at Homestead High School, a position she held until her death from a rare blood disorder and subsequent pneumonia at age 25.