NOTABLE PARKITES

St. Louis Park has had many people who have gone on to become rich and famous – or at least famous. This is by no means a complete list; contact us for more names.  Here are some of them (in no particular order):

The prime minister of Greece, Andreas Papandreou, lived at 41st and Brunswick in the 1950s.

Guy Bannister, an FBI agent and figure in the JFK assassination lived at 31st and Edgewood,  also in the ‘50s.

The man who played Wyatt Earp on TV, Hugh O’Brien, visited his folks while they lived in the Park for about six years in the 1940s.

Amelita Galli-Curci, an internationally renowned opera singer, was a frequent guest of her brother-in-law, who lived in Oak Hill.

Sports broadcaster Halsey Hall, the man who invented the phrase “Holy Cow!” lived at 32nd and Alabama for 55 years.

Ethan and Joel Coen lived at 14th and Flag. They did not graduate from Park High opting for a college in Massachusetts that accepted students as young as 16.

Al Franken lived on W. 25th Street.  He graduated from Blake School, Class of 1969.

Thomas Friedman, author and reporter for the New York Times, lived on W. 23rd Street. Class of 1971. 

Prince drummer Bobby Z (nee Robert Rivkin, Class of 1974), his brothers David (Class of 1965) and Steven (Class of 1970) grew up at 37th and Glenhurst.

Mark Rosen, WCCO sportscaster, lived on Stanlen Road.  Class of 1970.

Jeff Passolt, Channel 9 newscaster, lived on W. 26th Street.  Class of 1975.

Scott and Brennan Olson, who invented rollerblades, lived at 29th and Jersey.

Greg Howard, cartoonist.
 

Artist Skip Liepke lived at 39th and Alabama, Class of 1972.  His brother, photographer Peter Liepke, graduated in 1975.

Author Alan Weisman, Class of 1965, lived on W. 27th Street.

Michael Blodgett is a writer, actor, who attended Brookside School until the 6th grade,

CNN Anchor Aaron Brown spent his first four years in St. Louis Park, on Vallecher Ave.

The real Charlie Brown lived on 36th Street and then on Princeton. He graduated from DeLaSalle High School in 1944. 

Lynn Dwyer, aka Roundhouse Rodney, lived in a duplex on Excelsior Blvd. when he and his family first moved to the Twin Cities.

Mary Kerfeld, aka Mary Monica Ferris, moved to the Park from Madison, Wisconsin.

Artist Martin Fowler lived on Excelsior Blvd.

Peter Himmelman, grandson of Park legend Min Himmelman, is an accomplished musician, first recording with the band Sussman Lawrence.

Sharon Isbin, head of the Julliard guitar department, lived on Monterey Parkway (Class of 1974).

Singer-songwriter Dan Israel lived at 28th and Salem.

Jerome “Bud” Kraehling came to the Twin Cities in 1946. In 1950 he began his career as a TV weatherman on WCCO (then WTCN). He came to St. Louis Park in 1953. He lives on  W. 34th Street.

Mary Lahammer is a program host and political reporter for Twin Cities Public Television. She served as Miss St. Louis Park in 1992.

Author and political pundit Norm Ornstein lived at 2654 Alabama Ave.

Martha Ostenso, a renowned writer, lived at 4300 Brook Lane.

In 1951, artist Evelyn Raymond created a studio and apartment at W. 38th Street and  Excelsior Blvd.

Anchorman Harry Reasoner lived at 4085 Alabama Ave. from 1953 to 1956.
 

St. Louis Park brothers James, Joe, and Robert Hautman are internationally known wildlife artists. Brother Pete Hautman is an acclaimed author. Sister Amy Hautman is also an artist.
The Hautman Family lived at 1315 Flag Ave. So.

Bob Stein, Class of 1965, was a pro football player and was widely known as the first President/CEO of the NBA Minnesota Timberwolves, serving from 1986-1995.  Growing up in St. Louis Park, Stein lived at 2656 Inglewood Ave., where his family resided for 46 years.

Bruce Stillman is a kinetic sculptor, working in stainless steel. Growing up in St. Louis Park, Stillman lived at 3035 Sumter Ave.

Stan Turner, Class of 1962, is a TV and radio personality.  Growing up in St. Louis Park, Turner lived at 1425 Kentucky Ave.

St. Louis Park Resident Dr. John J. Wild is known as the father of the modern ultrasound.

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.