One of the academic stars at JHS 145 back in the 50's was Nikki Yerby who was the daughter of Frank Yerby. I am not sure if his work is read very much anymore but he wrote about the antebellum days of plantations and slavery but without any of the racial stereotyping of other authors. He was the first African-American author to be generally popular as far as I know. His Wikipedia entry says he left America in 1955 to live for the rest of his life in Spain. Presumably that's when his daughter left the school and the country. The film "the Foxes of Harrow" was I think the only one his novels made into a movie.
The Oscar winning composer Red Evans whose list of hits is endless(Silver Bells,Mona Lisa,Too Young, Que Sera Sera,etc,etc.) lived on on 73rd Street and his son Tommy was someone I knew. They were certainly around for a good part of the 50s however I am not sure how long they stayed beyond 1956
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The fighter Tony Canzoneri lived in JH and I remember seeing him walking to the subway. He was a very well known fighter in the thirties and also beat Marlon Brando up in the finale of On the Waterfront.
The rest of my recollections might be flawed and certainly you would have to be on Medicare to remember some of these names. Dorothy Collins and Raymond Scott of Your Hit parade I think lived in JH
Dr Harry Cagney.Jimmy's brother,had a practise in JH and I think lived here as well (not sure of that).
This might be something I dreamed up but I recollect that Whitey Ford lived on 71st Street and 35th for a brief time. I think Mel Allen lived in JH as well briefly but that might be apocryphal.
The principal of PS 69 when I went there was Mr. Jaffe whose daughter was Rona Jaffe who wrote romantic novels in the 50s one of which was made into a film(The Best of Everything)
Helen Kane who someone else mentioned lived in the Berkeley on 35th Avenue. She had retired many years ago but was remembered as the inspiration for Betty Boop she being the original Boop a doop girl. She even appeared in a film with Cary Grant. I remember seeing her occasionally with her husband . She died in JH where she had lived for many years.
I am not sure if all of these names qualify as famous but they added something to the interesting history this community has had
