Hey all,

I'm curious as to who you all think are National Treasures. No, I'm not talking about the Nic Cage movies, but personalities in our culture that, well... are just honestly good people? I'm not talking politicians or people pushing a cause. I'm thinking more along the lines of Bob Ross and Mr. Rogers.

Every time I watch Bob Ross I'm like "This dude is such a hippie lol" but he ALWAYS sees the best in people and in life. Every element in his paintings are personified and he refers to them as "lives here". I look at him and have to wonder what is it he knew that the rest of us don't?

And Mr. Rogers... he taught so many about what it is to be a caring, loving human being. In a world full of scary things he taught us as kids how to overcome those fears.

I dunno why I've been a little nostalgic. Given such a broad age range on the boards I was wondering if any of you Dawgs had any examples of people like Bob Ross and Mr. Rogers who were genuinely good people.

I wouldve said Bill Cosby....buuutttt lmao.

For me personally, I always looked up to AI. People can say what they want about the "practice?!!" Press conference " but off the court, he always made it known he wasn't a thug and he helped a lot of kids in his hometown.

I always liked Mr Rogers but I never looked up to him because he wasn't relatable to me.

Michael Jordan is definitely up there for me. I don't need to go down his list of accomplishments off the court.

I guess this topic is hard because what I deem as national treasures, people might think "who? Why him?"

Bob Hope, all those USO Tours dating back to WWII. I have great memories of watching those with my grandparents back in the 70's.

I think of guys like Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, David Letterman, Robert Redford, Muhammed Ali, Jack Nicholson, Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter.

Not sure how/why I think of some people and not others.

Caitlyn Jenner.

That's what will make this topic fun.

Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, BB King, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jacob Lawrence, Jerry Garcia, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol. Cindy Sherman, Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keefe, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holliday, Etta James, Bob Dylan, Ed Sanders, Lenny Bruce, Alan Ginsberg, Jack Keroack, Hunter S. Thompson, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, Chief Joseph, Crazy Horse.

These folks immediately come to my mind.

Vin Scully.

I’m equating “National Treasure” to a person that I greatly respect for their contributions in the context of their US citizenship.

I know you stipulated “no politicians” but I want to say Joseph Lieberman (former CT Attorney General and US Senator and Al Gore’s VP running-mate in the 2000 presidential election)

OK I got lost…

Joseph Lieberman… He’s retired now, but I believe he truly had the best interests of our country at heart and would have made an excellent US President. He’s certain to go down as the best politician I’ve ever known.

I certainly consider him a “National Treasure”.

Non-politician?

LeBron James would be up there.

Not just because of his basketball prowess but also his incredible character and will.

Very intentionally and forcefully bringing a championship to a downtrodden city like Cleveland qualifies him as a “National Treasure”.

A most amazing positive imposition of will.

He knew what it would take, he knew it would be extremely difficult with many variables and he did it.

Possibly the biggest contribution attributable to a single person in Cleveland history. (after Moses Cleaveland)

My stipulation about no politicians wasn't so much that I don't think of some as national treasures, but rather I wanted to avoid some of the "obvious" I guess.

Lieberman seemed like a pretty decent guy to me. Not really someone I'd likely have voted for, but he never had any problems standing up to his Party when he needed to. It's a rare politician who is willing to call out his own.

You know, I would have put Bill Cosby up there too but... lol Bill Cosby had a way of being relatable to a wide spectrum of people I think.

Probably sad to say considering I live in NC, but I don't know a whole lot about Jordan post bball career. I do know he does a lot of outreach type things, but he also goes about it quietly. I've never been interested in basketball, but to me Jordan is one of those pro's pro type of athletes we got to see in the 90's. They imbued the very idea of a professional (my all time fave Barry Sanders). I think that got lost for a little while across pro-sports.

On SiriusXM they have a channel that plays all the old radio shows from the 40's and 50's... absolutely love it! I really like the USO stuff and it's been really cool to see how entertainment has changed. One of my favorites is "Johnny Dollar". Who ever would have thought being an insurance investigator could be so exciting!

I like this list a lot.

Benjamin Franklin.

I can think of no one individual who brought more to the American people. He brought us electricity, mapped the gulf stream, bifocals, the lightening rod, the Franklin stove, swim fins, the flexible catheter, the odometer, the public library and most importantly this founding father brought us the French without who's help we would not be the United States of America.

Charlie Russell

Are you guys serious?

National Treasure? Try Jessica Alba:

My sidearm is named after Jessica Alba.

i'm serious

I'll cast my vote for one of our own.....Clem. Here's a guy that is ALWAYS the voice of reason. He has a unique skill that enables him to voice his thoughts and opinions on controversial issues without offending anyone or inciting conflict. He does not take pleasure in pushing the buttons of others as so many of us do. If some of our leaders acted like this, we would not be neck deep into this bipartisan quagmire that we find ourselves. We are lucky to have him as a member of this forum.

quote above by DD2847:

"My sidearm is named after Jessica Alba.

I'm serious"

Careful what you're reaching for.

Mother Teresa
Bob Hope
Albert Schweitzer
Martin Luther King Jr.
Albert Einstein

Hmmmmm. I guess you never read this book then (it's on PDF format)?

http://files.meetup.com/562554/Brice%20Taylor%20-%20Thanks%20for%20the%20memories.pdf

Bob Hope is a spoken about a lot in this book. I would recommend you start on page 40, the first chapter, and come back to the rest of it, if interested in reading it. It is really out there, dark and disturbing, either all true or all lies... I'm leaning towards all true.

Jim Brown
Lou Groza
Bill Willis
Gene Hickerson
Marion Motley
Dante Lavelli
Dick Schafrath
Leroy Kelly
Ozzie Newsome
Mac Speedie
Len Ford
Mike McCormack
Bob Gain
Gary Collins
Clay Matthews
Hanford Dixon
Frank Minnifield
Paul Warfield
Frank Gatski
Walt Michaels
Jim Ray Smith
Frank Ryan (videos)
Michael Dean Perry
Bernie Kosar
Joe Thomas
Jerry Sherk
Jim Houston
Warren Lahr
Greg Pruitt
Bill Glass
Brian Sipe
Ray Renfro
Walter Johnson
Don Colo
Cody Risien
Doug Dieken
Mike Pruitt
Clarence Scott
Bernie Parrish
Paul Wiggin
Ernie Green
Kenny Konz
Bob Golic
Abe Gibron
Thom Darden
Bobby Mitchell
Milt Morin
Milt Plum
Don Paul
Bill Nelsen
Joe DeLamielleure
Chip Banks
Lou Rymkus
Vince Costello
Tommy James
Kevin Mack
Dub Jones
Tom DeLeone
John Wooten
Webster Slaughter
Erich Barnes
John Morrow
Earnest Byner
Johnny Brewer
Eric Metcalf
Darrel 'Pete' Brewster
Mike Johnson
Jack Gregory
Carl 'Big Daddy' Hairston
Don Cockroft
Dan Fike
Lin Houston
Cliff Lewis
Tony Adamle
Monte Clark
Horace Gillom
Reggie Rucker
Tommy Thompson
Dave Logan
Eric Turner
Ross Fichtner
Rob Burnett
Tony Jones
John Demarie
Felix Wright
Reggie Langhorne
Mike Howell
Lou Saban
Brian Brennan
Josh Cribbs (videos)
John Kissell
Dick Ambrose
Ernie Kellermann
Mike Baab
Charlie Hall
Ben Davis
Robert E. Jackson
Phil Dawson
Jim Kanicki

why did you leave off Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel?

I considered them buried treasures.

guys, i hope you don't take this the wrong way, but minority leaders are national treasures for me.

i'm talking leaders like Colin Powell, Condalezza Rice, Obama and such.

MLK yes, Sharpton no.

what i mean by that is....in a society filled with a lot of negativity revolving race relations, it's good to see Blacks well respected by whites at the highest level, ya know?

and gives me that feeling like "ok, i can make it too. the odds are stacked against me, but it ain't impossible".

like, i know it's possible to be a 4 star general. i know it's possible to be secretary of state, i know it's possible to be President.

I know it's possible for minorities to own huge businesses.

i know y'all probably hate the idea of anybody looking up to Rappers, but man, when Dr. Dre sold his Beats by Dre to Apple for a billion?

or when Diddy become worth over 500 million and started his own tv channel. Or the power in influence of people like Oprah, man...it's just nice knowing that it's possible to achieve that status. and they weren't complete dirtbags accomplishing this either. all things being considered, well respected people in the political and business communities.

I dont see anything wrong with that, that is normal human behavior to enjoy seeing people you can relate to doing well.

Nikola Tesla
Albert Einstein
Richard Feynman
Carl Sagan
Mother Teresa

Wow.

For once, I'm speechless.

Perhaps "national treasure" is a bit overly complimentary. I'd be happy with just 'one of the local good guys.'

Now I'm totally derailed. Had some treasures of my own to share, but I think I'll leave them for later. Gotta leave before I gush all over you guys like somebody's wife, or something.

Thanks, jfan. That meant a lot.

Most of you took those who I would've listed. Here's some of my own personal ones:

Walt Disney-'nuff said. Has some ugly around his legacy, but doesn't everyone?

Richard "Dick" Kinzel-Responsible for the renaissance of Cedar Point, and the ensuing roller coaster boom in America post 1989 with this commissioning of Magnum XL-200.

Jaco Pastorious-Never did I play bass, but this guy got me into Jazz. I listened to Birdland upon arrival in high school, and I thought "Man, I want to play something like that." From there I discovered others, and I never looked back.

My grandfather-Served in WWII in Germany (ended up joining with the main group who invaded D-Day a year prior of him getting shipped to Europe), served as a Cleveland Police Officer, cared for a sick wife who suffered from Parkinson's plus Dementia/Alzheimer's, still keeps his own garden filled with produce in the middle of suburbia, and soon to turn 92.

I get what you are saying, and I pretty much agree with you. I have a ton of respect for guys like that. I might not call them national treasures, but I have some immense admiration for people like that.

Even someone like Eminem. Here's a white guy growing up in a neighborhood where he's pretty much a minority himself. Gets involved in an industry that's dominated by African Americans and becomes one of the best in the genre while his music is enjoyed by all. That's an accomplishment.

That's all the more reason why I'm so disappointed in the Bill Cosby situation. He cracked into the entertainment business when it was almost entirely white people. And his comedy bits were great stuff that could be enjoyed by all. He started at a time when African Americans were still being segregated, and by the 80's he had the top television show in America.

Kelly Pickler

I almost have to do it in terms of categories in my mind:

Like, top 10 movie stars, top 10 singers, top 10 politicians, top 10 inventors, top 10 tv stars, top 10 athletes, etc

Paul Brown...
Ike Eisenhouwer
Harry Truman
Alexander Fleming
Jonas Salk
Arnie Palmer
Arthur Ashe


NOT Donald Trump....

NOT Hillary Clinton.....

NOT ANYONE IN CONGRESS.......

Bro people don't understand how big it was that Eminem broke through. he is so great lyrically, it's why Dr. Dre decided to take a flyer on him, and now looked what happened.

the issue with rap is that guys like...i dunno..Macklemore, they only get compared to other white rappers.

but Em? nah, you HAVE to compare him to the all time greats like Nas, Jay-Z, Andre 3000, Biggie, Tupac, etc.

he helped bridge that gap between races within the music genre.

he should definitely be in the convo about national treasures.

Swish,

while people may disagree with the politics or viewpoints, I'd be disappointed if anyone took your post the wrong way. People beating the odds and becoming successful... it's the basis of the American story. Even those of us who don't think Obama is a very good President should still recognize and appreciate the significance of his being elected to office.

Bro I don't know why anybody would take it the wrong way.. we all look up to people we can relate to.. they made us laugh, they made us cry, they inspired us.. whatever. And the people who tend to inspire us the most are the people that we share some commonality with.


As long as the person made their cash legally.. go for it. Hell most of the white guys on here, at one point or another, wanted desperately to be Hugh Hefner back in the day.


I appreciate that you are looking at it from the human side as well as the wealth side.

Bruce Springsteen

The original post asked for who I thought were national treasures.. IMO, Eminem isn't, neither is Jay-z or any musical act for that matter.

There are others that would be closer, like Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra or Aretha Franklin or even a guy like Barry Gordy, but I'd like to reach higher...

Zulu (the original)

I could see a guy like BB King on the list or even James Brown. But since there is no real definition or criteria as to what is a "national treasure" I guess we are all free to make up our own rules.

I'd like to nominate Nicola Tesla as one of the treasures. Without him, we'd probably still be sending letters to insult one another.

Agreed. 100%.


Tesla, from an interview in 1926:

"When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain, which in fact it is, all things being particles of a real and rhythmic whole. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance. Not only this, but through television and telephony we shall see and hear one another as perfectly as though we were face to face, despite intervening distances of thousands of miles; and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his will be amazingly simple compared with our present telephone. A man will be able to carry one in his vest pocket.

We shall be able to witness and hear events—the inauguration of a President, the playing of a world series game, the havoc of an earthquake or the terror of a battle—just as though we were present."

cut/paste/sent via an Android device.

...and we'd be looking at hand-drawn pictures of cats on a bulletin board in town square....

Didn't Tesla and Edison start the band AC/DC?

He's here all week, folks... try the veal.

That would be Angus and Malcolm, but he did make the power that makes them so loud.

By the way, did you get yours yet?

At least we would still get to go outside to get to town square.. we might even see a friend or two along the way and.. *gasp*.. talk to them