1911— Basketball coach, talent scout Will Robinson made history in 1970 as the first African American to coach at a Division I school when he was hired as the head basketball coach by Illinois State University. Prior to joining the Redbirds, Robinson coached for 26 years in the Detroit public school system. In 1975 he became a scout for the Detroit Pistons, a position he held until 2003, wh…
1946— Television executive Johnathan Rodgers is among the nation's most influential television executives. He served as the highest-ranking black executive at an American television network from 1990 to 1996; then expanded Discovery Network into a multi-billion dollar success in the cable industry, and in 2003 helped launch a new black-oriented cable channel called TV One. Throughout…
Alex Rodriguez: 1975—: Baseball player. Baseball player Alex Rodriguez has been inspiring fans for years with his style of play. He became a household name when he signed a $252-million contract with the Texas Rangers in December of 2001. Rodriguez has won numerous awards and is known for his versatile talent on the field and his good conduct off it. Rodriguez, known as "A-Rod&#x…
Laura Restrepo: 1950—: Journalist, political activist, novelist. Few writers have been able to craft together fact and fiction so flawlessly to produce a created world that deals with so many real world issues as Laura Restrepo. Making a splash in the 1980s with her journalism and spending time as an exile because of it, Restrepo is no stranger to the dangers that are prevalent in the …
Chi Chi Rodríguez: 1935—: Golfer. Golfer Chi Chi Rodríguez owes much of his fame to his charismatic personality, wit, and sincere generosity. He seldom won on the regular pro golfing tour. However, Rodríguez went on to win many golf victories on the Champions Tour (formerly Senior PGA). …
Daniel Rodríguez: 1964—: Former law enforcement officer, singer. Twelve days after the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on New York's World Trade Center, New York City police officer Daniel Rodríguez took the stage at Yankee Stadium's mass memorial service, "Prayer for America," and sang "God Bless America." The p…
Bill Richardson was installed as the governor of New Mexico on January 12, 2003. His political career began 21 years earlier when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as the representative of New Mexico's third district in 1982. After 14 years in Congress, Richardson served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN) and as the secretary of the Department of Energy. Kno…
Born 1934, in New York, NY; Electric), July, 1960; children: Ronald P. Jr., Marcella. Writer. Somerset Messenger Gazette, Somerset, NJ, columnist, 1969–70; Trentonian, Trenton, NJ, columnist, feature writer, and editorial writer, 1970–91. Lecturer, making visits to schools and educational conferences around the United States. Former member, Brigade of the American Revolution. First p…
Narciso Rodríguez: 1961(?)—: Fashion designer. Narciso Rodríguez won the coveted Perry Ellis award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1998. The annual honor is bestowed on the best new women's wear designer to emerge in the past year, and Rodríguez had recently become a household name across North America when he created the ethereal slip dr…
Carlos Manuel Rodriguez: 1918-1963: Religious educator. When he was beatified and thus placed on the road to sainthood by Pope John Paul II in 2001, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez became the first Caribbean-born—and only the second Latin American—lay individual (not a priest or a member of a religious order) to achieve that rank in the hierarchy of Catholic historical figures. Rodriguez…
Robert Rodriguez: 1968—: Director, filmmaker, screenwriter. Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez amazed the moviegoing world in 1992 with his debut feature El Mariachi, shot for the unheard-of total of $7,000 when Rodriguez was 23 years old. That film introduced to the world a director with a dazzling visual style and a fabulous flair for storytelling. The making of El Mariachi was widely descri…
Phil Roman: 1930—: Animator, producer, director. From the time he was eleven, Phil Roman always knew he would be an animator. Beginning as an usher in a theater that screened cartoons, he worked his way through the animation ranks to become one of the most successful and talented animators and animation producers America has seen. A six-time Emmy winner and founder of two film companies…
1936— Educator, health care activist Dr. Hilda Richards is immediate past president of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), an organization representing 150,000 nursing professionals across the United States. She is Chancellor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Indiana University Northwest in Gary, Indiana, and was the first dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Ohio …
Agent—Kirchoff/Wohlberg, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 525, New York, NY 10017. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (member of New England regional advisory board, 1990-92; New England regional coordinator, 1992-1997). Wake Up, William!, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1987. Gert & Frieda, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1990. A Moon in My Teacup, Boyds Mills Press (Hones…
1940— Singer, songwriter, record producer Robinson, Smokey, photograph. © Fred Prouser/Reuters/Corbis. Smokey Robinson, the "poet laureate of soul music," has been composing and singing rhythm and blues hits for more than four decades. As the lead singer of the Miracles, Robinson, who moved to SBK Records later in his career, helped to put Detroit and its Motown Re…
1954— Television weathercaster Roker, Al, photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission. Al Roker may describe himself as "goofy-looking" and "nothing special," but his combination of accurate forecasting and warm, relaxed delivery have won him possibly the most visible weather anchor position on television. Roker is the weekday weathercaster …
children: two sons. Agent—Miles Stott Children's Literary Agency, East Hook Farm, Lower Quay Rd., Hook, Haverfordwest SA62 4LR, Wales. Novelist, editor, technical writer, and software designer. Worked as a software designer for multinational computer company for 14 years; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), London, England, creative director for BBC Worldwide. The Death Collecto…
Born 1982, in Jackson, MS; married Dean A. Sheremet (a dancer, actor, and writer), February, 2002. LeAnn Rimes Office—Prodigy Entertainment, Ltd., P.O. Box 150667, Nashville, TN 37215. Recording artist, actress, songwriter, and author. Signed with Curb Records, Nashville, TN, c. 1995; vocal recordings include singles "Ten Thousand Angels Cried," "You Light up My …
Born 1928, in Grand Rapids, MI; Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Politics: Republican. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, research. Agent—Curtis Brown, 10 Astor Pl., New York, NY 10003. Writer. Has worked in hospitals and doctors' offices; former co-owner of a dairy farm. Lecturer and workshop leader at writers' conferences and schools; consultant…
1958— Investor, business executive Once his father gave him shares of stock as a 12th birthday gift, John W. Rogers, Jr., was hooked on Wall Street. He secured the services of his own broker at age 18 and four years later, in 1980, became a broker himself. Raising $180,000 from family and friends, Rogers started his own investment firm, Ariel Capital Management, with one other employee in 1…
OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for SATA sketch: Born May 23, 1922, in New York, NY; died February 15, 2004, in New York, NY. Educator and author. An economist and New York University professor, as a writer Ritter was actually best remembered for his baseball book The Glory of Their Times: The Story of the Early Days of Baseball Told by the Men Who Played It (1966; revised edition, 1985). Earning…
Born 1962, in Torquay, England; Education: Bath University, B.S. (mathematics; first class honors), 1983. Religion: Church of England (Anglican). Hobbies and other interests: Skiing, cycling, horses, folk dancing, music. Agent—Maggie Moach Literary Agency, 21 Dorville Crescent, London W6 0HJ, England. Author, 2001—. GEC Measurements, Stafford, England, engineering mathematician, 198…
Born 1950, in New York, NY; Education: Harvard University, B.S.; Columbia University, M.S. Hobbies and other interests: Sports, reading. Agent—Marie Brown, Marie Brown Associates, 625 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Nurse midwife, 1975–; writer. Yale University, New Haven, CT, assistant professor of nursing; also taught at Columbia University, Howard University, and Georgetown Universi…
Born 1934, in Memphis, TN; Education: Attended Sculpture Center and Pratt Graphic Arts Center. Politics: "Liberal Democrat." Religion: Episcopalian. Author and illustrator. Silver Burdett Publishers, Morristown, NJ, member of production department, 1952; Young and Rubicam (advertising agency), art-buying secretary, 1953; Goldwater Memorial Hospital, New York, NY, assistant recreation…
1959— Actor Forging his reputation by playing tough and often frightening characters, Ving Rhames has built a career as a stage, film, and television actor that has had few lulls since he landed his first role in the early 1980s. Many of the characters he has played have been prototypes of real-life thugs and criminals who were commonplace in the gritty urban environment where he grew up. O…
1959(?)— Journalist One of the top young African-American journalists in the United States, Rochelle Riley received several awards for her nationally syndicated columns in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Originating at the Detroit Free Press and, prior to that, the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, those columns found audiences beyond those cities because of Riley's down-to-ea…
1940— Artist "For me, art is not a job or a career," Columbus, Ohio, artist Aminah Robinson told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It's a way of life. Always has been." Many artists live by a similar credo, but few have immersed themselves in art as intensely as Robinson, who is reported to rise at 4 a.m. to begin work and to continue working until midnight or …
(Christopher Barry Riddell) Born 1962, in Capetown, South Africa; Education: Attended Epsom School of Art and Design, 1980–81; Brighton Polytechnic, B.A. (first-class honours), 1984. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Andersen Press, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Rd., London SW1V 2SA, England. Freelance illustrator and writer. Political cartoonist for London periodicals, including Economist, 1988–95…
Born 1958, in Cardiff, Wales; Education: University of London, B.A. (with honors), 1979; attended London College of Printing, 1985. Politics: "Leftish." Agent—Clare Pearson, 22 Upper Grosvenor St., London W1Y 9PB, England. Charles Letts & Co., Sunderland, England, began as proofreader, became editor, 1980–82; Grisewood & Dempsey, London, England, began as …
1972- Ragtime composer, pianist Robinson, Reginald R., photograph. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission. Reginald Robinson makes new piano music in a genre that flourished a hundred years ago. Ragtime, the music that brought African-American syncopated rhythms to a broad American public in the early years of the twentieth century, marked an important stage of American musical history. Ye…
Born 1957; Education: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, B.F.A., 1979; University of Wisconsin, Madison, M.F.A., 1983. Office—Iowa State University, Art and Design Department, 158 College of Design, Ames, IA 50011. Educator, illustrator, and author. Teacher of art at colleges and art schools beginning c. 1983; Iowa State University, Ames, associate professor of art and design. When …
Born 1937, in Wilkes Barre, PA; Education: Sacred Heart Junior College, A.A., 1958; Mercy School of Nursing, graduated, 1958. Politics: Republican. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Baking, cooking, canning, puzzling, gardening, crocheting, reading. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Liguori Publications, One Liguori Dr., Liguori, MO 63057-9999. St. Anne's Hospital, Chicago,…
(Raymond Romano) Born 1957, in New York, NY; Education: Attended Queens College. Office—c/o Talk Productions, Warner Bros. Studios, Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91522. Comedian and actor. During early career, worked variously as a gas station attendant, bank clerk, and truck driver. Stand-up comedian; wrote, produced, and played Ray Barone in television series Everybody Loves Raymond, Columbia…
Born 1952, in Manchester, NH. Education: Boston University, B.F.A., 1974. Kristina Rodanas office—c/o Author Mail, Marshall Cavendish, 99 White Plains Rd., Tarrytown, NY 10591-9001. Author and illustrator of children's books. Art teacher at elementary schools, 1974-99; freelance writer, 1980—. Speaker and artist-in-residence at elementary schools. Exhibitions: Artwork e…
(Mike Resnick) Born 1942, in Chicago, IL; Education: Attended University of Chicago, 1959-61, and Roosevelt University, 1962-63. Politics: Independent. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, reading, Africana, breeding and exhibiting purebred collies. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Spectrum Literary Agency, 320 Central Park W., Suite 1-D, New York, NY 10025. Full-time freelance writer, 1966—.…
1941— Educator, community leader Like many young black women attending college, Louise Rice joined a sorority for social and academic support. She chose Delta Sigma Theta because she felt that the organization's goals and ideals reflected the principals that she thought were important. As she later told reporter Faith Johnson in an article for the Augusta Chronicle, "I observe…
1960— Television personality One of the most successful female news personalities on television, Robin Roberts hosts Good Morning America for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The poised and well-spoken Roberts made a name for herself as a commentator for ESPN's SportsCenter and ABC's long-running Wide World of Sports. She was ESPN's first on-air black anchorwoma…
1963(?)— Restaurateur Rodriguez, Jimmy, photograph. Thos Robinson/Getty Images Jimmy Rodriguez's story has all the elements of a fairy tale. In this story, a high school dropout helps his Puerto Rican father sell seafood from a pushcart alongside a highway. Slick cars whoosh past, ferrying baseball stars to nearby Yankee stadium, or across the river to Manhattan penthouses. Th…
Pseudonym: Barbara Vine. Nationality: British. Born: Ruth Barbara Grasemann, London, 1930. Education: Loughton High School, Essex. Career: Reporter and sub-editor, Express and Independent newspapers, West Essex, 1948-52. Awards: Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe award, for short story, 1975, 1984; Crime Writers Association Silver Dagger award, 1984, and Gold Dagger award, 1976, 1986, 1987…
Pseudonyms: Anne Rampling; A.N. Roquelaure. Nationality: American. Born: Howard Allen O'Brien, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1941; name changed to Anne c.1947. Education: Texas Women's University, Denton, Texas, 1959-60; San Francisco State College (now University), California, B.A. 1964, M.A. 1971; graduate study at University of California, Berkeley, 1969-70. Career: Has held a variety o…
Nationality: Canadian. Born: Newcastle, New Brunswick, 1950. Education: Attended St. Thomas University. Awards: Norma Epstein First Prize for Undergraduate Creative Writing, 1974; silver medal (Atlantic chapter of the Royal Society of the Arts), 1986-87; Governor General's award for fiction, 1988; Canadian Authors' Association award, 1991; Canada-Australia Writer's prize, 1993…
Nationality: Canadian. Born: Montreal, 1931. Education: Attended Sir George Williams University, 1949-51. Career: Freelance writer in Paris, France, 1952-53, London, England, 1954-72, and Montreal, 1972—; writer-in-residence, Sir George Williams University, 1968-69; visiting professor of English, Carleton University, 1972-74; member of editorial board, Book-of-the-Month Club, 1972—. …
Nationality: American. Born: Thomas Eugene Robbins in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, 1936. Education: High school in Warsaw, Virginia; Hargarve Military Academy; Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia; Richmond Professional Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University), graduated 1960. Military Service: Served in the United States Air Force in Korea. Career: Copy editor, Richmond Tim…
Nationality: British. Born: Bushey, Hertfordshire, 1949. Education: Oxford University, B.A. (with honors) 1970; University of London Library Associate, 1972. Career: Has worked as a librarian, cook, teacher, cleaner, pregnancy counselor, and researcher; writer-in-residence, Lambeth Borough, London, 1981-82, and Bromley Borough, London, 1983-84. Poetry editor, Spare Rib, 1975-77, and City Limits, …
Nationality: American. Born: Waukegan, Illinois, 1952. Education: University of California, San Diego, B.A. in literature, 1974, Ph.D. 1982; Boston University, M.A. in English 1975. Career: Visiting lecturer, University of California, in Davis, 1982-84, 1985, and in San Diego, 1982, 1985. Awards: World Fantasy award, 1983; SF Chronicle award, 1984, 1992; Locus award, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1997; Nebula…
Nationality: American. Born: Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1943. Education: Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, B.A. in American literature; University of Washington, Seattle, M.A. and Ph.D. in English. Awards: American Academy Rosenthal Foundation award, 1982; Hemingway Foundation award, 1982; PEN Essay Prize, 1999. Housekeeping is, for most people, a basic requirement, if only on the simplest le…
Nationality: Canadian. Born: Castleford, Yorkshire, 1950. Education: University of Ledds, B.A. 1974; University of Windsor, M.A. 1975; York University, Ph.D. 1983. Awards: Arthur Ellis award for Canadian crime novel of the year, 1992. Peter Robinson, who emigrated to Canada in 1974, is best known for his novels featuring Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks of the Eastvale Criminal Investigation…
Nationality: American. Born: Mary Reiss in Washington, D.C., 1949. Education: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, M.A. 1977. Career: From 1981, member of the Department of English, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Visiting lecturer, Ohio University, Athens, 1979-80; writer-in-residence, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, 1980 and 1985, University of North Carolina, Gree…
Born 1951, in Yorkshire, England; Education: Attended Brighton University. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Piccadilly Press, 5 Castle Rd., London NW1 8PR, England. Writer and comedian. British Broadcasting Corp., Radio-4 comedy columnist. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging was optioned for a film by Paramount and adapted for audiocassette, Recorded Books, 2001. A novel for young adults. …
See index for CA sketch: Born May 29, 1928, in Grand Rapids, MI; died of congestive heart disease November 19, 2004, in Granite Falls, WA. Author. Roberts was an award-winning author best known for her children's mystery novels. A few years after graduating from high school, she married and began to raise a family. After moving to California, she and her husband tried to run a dairy farm wi…
Worked as a designer, technical writer, and senior design engineer in the aerospace, electronics, and nuclear industries, 1960-93; freelance writer, 1993—. Military service: U.S. Marine Corps, 1948-57, received Purple Heart. Cross & Cockade International, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, League of World War I Aviation Historians, U.S. Naval Institute, Air F…
Born 1965, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Education: Sydney College of the Arts, Bachelor of Visual Arts degree, 1985; Sydney University, Bachelor of Architectural Science degree, 1991. Office—P.O. Box 1290, Maroubra, New South Wales 2035, Australia. Freelance cartoonist and illustrator, 1986—; writer/illustrator of picture books, 1988—. (Adapter, with Michael Verde) …
Born 1953, in Waukegan, IL; Education: Illinois Wesleyan University, B.A., 1975; Illinois State University, M.A., 1978; Northwestern University, M.A., 1983. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Baptist. Hobbies and other interests: Dinosaur hunting. Blue Mound High School, Blue Mound, IL, English/speech instructor, 1977–80; West Chicago Community High School, West Chicago, IL, English instructor, …
(Colby F. Rodowsky) Born 1932, in Baltimore, MD; Education: College of Notre Dame of Maryland, B.A. (English), 1953. Religion: Roman Catholic. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Gail Hochman, Brandt & Brandt, 1501 Broadway, NY 10036. Teacher in public schools in Baltimore, MD, 1953–55, and in a school for special education, 1955–56; Notre Dame Preparatory School, Baltimore, librarian&…
Born in Singapore; Education: Earned B.A. in history. Religion: Christian. Agent—Eunice McMullen, Low Ibbotsholme Cottage, Off Bridgelane, Troutbeck Bridge, Windermere, Cumbria LA23 1HU, England. Writer. Has also worked as a journalist, public relations director for an oil company, copywriter, and radio presenter. Shortlist citation, Sheffield Book Prize, for Mrs. Wolf. Henry's Box …
Silvestre Reyes is a Mexican-American Democratic congressional representative from the 16th District of El Paso, Texas. He is a Vietnam veteran who spent more than 25 years working for the Immigration and Naturalization Services, most notably as the chief of the United States Border Patrol in El Paso. He earned a reputation as an innovative and effective leader by introducing new programs to contr…
Diego Rivera: 1886-1957: Artist. One of the most charismatic, controversial, and creative artists to emerge from the twentieth century, Mexican artist Diego Rivera revived the mural art form and rekindled interest in the folk art of Mexico. Much of the controversy surrounding Diego grew out of his politics. A self-avowed Communist, he nonetheless had no qualms about growing rich off of capital…
1962– Professional football player In 1992 Jerry Rice, then the star wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, grabbed the record for most touchdown receptions in a professional football career, with 101. That milestone—coming as it did during the prime of his career—assured Rice a future berth in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. San Francisco Chronicle correspondent Ron Thomas…
Jennifer Rodriguez: 1976—: Olympic speed skater. Jennifer Rodriguez was the first Hispanic-American to win a medal in the Winter Olympic Games. She first won acclaim as an in-line skater before switching to ice speed-skating. She competed in the 1998 Nagano Olympics and at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. In Salt Lake City, she won two bronze medals. …
Born 1919, in NM. Ethnicity: "Native American." Agent—c/o Author Mail, Lee & Low, 95 Madison Ave., Ste. 1205, New York, NY 10016. Writer. Spur Award for Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction, 2005, for Rattlesnake Mesa: Stories from a Native American Childhood. Rattlesnake Mesa: Stories from a Native American Childhood, photographs by Richela Renkun, Lee & Low (New York, NY…
