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John Wesley Hardin – Outlaw
(May 26, 1853 – August 19, 1895)
Born just outside of Bonham and rumored to be so mean he once shot a man for snoring, gunslinger and old west outlaw John Wesley Hardin.
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Joe Morgan
Hall of Fame Baseball Player – (born September 19, 1943)
Born in Bonham, Texas and considered one of the greatest second basemen of all-time, Joe Morgan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the National League Most Valuable Player in those years. He became a baseball broadcaster for ESPN after his retirement, and now hosts a weekly nationally syndicated radio show for Sports USA. He is currently a special adviser to the Reds.
Joe Morgan speaks at the Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony in 2017.
(Photo: Gregory Fisher, USA TODAY Sports)
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Charlie Christian
Guitar Player – (July 29, 1916 – March 2, 1942)
Born in Bonham and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, Charlie Christian is considered one of the founding fathers of bebop, or if not that, at least a precursor to it. Christian’s influence reached beyond jazz and swing.
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Erwin E. Smith
Old West Photographer – (August 22, 1886 – September 4, 1947)
Born in Bonham, Smith used photography to document the waning years of open-range cowboy life in the American West. During his lifetime, he was recognized as having “brought together with the camera the most complete account of the passing west that has ever been made.
- Singer/Song Writer – (born May 1935)
Born in Bonham, Melson teamed up with a virtually unknown Roy Orbison, with whom he would write a string of hits for Monument Records. Collaborating on such hits as “Only the Lonely” (1960), “Crying” (1961), “Blue Bayou” (1963). - (born May 17, 1949)
Maples served as the 16th Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), appointed on November 4, 2005. He received his third star on November 29. Maples also commanded the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (JFCC-ISR) for the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) - Showgirl –
- Lyric Soprano – (August 5, 1897 – June 14, 1954)
Born in Bonham, Dodd was an African-American lyric soprano and voice instructor who performed throughout the United States and Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. - MLB Player, Coach and Manager – (July 17, 1929 – November 2, 1997)
Born in Bonham, McMillan was a shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1951 through 1966, McMillan played for the Cincinnati Reds (1951–60), Milwaukee Braves (1961–64) and New York Mets (1964–66). He batted and threw right-handed. Following his retirement as a player, McMillan managed the Milwaukee Brewers (1972) and New York Mets (1975). He was inducted to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1971. - NFL Football Player – (April 1, 1953 – July 13, 2016)
Born in Bonham and selected by the New Your Giants in the 1975 NFL draft, Marsh played running back during the 1975 and 1976 seasons.
