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Richard Tucker is today primarily associated with the history of opera in America- a highly gifted tenor, he is compared to Franco Corelli in influence and appeal, and classed with people like Alfredo Kraus and Nicolai Gedda. But Tucker, as a Jewish American who came to music from a religious background, had an output different from all of those others, and, ironically, was just as well known in the United States- and perhaps even more beloved- for that other side of his work. He was born in New York, and at age six joined the choir of an Orthodox Jewish synogogue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan as a boy alto. Over the next eight years, he sang at weddings and other events and became steeped in Jewish liturgy and the musical traditions of the synogogue -- only the inevitable change to his voice interrupted his vocalizing, and from ages 14 through 18 he abandoned singing. By the time he reached 18, however, his adult voice had settled into a rich tenor, and it was in that capacity that he returned to his old synogogue. Eventually, Tucker sang around the world, his debut in Italy coming in the same production in which Maria Callas made her debut; he sang at Covent Garden in 1957, and in Vienna in 1958, and at La Scala in Milan in 1969. Tucker remained uniquely popular in America, however, and even more so in New York. He passed away in 1975 at age 61. His funeral service was held on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, and in his memory the Richard Tucker Foundation awards a prize each year to a promising potential.

Tim Russert was an American television journalist known best for hosting the political affairs talk show,* Meet the Press*. A 1972 graduate of John Carroll University in Cleveland, Russert also held a degree from Cleveland State University's Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (1976). Before he began his TV career, Russert worked for both U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1977-82) and New York's Governor Mario Cuomo (1983-84), both Democrats. He was hired by NBC in 1984, and by the end of the decade was a bureau chief in Washington, D.C. He took over hosting *Meet the Press* in 1991 and within a few years became NBC's go-to guy in Washington and one of the most prominent political journalists in the business. Russert earned millions of dollars as a no-nonsense, working class guy from Buffalo asking tough questions of newsmakers ranging from George W. Bush to Barack Obama. He also published books, including *Big Russ and Me* (2004, about his dad) and *Wisdom of Our Fathers* (2006, a collection of letters about other dads).

Eric Bentley is a renowned critic, playwright, singer, editor and translator. He became an American citizen in 1948, and currently lives in New York City. In 1998 he was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame; he is also a member of the New York Theater Hall of Fame, in recognition of his years of performances in cabarets. In addition to teaching at Columbia University from 1953, Bentley was in the a theatre critic for The New Republic, known for his blunt style of theatre criticism. Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller threatened to sue Bentley for his unfavorable reviews of their work, but abandoned the attempt. From 1960-1961, Bentley was the Norton professor at Harvard University. Bentley met Bertolt Brecht at UCLA as a young man and is considered one of the pre-eminent experts on Brecht, whose work he has translated. He edited the Grove Press issue of Brecht's work, and made two albums of Brecht songs for the legendary Folkways Records label, most of which had never been recorded in English before. In 1969, Bentley came out of the closet and declared his homosexuality. In an interview in the New York Times on 12 November 2006, he says he was married twice before coming out at age 53, and deciding, at the same time, to leave his post at Columbia to concentrate on his writing. He has stated his being gay as an influence on his theater work, especially his play Lord Alfred's Lover. He has written many critical books, including *A Century of Hero-Worship*, *The Playwright as Thinker*, *Bernard Shaw*, *What is Theatre?*, *The Life of the Drama*, *Theatre of War*, *Brecht Commentaries*, and *Thinking about the Playwright*. His most-produced play, *Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been*, published in 1972, was based on the transcripts collected in Thirty Years of treason.

As NPR's senior national correspondent, Linda Wertheimer travels the country and the globe for NPR News, bringing her unique insights and wealth of experience to bear on the day's top news stories. Wertheimer provides analysis and thoughtful reporting on all NPR News programs. Before taking the senior national correspondent post, Wertheimer spent 13 years as a host of NPR's flagship news magazine, *All Things Considered.*

Nathaniel Philbrick is an American author and a winner of the National Book Award for his work of maritime history, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. He has written extensively about sailing. His works include The Passionate Sailor and Second Wind: A Sailfish Sailor's Odyssey. Philbrick is also the editor of Yaahting, A Parody. He is the director of the Egan Institute of Maritime Studies and is a research fellow at the Nantucket Historical Association. Philbrick is a former intercollegiate All American sailor and North American Sunfish champion. He has also written articles on sailing and American maritime history for Vanity Fair, The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe. In 2002, Philbrick was named the Nathaniel Bowditch Maritime Scholar of the Year by the American Merchant Marine Museum. He is presently at work on a book about the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Edward Steichen (1879-1973) was an American photographer, painter, and museum curator who helped transform photography into an art form. At the turn of the century his photographs were hailed for their artistic quality. In the 1920s he produced a new style of fashion illustration and portraiture for magazines. Edward Steichen decided to study painting in Paris, and on his way there in 1900 he stopped in New York to meet Alfred Stieglitz, who was America's foremost photographer and leader of a movement to gain for photography recognition as a fine art. They became close friends. Steichen was confounder with Stieglitz of the Photo-Secession, an organization dedicated to photography as a fine art, and its exhibition gallery, called "291." The gallery exhibited photographs and introduced to America paintings, drawings, and sculpture by such modern artists as Paul Czanne, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Constantin Brancusi. Steichen's photographs were widely exhibited; among the most famous were his portraits of J. P. Morgan and Auguste Rodin. At the age of 68 Steichen was named director of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Of the many exhibitions he created, the largest and most famous was "The Family of Man." This exhibition of 503 photographs toured throughout America and overseas. The book of the same title became a best seller. His involvement as a curator helped promote photography to the status of an acknowledged art form. In 1961 Steichen held an exhibition of his own photography at the Museum of Modern Art; a year later he retired to Connecticut. His autobiography, *A Life in Photography*, appeared in 1963, the same year he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President John F. Kennedy.

Danny Doyle has been bringing the ballads, history and stories of Ireland to audiences around the world for nearly four decades.

Patrick Guerriero has devoted his career to public service. This former mayor, state representative, and candidate for lieutenant governor in Massachusetts joined Log Cabin Republicans as executive director in January 2003. Guerriero, who grew up in a working class family, has earned a reputation as a dedicated, effective, and compassionate public servant. Guerriero is a leading voice for freedom and fairness in the Republican Party. He has appeared on all the major television networks on programs and he has been featured in many publications including *The Washington Post*, *The New York Times Magazine*, and *The Los Angeles Times*. Guerriero has written op-eds for "The Wall Street Journal", "The Boston Globe" and other newspapers. Since taking over Log Cabin, Guerriero has dramatically increased membership, doubled the budget, and developed new chapters across America. Log Cabin was the leading conservative voice that helped defeat the anti-family Federal Marriage Amendment in the U.S. House and Senate in 2004. Guerriero continues leading Log Cabin's efforts to stop this discriminatory and unnecessary constitutional amendment. Guerriero has championed issues important to all citizens including lower taxes, smaller government, improved public schools, safer neighborhoods, and equal rights. In addition, he has advocated for anti-hate-crimes legislation, HIV/AIDS funding, and proposals to give recognition and protection to gay and lesbian families. Throughout his political career, Guerriero has worked well with Democrats finding common ground on issues where compromise is possible. At Log Cabin, Guerriero has built coalitions with other gay and lesbian organizationsworking with people across the ideological spectrum to develop a bipartisan strategy for achieving equality.