Friday Happy Hour: Retrobituaries Launch Party

I like the word Retrobituary, so I'm bringing it back in a different context. I want to celebrate the lives of fascinating (but not famous) people whose life stories are worth telling. This is where today's Friday Happy Hour topic of conversation comes in.
I need your help compiling a list of the amazing-yet-underappreciated. An overlooked inventor. A groundbreaking educator. A small-town hero. Olympians. When I start this up later this September, I'll be sure to give credit to the person who made the nomination.
While you're thinking about who should be honored, add your hometown's claim to fame to our growing list of Local Trivia.