Located in eastern North Carolina, Rocky Mount is referred to as “Remarkable Rocky Mount.” It is an apt description of this city. It has certainly proved that it can rise above any hardship that comes its way. In 1999 Hurricane Floyd swept through, leaving nearly a third of Rocky Mount flooded by the Tar River. But the almost 60,000 people who call Rocky Mount home are tough, and rebounded to make Rocky Mount one of the most pleasant places to live in the state. What follows are vignettes of 10 famous people who are natives of Rocky Mount.
Thelonius Monk, Jazz Pianist and Composer
Monk, born in Rocky Mount on October, 10, 1917, was a child prodigy. Early on his family moved to New York City, where young Monk won contest after contest at the famed Apollo Theater. Monk went on to become a major composer and recording artist, known around the world. He played with the likes of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. Monk died in 1982.
Kay Kyser, Big Band Leader
Born James Kern Kyser in Rocky Mount on June 18, 1905, Kyser used his extraordinary talent to become a world-renowned big band leader in the swing era. Known as “Kay” (for his middle initial), Kyser and his band starred in films with Lucille Ball, John Barrymore, and many other notable actors. He had a popular radio show that ran for ten years in the late thirties and forties called “Kay Kyser’s Kollege of Musical Knowledge.” Kyser died in 1985.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Actress
Ms. Winstead was born in Rocky Mount November 28, 1984 . She began her acting career in television in the late nineties before going on to movie stardom. Along with her other performances, many will remember her for playing the lead role in the movie “Final Destination 3” and a supporting role in “Live Free or Die.”
Michael F. Easley, North Carolina Governor
Born on March 23, 1950 in Rocky Mount, Governor Easley is serving his second term. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and North Carolina Central University School of Law.
Kaye Gibbons, Novelist
Award-winning novelist Kaye Gibbons was born in Rocky Mount May 5, 1960 . Her first novel Ellen Foster (1987) won the Sue Kaufman Prize for first fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. According to her website, the book is taught in high schools and colleges. Ms. Gibbons’ subsequent books have further demonstrated her immense power as an author.
Earle Hyman, Actor
Earle Hyman was born October 11, 1926 in Rocky Mount. Not widely known is that he is a classical actor, having performed the role of Othello hundreds of times. Also, not so widely known is that he speaks fluent Norwegian. Fans of “The Cosby Show” will remember him as the actor who played Russell Huxtable, Heathcliff Huxtable’s father.
Herman Boone, Football coach, Teacher
Herman Boone was born in Rocky Mount October 28, 1935. A teacher and football coach with outstanding skills as a motivator, Boone was able to bring cohesion to the team at newly integrated T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia at a time when racial tensions ran high. Boone is portrayed in the movie “Remember the Titans” starring Denzel Washington.
Allan Gurganus, Writer, Painter
Gurganus was born in 1947 in Rocky Mount. Trained first as a painter, he began writing after having spent 3 years on the USS Yorktown during the Vietnam era. Among his many works is the 1989 novel Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.
Jim Clack, NFL Player
A Guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Clack was born in Rocky Mount on October 26, 1947. He helped the Steelers win two superbowl championships, 1974 and 1975. He also played for the New York Giants. Clack died in April, 2006.
Walter “Buck” Leonard, Baseball Player
Buck Leonard, born in 1907 in Rocky Mount, played first baseman for the Homestead Grays in the Negro Leagues from 1933 to 1950. According to the National Negro League Baseball Players Association website, Roy Campanella is quoted as saying, “He (Leonard) had a quick bat and you couldn’t get a fastball by him. He was strictly a pull hitter with tremendous power.” Leonard died November 27, 1997 in Rocky Mount.
