List of people from Ithaca, New York facts for kids

Ithaca, New York, is a beautiful city known for its stunning natural scenery and its vibrant community. It's also a place where many amazing people have lived or were born! These individuals have made a big impact in fields like science, sports, arts, and more.

Ithaca is located in Tompkins County, New York. This county is actually quite special because it has a high number of culturally important people from the "baby boomer" generation, which means many influential people have called this area home.

Dustin Brown is a Stanley Cup champion.

Alex Haley wrote famous books like Roots.

Jon Jones is a well-known mixed martial artist.

Mary McDonnell is a talented actress.

Carl Sagan was a famous astronomer and science communicator.

David Foster Wallace was a celebrated author.

X Ambassadors is a popular band with members from Ithaca.

Famous Faces from Ithaca

Many people who have lived in or were born in Ithaca have gone on to achieve great things. This list includes athletes, artists, scientists, writers, and leaders who have left their mark on the world.

Sports Stars

Ithaca has been home to several talented athletes who made it big in professional sports.

• Josh Bard was born in Ithaca. He played professional baseball and later became a coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Dustin Brown is another Ithaca native. He was a professional ice hockey player and helped the Los Angeles Kings win the Stanley Cup championship.
• Kyle Dake grew up in Ithaca. He is a four-time World Champion in freestyle wrestling and won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
• Alex Compton lived in Ithaca. He was a professional basketball player and later coached in the Philippine Basketball Association.
• Jon Jones is a resident of Ithaca. He is a famous mixed martial artist and has been a champion in the UFC.
• Juan Pablo Galavis was born in Ithaca. He played professional soccer and later became known as the star of The Bachelor.
• Tim Moresco is an Ithaca native who played professional football for the New York Jets.

Artists and Entertainers

From music to acting, Ithaca has inspired many creative individuals.

• Lavilla Esther Allen was born in Ithaca. She was a talented author and poet.
• Iris Barbura lived in Ithaca. She was a skilled dancer and choreographer.
• Annie Burns and Marie Burns are musicians who lived in Ithaca. They are founding members of the band The Burns Sisters.
• Anna Coogan is a singer-songwriter who lives in Ithaca.
• Buck Dharma lives in Ithaca. He is a musician and a founding member of the band Blue Öyster Cult.
• Asia Kate Dillon was born in Ithaca. They are an actor known for their roles in TV shows like Orange Is the New Black and Billions.
• Johnny Dowd is an alternative country musician who lives in Ithaca.
• Julius Eastman was an Ithaca native. He was a talented composer, pianist, and vocalist.
• Noah Feldshuh, Casey Harris, and Sam Harris were all born in Ithaca. They are musicians and founding members of the popular band X Ambassadors.
• Ricky Jay lived in Ithaca. He was a famous magician, actor, and writer.
• Mary McDonnell was born in Ithaca. She is an actress known for her roles in movies like Dances with Wolves and Independence Day, and the TV series Battlestar Galactica.
• Bernie Milton was a musician born in Ithaca.
• Lonnie Park is an Ithaca native and a musician who has won three Grammy Awards.
• Harry Partch lived in Ithaca. He was a unique composer and music theorist who created his own musical instruments.
• Steve Poleskie is an artist and professor at Cornell University whose work is shown in major museums like the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.
• Kurt Riley is a songwriter and musician who lives in Ithaca.
• Hank Roberts is a jazz cellist and vocalist who lives in Ithaca.
• Tim Sale was born in Ithaca. He was an award-winning comics artist known for his work on DC Comics characters.
• Louisa Rachel Solomon is an Ithaca native. She is a musician and the lead singer of the band The Shondes.
• Yen Ospina is a muralist who lives in Ithaca, creating large-scale artworks.
• Christopher Woodrow was born in Ithaca. He is a Hollywood movie producer known for films like Birdman and Hacksaw Ridge.

Scientists and Thinkers

Ithaca has attracted many brilliant minds who have pushed the boundaries of science and philosophy.

• David Altshuler was born in Ithaca. He is an endocrinologist (a doctor who studies hormones) and a geneticist (a scientist who studies genes).
• Hans Bethe lived in Ithaca and was a professor at Cornell University. He was a physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project (a secret science project during World War II) and won a Nobel Prize.
• Urie Bronfenbrenner was a psychologist and professor at Cornell University who lived in Ithaca. He helped start the Head Start program, which supports early childhood education.
• Richard Feynman was another physicist and Nobel Prize winner who lived in Ithaca and taught at Cornell University. He also worked on the Manhattan Project.
• Carl Frederick is a science fiction author and theoretical physicist who lives in Ithaca.
• Karel Husa was a classical composer and conductor who lived in Ithaca and taught at Cornell University. He won a Pulitzer Prize.
• David Lee lived in Ithaca and was a physics professor at Cornell University. He won a Nobel Prize for his work.
• Robert Moog lived in Ithaca. He was an engineer and a pioneer in electronic music. He invented the first commercial synthesizer, the Moog synthesizer, which changed music forever.
• Robert C. Richardson was a physicist and professor at Cornell University who lived in Ithaca. He also won a Nobel Prize.
• Frank Rosenblatt was a psychologist and computer scientist who lived in Ithaca and taught at Cornell University. He was important in the field of artificial intelligence.
• Carl Sagan was a very famous astronomer and science communicator who lived in Ithaca. He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Dragons of Eden and hosted the popular TV series Cosmos.
• Steve Squyres is an astronomer and professor at Cornell University who lives in Ithaca. He was a lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover Mission, which sent robots to Mars.
• Steven Strogatz is a mathematician and professor at Cornell University who lives in Ithaca.
• Steven Stucky was a classical composer and professor at Cornell University who lived in Ithaca. He won a Pulitzer Prize.
• Robert R. Wilson was a physicist who lived in Ithaca and taught at Cornell University. He also worked on the Manhattan Project and designed the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
• Ludwig Wittgenstein was a philosopher who lived in Ithaca and is considered one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century.

Writers and Authors

Ithaca has inspired many authors to create memorable stories and important works.

• A.R. Ammons was a poet and professor at Cornell University who lived in Ithaca. He won a National Book Award.
• Benedict Anderson lived in Ithaca. He was a political scientist and author known for his book Imagined Communities, which explored how nations come to be.
• Stephen L. Carter was born in Ithaca. He is a law professor at Yale University and a best-selling novelist.
• Adam C. Engst is an Ithaca native. He is a technology writer and publishes TidBITS, one of the oldest email newsletters on the internet.
• Alice Fulton is an author and professor at Cornell University who lives in Ithaca.
• Alex Haley was born in Ithaca. He is famous for his book The Autobiography of Malcolm X and his novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family, which was made into a popular TV miniseries.
• Brian Hall is a writer and author who lives in Ithaca.
• David Lehman is a poet, non-fiction writer, and literary critic who lives in Ithaca.
• J. Robert Lennon is an author who lives in Ithaca.
• Vladimir Nabokov was a famous novelist and poet who lived in Ithaca and taught at Cornell University. He wrote the well-known novel Lolita.
• Nicholas Nicastro is a writer, filmmaker, and film critic who lives in Ithaca.
• Thomas Pynchon is an author who lived in Ithaca. He won a National Book Award for his novel Gravity's Rainbow.
• Nick Sagan was born in Ithaca. He is a novelist and screenwriter, and the son of Carl Sagan.
• Sasha Sagan is also an Ithaca native. She is an author, TV producer, filmmaker, and podcaster, and another daughter of Carl Sagan.
• David Foster Wallace was born in Ithaca. He was a celebrated author known for his novel Infinite Jest, which Time magazine called one of the 100 best novels.
• E.B. White lived in Ithaca. He was a beloved author known for children's books like Charlotte's Web. He also wrote for The New Yorker.
• Alexi Zentner is an author who lives in Ithaca.

Leaders and Public Figures

Ithaca has also contributed to the world of politics and public service.

• Alonzo Cornell was born in Ithaca. He was a businessman and politician who served as the 27th governor of New York. He was the son of Ezra Cornell.
• Ezra Cornell lived in Ithaca. He was a businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He helped start Western Union and was a co-founder of Cornell University.
• Amasa Dana lived in Ithaca. He was a lawyer and politician who served multiple terms as a U.S. congressman from New York.
• John H. Camp was born in Ithaca. He was a lawyer and a former U.S. congressman.
• John H. Gear was an Ithaca native. He was a politician who served as the 11th governor of Iowa and later as a U.S. senator.
• Walter S. Grant was born in Ithaca. He was a U.S. Army major general.
• Richard W. Hubbell was an Ithaca native. He was a lawyer and politician in Wisconsin.
• James L. Linderman was born in Ithaca. He was a politician and a former Wisconsin State Assemblyman.
• Matthew F. McHugh was a lawyer and politician who lived in Ithaca. He was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives for many years.
• Benjamin Netanyahu lived in Ithaca as a child because his father was a professor at Cornell University. He later became the prime minister of Israel.
• Roy H. Park was an entrepreneur and media mogul who lived in Ithaca. He founded Park Communications and the Park Foundation.
• Bre Pettis was born in Ithaca. He is an entrepreneur and artist who co-founded MakerBot Industries, a company known for 3D printers.
• Eugene Schuyler was born in Ithaca. He was a scholar, writer, explorer, and diplomat.
• George Schuyler lived in Ithaca. He was a businessman, author, and politician who served as the New York State Treasurer.
• Walter Schuyler was born in Ithaca. He was an officer in the United States Army who reached the rank of brigadier general.
• Henry S. Walbridge was a lawyer and politician who lived in Ithaca and served as a U.S. Congressman.
• Alfred Wells was a lawyer and politician who lived in Ithaca. He was a co-owner of the Ithaca Journal and Advertiser newspaper and also served as a U.S. Congressman.
• Paul Wolfowitz was born in Ithaca. He is a political scientist and diplomat who served as the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, U.S. deputy secretary of defense, and president of the World Bank.