Rod Allin - (1929-2002) Cinematographer (TV’s “Wild Kingdom”) and internationally known ski instructor and racer.

James Blanchard - Governor of Michigan; graduate of Ferndale High School, 1960.

Bill Bonds - Newscaster; lived for a short time in Ferndale.

Otto Brown - (1905-1966) Member, Fred Waring Chorale (TV); long-time music director, Lincoln High School and Drayton Avenue Presbyterian Church.

Susan Calloway - The singer-songwriter called Ferndale home for many years during the 1990s-2000s. Her voice and songs have been featured on hundreds of commercials, TV shows, films, and online game franchise Final Fantasy.

Ron Carter - (b. 1937) Internationally known jazz bassist and classical and jazz cellist; Member, Miles Davis’ Band, Herbie Hancock and others.

Mary Ann Chappell (Mother Handsome) - A prominent and well-liked landlady with a fascinating history (which one day will be a full story in the Crow's Nest). She created and ran taverns to help travelers along the Saginaw Trail (now Woodward) in the early 1800s. Her first was an 1815 log cabin near the Palmer Park cabin in Detroit. Then a 1920 log cabin near Woodward and Lafayette in Royal Oak. Finally an 1833 framed building on the West side of Woodward between what is now Oakridge and Drayton (the first framed building in Ferndale).

Scott Christopher - (b.1967) Author (“The Levity”) and actor (“The Best Two Years,” My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend”).

Whitfield Connor - Actor in movies, stage, TV, radio: “Lone Ranger,” member Maurice Evans Shakespeare Company; Movies: “Tap Root” w/ Susan Hayward; “Prince of Pirates” w/John Derek; TV: “Dragnet,” “Another World,” “Guiding Light.”

Craig Covey - First openly gay mayor in Michigan (2007-2010).

The Dappers - (1950s/60s) Doo-Wop Singing Group; appeared on “American Bandstand.” all LHS grads.

William J. Doble - (1904-1972) Local railroad traffic controller; became Chairman of the National Brotherhood of Railroad Signalman (1931-1962).

Dana Elcar - (1927-2005) Actor, on NY stage (“Inherit the Wind” and others); some 40 movies (including “The Sting”); TV series: “Rockford Files,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Baretta,” and “McGuyver.”

Hulda Moses Campbell Haines - Sister of Annie Oakley (marksman in ‘‘Buffalo Bill” shows); Annie’s husband, Frank Butler, died at Hulda’s home in Ferndale, 1926.

Peter Hanson - Actor, TV’s “General Hospital” for years; starred in a number of movies (“Branded” w/Alan Ladd). Graduate of Lincoln High School, 1940.

George Higgins - (1898-1977) Owner, Higgins Pontiac, Ferndale; State Senator (4 terms); State Rep. (3 terms); ran against George Romney for Governor of Michigan.

B'Wana Don Hunt - (1931 - 2016 ) Don Hunt grew up in Ferndale, lived on Ardmore Street, and graduated from St. James High School in 1949. He went on to create successful businesses and charities focused on pets and animals. More is available HERE.

Jill Jack - Jill grew up in Huntington Woods and has lived in Ferndale for 30+ years. Her work includes self-written songs in a style she broadly calls Americana, encompassing elements of folk, rock, country, pop and blues. Her talent has taken her around the globe, performing solo and with her band at sold-out shows, opening for world-renowned acts, and still playing local Ferndale events.

Charles F. Jaeger - Inventor, builder of the Jaeger Automobile (4 made, 1930s); local resident.

George Keeler - One of the architects on the construction of the Fisher Building.

Kathy Kosins - Nationally recognized jazz singer, ASCAP winner song writer, record producer, and celebrated abstract painter.

Homer LeClair - (d. 1967) Lawyer, Nuremburg Trials. 1936 Lincoln High School graduate.

The Luddites - A Ferndale based 11-piece original music group has been called a ‘Bohemian Folk Orchestra’.

Josh Malerman - (b. 1975 ) A prolific Writer, and member of the band High Strung, Josh lived in Ferndale during the 2010s. More information is available HERE.

Orma McCormick - Recognized poet, science fiction writer, publisher, 1950s; first Michigan poet ever elected to the American Poets Fellowship Society (1954), included in “Who’s Who in American Poetry.”

Alice Middleton - Later Mrs. George McDougall, Alice shared her harrowing tale of survival aboard the Lusitania. A poem she wrote is in the 2003 Crow’s Nest and more information is available HERE

George Peppard - George's parents owned a home in Ferndale, but details are scarce.

Billy Peterson - (1905-1931) Light middleweight champ of Michigan (1925), later Ferndale firefighter. 1924 Lincoln High School graduate.

Bob Pisor - Well-known TV newscaster and personality, retired to ownership of Stone House Bakery in Leland, MI. 1957 Lincoln High School graduate.

Insane Clown Posse - During the 1990s, aspiring rapper Violent (aka Joseph Bruce), moved to Ferndale from Berkley and formed the rowdy duo known as The Inner City Posse (later known as Insane Clown Posse), attaining cult-like status with its legion of fans.

Purple Gang - The infamous Pup le Gang of the 1930s was noted in many stories (some of them probably true) to have committed crimes in Ferndale, had hideouts here, and their clothier lived here. Several members are buried in Ferndale's Machapelah cemetery.

Bill Schmidt - NY Times correspondent, won Pulitzer Prize for Challenger disaster coverage. 1963 Ferndale High School graduate.

Gary Schuster - News reporter, Daily Tribune, Detroit News, and then CBS-TV White House correspondent.

The Spinners - Doo Wop/R&B singing group. Grammy nominees 6 times, 12 gold records, met at Ferndale High School, late 1950s.

Paul Sutton / Sgt. Preston of the Yukon - (1920 - 1970) Radio star with an amazing life that you can read about in the January 2014 Crow's Nest. After being diagnosed with MS, and the loss of his Wife, Paul maintained his independence in his Ferndale home. His Ferndale grocer, George Grieb, delivered his supplies; the Ferndale library staff kept him stocked with reading material; and a Ferndale barber, Nate Garfinkel, cut his hair at home.

Howard J Trumbo - ( - 1970) World's first Radio D.J. Mr Trumbo had been manager of the Edison Phonograph Shop in Detroit in 1920. His friends, Elton Plant and Frank Edwards, were working on a transmitter for the Evening News Association. The association obtained a license to put a station on the air and began experimenting, trying to get voices and music into the transmitter and on the air. Mr. Trumbo devised a cardboard cone that would come out of the Edison phonograph speaker and into the mouthpiece of the transmitter. On Aug. 2, 1920, the station went on the air with regularly scheduled programs of news, music and weather broadcasts. Mr. Trumbo was responsible for playing music, thus earning him the reputation as the first disc jockey. He worked for 35 years at the Faygo Beverage Company retiring in 1968. Read more in the January 2014 Crow's Nest

Ed Ungerman - Ferndale Schools’ bus driver awarded a citation (1956) by President Eisenhower for driving 7,000,000 miles in 32 years with no accidents.

Michael Voris - (b. 1961) TV news reporter, anchor and reporter for CBS, 4 Emmys. Now media specialist for conservative Catholic faith network.

Walter White - (b. 1963) Trumpet player, appears with top names in jazz, including Maynard Ferguson; did soundtracks for “Taxi” and “The Cosby Show,”appears with various symphonies.

Michael Zadoorian - The author of four novels, one of which became a motion picture, still calls Ferndale home. He radio show "Retro Groove" can be heard each week on Ferndale's local radio station. Read more about Michael HERE.

This is an ongoing list compiled from various sources in the Ferndale Historical Museum archives, including clipping files from various local newspapers, TV reports, and Society member memories. Corrections, edits, and additions welcome! Send them to:
info@ferndalehistoricalsociety.org