Brandy Burre - Actress

When I met Brandy Burre,  her hair was pulled back, and her features, elegance and dazzling smile reminded me of Audrey Hepburn.

You know Brandy from her recurring role as Theresa D'Agostino, the Washington, DC-based lawyer and political consultant in the popular HBO series The Wire.

Among other projects, she also landed a role in Listen Up Philip starring Jason Schwartzman and Elisabeth Moss.

In 2014, Robert Greene collaborated with Brandy to make the  documentary Actress, where she plays herself. She has quite a story.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Bob Gale: Writer of Screenplays and Comic Books

In the summer of 1980, Bob Gale was looking through his father's high school year book and discovered his father was senior class president. He wondered about his fathers personality at that age, what other students thought of him, and what it would be like to be in school with his parents.

He teamed up with Robert Zemeckis, and began writing the movie Back to the Future. 

Their script was rejected 40 times before it was accepted.

Bob and Robert also wrote the two sequels; Bob produced all three.

In 1985, both were nominated for an Academy Award.

Bob has written a host of additional movies, and also written stories for comic books, including Marvel and DC Comics, and was one of the writers on The Amazing Spider-Man.

He resides in Los Angeles.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. 

All rights reserved.

Jim Eisenreich - Baseball Player

Jim Eisenreich enjoyed a 15-year career playing baseball for both American League and the National League teams, including the Kansas City Royals.

When he played for the Philadelphia Phillies, his excellent batting average helped the team win the National League pennant.

Jim has Tourette syndrome, and he voluntarily took himself out of the game for a few years while he underwent treatment. Kirby Puckett took his place on the Minnesota Twins roster.

He was the first recipient of the Tony Conigliaro Award given annually to a Major League Baseball player who has overcome a significant obstacle in his life.

Jim established the Jim Eisenreich Foundation for children with Tourette syndrome. The goal of the foundation is to help children with the syndrome achieve personal success.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Bob Kendrick - Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

#AfricanAmericanLeaders

"You need to see the pain that (African Americans) have suffered, but you also need to see their successes."

Bob Kendrick is making, and preserving, history as President of the landmark Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. 

It is the only museum in the United States dedicated solely to the Negro Leagues' contribution to baseball and American culture.

Anyone who has been around Bob knows he is an unsurpassed ambassador and historian.

This article, written by Nate Taylor and published in The New York Times, tells the story.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Lee Judge - Political Cartoonist, Writer

Lee Judge arrived at the Kansas City Star newspaper in 1981, after being a political cartoonist for the Sacramento Union and the San Diego Union.

His cartoons have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, The Boston Globe, Washington Monthly and National Review.

He also writes a blog, Judging the Royals, an inside look at baseball and the Kansas City Royals.

Lee's work has been featured on Good Morning America, The MacNeil / Lehrer NewsHour and C-Span.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Nate Bukaty - Sports Radio

Nate Bukaty is a part of the morning show on Sports Radio 810 WHB.

 
Nate has traveled with the Kansas City Royals hosting pre-game and post-game radio shows, is a sideline reporter for Kansas University Football, the play-by-play voice for Kansas Women's Basketball and was the clubhouse reporter for FOX Sports Net Kansas City Royals post-game coverage.

Now, Sporting Kansas City, the soccer team, has appointed Nate play-by-play announcer for the 2015 season. He will be the lead voice on locally-televised matches and select radio broadcasts.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Willie Wilson - Baseball Great

It is opening day for the Kansas City Royals baseball team, and I want to honor Willie Wilson. 

Willie was the lead-off hitter for the Royals, and helped win the World Series in 1985.

Photograph © 2015 Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.

Chad Troutwine: Entrepreneur, Movie Producer

After earning a law degree, Chad Troutwine was awarded an MBA from Yale School of Management, and a masters degree from Harvard Kennedy School. 

Chad co-founded Spectrum Station, an early childhood education center, then went on to establish Veritas Prep, the world's largest privately-held college test preparatory and admissions consulting company. 

These accomplishments landed him on the cover of Entrepreneur magazine, and Forbes magazine named him Forbes Future Capitalist of the Year.

In his spare time, Chad has produced 15 independent movies.

He resides in Malibu, California.

Photograph © Larry F. Levenson. All rights reserved.