You May Be Surprised at the Number of Famous People from Sedalia

Believe it or not, there is quite a list of famous people from Sedalia. From actors to politicians the list is plentiful.

According to the source of the list, Wikipedia defines what is to be included:

The following is a list of people who were born in, have lived in, or are otherwise associated with American city of Sedalia, Missouri; they are known as Sedalians.

Starting off alphabetically, i.e., who is deemed famous by category we begin with Actors:

• Lucille McVey - She was a film screenwriter and silent film actress. You may recognize some of her relative's names-John, Lionel, and Ethel Barrymore. She was related to the three by marriage.
• Jack Oakie - He was worked in radio, stage, and television but he was mostly known for his starring role in films. He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in the 1940 film The Great Dictator.

Jumping to the category of Music you have to begin with one of the most recognizable musicians to come out of Sedalia-Scott Joplin. Others include the following:

• Scott Hayden - He wrote his own music and collaborated with Scott Joplin on other ragtime pieces.
• Leroy Van Dyke - Leroy was actually born in Mora but his closeness/proximity to, and association with the State Fair City, lands him on this list.

The Military has a long list of distinguished Sedalians. Four were Generals in the U.S. Army while one serviceman born in Sedalia received notoriety as being the first airmen killed in World War II. George Allison Whiteman was killed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

One other Sedalian that, in my opinion, is worth mentioning is J.L. Babcock. He was a mayor in Sedalia for four different terms. The first time was in 1901 when he took office after Mayor John D. Crawford died in office. Babcock's last term was held from 1924-1928.

There's many more noteworthy people that were considered Sedalians due to being born in, have lived in, or are otherwise associated with Sedalia. Here's to hoping for another listing of those great Sedalians in the near future.