Robert Brokenburr (1886-1974)
Civil rights leader; first African American American elected to the Indiana State Senate
Rev. Andrew J. Brown, Jr. (1921-1996)
Pastor and civil rights leader; co-founder of Indiana Black Expo
Mary Ellen Cable (1861-1944)
Educator and civic leader; first president of Indiana chapter of NAACP
Hoagie Carmichael (1899-1981)
Musician, composer and songwriter of popular film and stage tunes
Julia Carson (1938-2007)
Elected official from Indianapolis; first Black woman to represent Indianapolis in Washington DC
Harriette Bailey Conn (1922-1981)
Attorney, politician and civil rights activist who championed the rights of women and minorities
William “Bill” Crawford (1936-2015)
Politician who initiated the Kennedy-King memorial; co-founder of Indiana Black Expo
Feliciano “Felix” Espinoza (1927-2007)
Co-founder of the Hispanic Multi-Service Center (aka El Centro, now La Plaza)
Mari Evans (1919-2017)
Black Arts Movement poet, writer and playwright
(Rabbi) Morris Marcus Feuerlicht (1879-1959)
Co-founder, Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis; spokesman against the Ku Klux Klan
Calvin Fletcher (1798-1866)
Attorney, banker and farmer; Indiana state senator
Father Boniface Hardin (1933-2012)
Social activist; founding President of Martin University
Pres. Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901)
23rd President of the United States
William Hudnut (1932-2016)
Beloved 45th mayor of Indianapolis who elevated the city to national prominence
Anton “Tony” Hulman, Jr. (1901-1977)
Businessman who turned the Indianapolis Motor Speedway into an international motorsports venue
Sam Jones (1928-2006)
Civil rights leader; first president of the Indianapolis Urban League
Amelia R. Keller (1871-1943)
Doctor, medical pioneer and suffragist; first female faculty member at IU School of Medicine
Moy Jin Kee (1847-1914)
Immigrant and merchant who fought for citizenship rights; known as "the mayor of Indianapolis' Chinese community"
Bobby “Slick” Leonard (1932-2021)
Championship Pacers coach, pro basketball player and color commentator
Col. Eli Lilly (1838-1898)
Founder of internationally known pharmaceutical company; inspired the creation of the FDA
Josiah Lilly Sr. (1861-1948)
Industrialist and philanthropist; established Lilly Endowment Inc.
Josiah Lilly Jr. (1893-1966)
Industrialist and philanthropist; donated his Oldfields estate to form the Indianapolis Museum of Art (now Newfields)
Eli Lilly (1885-1977)
Industrialist and philanthropist; historic preservation activist
Dr. Frank Perry Lloyd (1919-2002)
Physician, civic leader, first Black president of Methodist Hospital
Daisy Riley Lloyd (1928-2019)
First African American woman to serve in the Indiana legislature (1964); co-founder of the Center for Leadership Development
Richard Green Lugar (1932-2019)
Former Indianapolis mayor and longtime senator from Indiana
Edna Martin (1897-1974)
Civic leader in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood; youth and teen advocate
William G. “Bill” Mays (1945-2014)
Industrialist and civic leader
Wes Montgomery (1923-1968)
Internationally known, revolutionary jazz musician
John Morton-Finney (1889-1998)
Attorney, educator and civil rights activist
Willard B. “Mike” Ransom (1916-1995)
Civil rights attorney who won the integration of Indiana’s schools 5 years before Brown vs. Board of Education
Henry J. Richardson Jr. (1902-1983)
Attorney and politician who fought discrimination in awarding publicly funded contracts
Roselyn Comer Richardson (1913-2005)
Equal-rights activist who successfully fought discrimination in IPS schools
James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)
Writer, poet and author known as the “Hoosier Poet” and “Children’s Poet”
Carolyn “Carrie” Barnes Ross (1883-1918)
Educator; helped organize Indiana’s first all African-American led suffrage organization
May Wright Sewall (1844-1920)
One of Indiana’s best-known leaders in the women’s suffrage movement
Mel Simon (1926-2009)
Businessman and philanthropist; owner of the Indiana Pacers
George Pheldon Stewart (1874-1924)
Civil rights leader and co-founder of the Indianapolis Recorder newspaper
Marshall “Major” Taylor (1878-1932)
International cycling champion and racial justice advocate
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1922-2007)
Literary icon whose books became classics of American counterculture
Madam CJ Walker (1867-1919)
Philanthropist, social activist and first female self-made millionaire
Herman Wells (1902-2000)
Educational visionary; 12th president of Indiana University
John Wooden (1910-2010)
Championship NCAA basketball coach known as “the Wizard of Westwood”
