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Tom Ridge became PA governor

Question of the Week - October 10, 2011

Which Pennsylvania governor grew up in public housing?

Tom Ridge served two terms as Governor of Pennsylvania despite having grown up in public housing.  He later became the first Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers.  You can read more about his leap from public housing to public service by visiting the Department of Homeland Security website.

Mr. T Shows Off His Muscles

Question of the Week - August 22, 2011

What actor in the 1980s television show, The A-Team, grew up in public housing?

Born in Chicago, Mr. T (Laurence Tureaud) spent his childhood living in Robert Taylor Homes housing project.  He joined the wrestling team in high school and later became a bodyguard for many famous people, including Steve McQueen, Diana Ross and Mohammed Ali.  Sylvester Stalone noticed him on the set of NBC during a bouncer competition and gave Mr. T a role in the film Rocky.  Eventually, Mr. T was cast in the show, The A-Team, after which he enjoyed immense popularity.

Paul McCartney

Question of the Week - August 8, 2011

What member of the famous British rock band, the Beatles, grew up in public housing?

Born in Liverpool, England, Paul McCartney's family lived in council houses, the British version of public housing.   His father bought him instruments to play and encouraged him to do well in school. After Paul achieved fame and became wealthy from the success of the Beatles, he bought his father a house of his own. 

Jimmy Carter, former US President

Question of the Week July 11, 2011

What United States President once lived in public housing?

Jimmy Carter lived in University Homes Housing Project in Plains, Georgia at a time when he was so poor he could not afford rent.  Twenty years later, he became President of the United States.

Rick Scott running for Governor of Florida

Question of the Week June 20, 2011

What multi-millionaire Republican lived in public housing as a child and became a governor?


Rick Scott became governor of Florida and a multi-millionaire Republican despite having lived in public housing as a child.  He ingeniously turned a negative into a positive in his own campaign commercial when he advertised his public housing roots in order to appeal to working-class people.

Question of the Week 2/28/2010

What former public housing resident became a professor of economics at George Mason University, has a nationally syndicated column and has authored six books?

Born in West Philadelphia, Walter E. Williams grew up in a housing project and became an expert in economics.  Williams has often given testimony before Congress on matters of public policy.  His autobiography, Up From the Projects was published by Hoover Institution Press in December 2010. 

Question of the Week 1/17/2010

What CEO of a private school admissions counseling service has a dad who lived in public housing?

Suzanne Rheault's dad lived in a Boston housing project and escaped poverty after obtaining a scholarship to MIT.  Following in her dad's footsteps, Suzanne became a success in her own right.  She is CEO of Aristotle Circle, a firm that helps people get their children admitted to prestigious private schools.  Ms. Rheault has not forgotten her dad's humble beginnings.  Aristotle Circle aids underprivileged kids by donating a percentage of its profits to the I Have a Dream Foundation.
She made an appearance on the Dr. Phil Show last week.

Question of the Week 11/22/2010

What housing project in the US was named after a Tuskegee Airman?

The Pruitt-Igoe Housing Project in St. Louis, Missouri was named after Wendell Pruitt, a Tuskegee Airman who flew 70 missions over Italy during WWII.  Pruitt died during a training flight in 1945.  A Martian rock was named after him following NASA's Spirit Rover exploration of Mars.

 

Question of the Week July 26, 2010

What famous person lived in a housing project that was re-named after her?

Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina in the history of the United States to become a Supreme Court Justice. Born in the Bronx, Sotomayor lived in Bronxdale Houses Housing Project as a child. She was just nine years old when her father died of a heart condition. Her mother, a nurse, was left to raise her children on her own.

Sonia's mother stressed the importance of education and that was key to Sonia's future success. Sonia won a scholarship to Princeton and later attended Yale Law School, after which she led a prestigious legal career. In 2010, the Bronxdale Houses Housing Project was re-named The Justice Sonia Sotomayor Houses and Community Center in her honor.

Question of the Week July 19, 2010

Who is the most famous resident of Richard Allen Homes, a Philadelphia housing project?

Born on July 12, 1937 as a child Bill Cosby lived in Richard Allen Homes housing project.  Many of the characters in Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids were modeled after people he knew.  Despite a stellar career that made him millions, he never forgot where he came from.  Mr. Cosby has returned to Philadelphia many times for a number of charitable causes.  Read more about Cosby in the Washington Post and his ties to Richard Allen Homes in PhilaPlace.

Question of the Week July 12, 2010

What 19th Century literary genius got his inspiration from having experienced poverty?

You’ve watched it on television every Christmas since you were a kid. It’s the heartwarming story of an old miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who develops empathy for the poor after being visited by apparitions. Ever wondered what inspired this story, A Christmas Carol?

The author of this immortal tale, Charles Dickens, was a 12-year-old boy when his middle-class family ended up in debtor’s prison. Charles was sent to work in a shoe factory, where he was horrified by the deplorable conditions the impoverished laborers were subjected to. Read more details about the experience that “haunted him his entire life” in a brief bio of Dickens written by David Cody, Professor of English at Hartwick College, for The Victorian Web.