We’ve all seen the signs.
“Birthplace of Elvis Presley.”
“Welcome to Leesburg, home of country music artist Luke Bryan.”
“Home of state bowling champion Roy Munson.”
Now that’s an honor to aspire to.
These days, there is a similar, and perhaps more common, honor to have your name listed under the “Notable people” section of your hometown’s Wikipedia page.
Clark County has oodles of those people. Not that everyone who gets famous is looking for fame; these folks might just be the best at what they do, or close to it.
The seven noteworthy people we’ve rounded up represent a cross-section that should show Clark County natives are and have been good at pretty much everything.
(This list is meant only for entertainment purposes and is in no way comprehensive. It was subject to both random selection and suggestion and only includes those born here. The order presented is likewise random and does not indicate rank.)
With that fine print out of the way, may we present:
• Anna Mary Carty Shoen
Growing up on the Carty ranch in Ridgefield, did anyone suspect Anna Mary would one day rule an empire? Co-founder of the now-ubiquitous moving company, U-Haul, it was to A.M. Shoen that rental dealers wrote their checks in the 1940s. She handled business while her husband worked in the field. She died in 1957 after helping change how America moves.
• Richie Frahm
This Battle Ground native saw time in the NBA, playing for the Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves and for several overseas teams. He cut his teeth as a Tiger at Battle Ground High School and played for the highly ranked Gonzaga University team in college. Frahm these days applies his 6-foot-5 frame to a bicycle frame, competing in dozens of events every year.
• Jimmie Rodgers
No list of notable Clark County natives would be complete without the famous crooner of Camas. Rodgers reached fame with his chart-topping rendition of “Honeycomb” in 1957 and followed it up with a number of other charting pop hits. In 2013, the street Rodgers grew up on in Camas was ceremonially named for him.
• Frances Yeend
While Rodgers was working on his next hit, Yeend was singing her way to the top of another genre. Born in Vancouver in 1913, Yeend debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1961 in “Elektra.” She died at the age of 95 in 2008, and an obituary writer wrote that “even in her 90s, the beloved soprano could sing lines from her famous arias respectably well.”
• Mike Barratt
Everyone wants to be an astronaut. Camas native Mike Barratt can show you how. The 56-year-old has spent more than 200 days on the International Space Station and was part of the final voyage of the space shuttle Discovery. From Papermaker to spacewalker, Barratt now resides in Houston.
• Randy Myers
This Evergreen High School and Clark College product would win two World Series rings in his 14-year Major League Baseball career. Myers was part of the Mets’ 1986 championship team and came into his own as a closing pitcher in 1990 for the Reds, who swept Oakland for that year’s World Series win. The Vancouver native has since started the Randy Myers Foundation and is involved in charity work.
• Tamina
Clark County really can do it all. Tamina is the stage name of Sarona Snuka-Polamalu, a Vancouver native who has been a professional wrestler with WWE (World Wresting Entertainment, Inc.) since 2009. Tamina adopted the Superfly Splash, a move invented by her WWE Hall of Fame father Jimmy Snuka. The 37-year-old has appeared in video games and in the 2015 movie “Hercules.”
