Famous Stocktonians

He was born in Stockton, California to parents that were in the restaurant/nightclub business. His father was Hispanic/Filipino and his Mother was English/Native American Cherokee. His Grandfather was a full blooded Chickamauga Cherokee. Ace was born in the same hospital at the same time as singer Chris Isaak. In the summer of 1968, Ace Andres would be introduced to politics. His next door neighbor was California congressman and House Majority Whip John J. McFall (D)CA. Ace would work in the congressman's re-election headquarters. In 1972 Ace would be a volunteer team leader for the "George McGovern for President" Campaign.• Ace Andres Discography

Born in Stockton, California, Warren H. Atherton had no formal higher education. Nonetheless, at age 20, he went to work for the Stockton law office of H.R. McNoble in 1911. Atherton served under General Pershing in France during World War I. Upon his return, he married Ann Holt, the daughter of the founder of Caterpillar Inc. Benjamin Holt. He was admitted to the California State Bar, and began his career as an attorney, eventually gaining notoriety as a Stockton City judge and local president of the Chamber of Commerce. Atherton also worked as the general counsel for the California Department of Veterans Affairs and its preceding boards and commissions from 1935 to 1960. Atherton was consultant to the Secretary of War and envoy to Nelson Rockefeller, Coordinator of International Affairs. During World War II, Atherton served as the National Commander of the American Legion. Atherton was a California Republican, and eventually served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1944, 1948, 1952. Atherton also served on the California Board of Prison Terms and Paroles (1935-1937) and ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate (1957). He died in 1976 and was buried from Morris Chapel at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, where his papers are housed today. •

James Budd was born on May 18, 1851 in Janesville, Wisconsin. At the age of seven, Budd's family immigrated to the West, settling in Stockton, California in 1858. Making Stockton his adoptive city, Budd attended local grammar and high schools before attending the University of California, Berkeley, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity, graduating in 1873. Following his graduation, Budd returned to Stockton to study law, being admitted to the California Bar the following year. His public career in the courts began after being appointed the San Joaquin County deputy district attorney.

During the 1884 elections, the Democratic Party nominated Budd as its candidate for the 2nd California district in the U.S. House of Representatives. His campaign for the House was based on fighting railroad corruption, going as far as to refuse any travel on railroads altogether during the campaign, earning Budd the nickname "Buckboard Jim." Budd successfully won the election, becoming the first Democrat to win the district since the Civil War.

Corrigan worked as a prosecutor in Alameda County, California from 1975 until 1987, at which time she was appointed to the since-abolished Municipal Court. She became a judge of the California Superior Court (the state's principal trial court) and in 1994 a justice of the California Court of Appeal. There, she gained a reputation for legal acumen, serving on a commission that overhauled the state's court rules.

Corrigan is unmarried and has resided in and around Oakland, California for most of her adult life.

Diaz was born in Stockton, California. He went to Tokay High School in Lodi for one year before dropping out. While a freshman, he was a member of the swimming team. Diaz has stated in the past that he is thankful his mother got him into swimming classes because swimming is one of the main reasons why his cardio is so impressive during his fights. Diaz has also said on multiple occasions that he had a hard childhood and grew up without his biological father.

Diaz originally started training in martial arts because he was being bullied by other teenagers who were bigger than he was. He then watched the UFC for the first time and soon wanted to be able to fight in the organization. He has a younger brother named Nathan, who is also a professional MMA fighter and the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5. Nick also regularly competes in triathlons as part of his training. • Nick Diaz Books

Gardner's 1969 novel Fat City is an American classic whose stature has increased over the years. His screen adaptation of Fat City was made into an acclaimed 1972 film of the same title, directed by John Huston. The book and movie are set in and around Stockton and concern the struggles of third-rate pro boxers who only dimly comprehend that none of them will ever make the big time. Devoid of the usual "sweet science" cliches, the book roils with dark pessimism as the characters eke out a gritty existence. It is considered an underappreciated classic of early 1970s cinema. In their memoirs, producer Ray Stark and director John Huston both cited it as among their finest achievements.

Gardner adapted his short story "Jesus Christ Has Returned to Earth and Appears Here Nightly" into the screenplay for the low-budget 1989 film Valentino Returns. He has a small part in the film, playing a character named Lyle.

Gardner has made a couple of other acting appearances, most notably in Francis Ford Coppola's 1988 film Tucker: The Man and His Dream. Gardner appears in a handful of scenes as a character known only as the Gas Station Owner. • Leonard Gardner Books

In addition, Goleman was a co-founder of at the Yale University Child Studies Center (now at the University of Illinois at Chicago) which has a mission to help schools introduce emotional literacy courses. Thousands of schools around the world have begun to implement such programs. Goleman is also a member of the board of directors of the Mind and Life Institute, which fosters dialogues between scientists and contemplatives. • Daniel Goleman Books

Sinking into the mud was a common problem on farmland surrounding Stockton, California where Holt made his residence. Continuous tracks allowed practical cultivation on an industrial scale on the rich farmland. Holt's tractors had a conventional wheel on the front which was used to steer and crawler-type wheels on the back, and looked very similar to traction engines. Hornsby's design incorporated a steering clutch that varied the speed of each set of wheels.

Holt formed The Holt Manufacturing Company in the early 20th century. Continuous tracked tractors were credited as providing some inspiration for the invention of the tank. Later, after Benjamin Holt's death in 1920, the Holt Manufacturing Company of Stockton, California, merged with C.L. Best Tractor Co. of San Leandro, California, to form the Caterpillar Tractor Co., which is now Caterpillar Inc. of Peoria, Illinois, USA. The Holt tractor was constructed under the Caterpillar banner as the Caterpillar 60. • Benjamin Holt Books

Isaak signed a contract to Warner Bros. Records in 1984 for his first album Silvertone. The tracks "Gone Ridin'" and "Livin' for Your Lover", from this album, were featured in David Lynch's cult classic Blue Velvet. Isaak's second self-titled album Chris Isaak was photographed by fashion photographer Bruce Weber. Isaak's contract was renewed in 1988 when Warner Bros. moved him to their Reprise Records label.

Chris Isaak onstage in Berkeley, California - 1986His best-known song is "Wicked Game". Though released on the 1989 album Heart Shaped World, an instrumental version of the song was later featured in the 1990 David Lynch film Wild at Heart. Lee Chesnut, an Atlanta radio station music director who was obsessed with Lynch films, began playing the vocal version and it quickly became the station's most-requested song. Chesnut spread the word to other radio stations around the country and the single became a national Top 10 hit in February 1991. . • Chris Isaak Website • Chris Isaak Discography

Kingston was born in Stockton, California to first generation Chinese immigrants, Tom and Ying Lan Hong. He was a laundry worker and gambling house owner and she was a practitioner of medicine. Kingston was the third of eight children and the eldest of the six children born in the United States. Her mother trained as a midwife at the To Keung School of Midwifery in Canton. Her father was brought up as a scholar and taught in his village of Sun Woi, near Canton. Tom left China for America in 1924. He was able to bring his wife over in 1939.

Kingston was drawn to writing at a young age and won a five dollar prize from “Girl Scout Magazine” for an essay she wrote entitled “I Am an American.” She majored in engineering at Berkeley before switching to English. In 1962 Kingston married Earll Kingston, an actor, and began a high school teaching career. • Maxine Hong Kingston Books

Discovered by the actress Norma Shearer, Leigh secured a contract with MGM and began her film career in the late 1940s. She appeared in several popular films over the following decade, including Houdini (1953), in which she co-starred with her husband, Tony Curtis.

From the end of the 1950s, she played more dramatic roles in such films as Touch of Evil (1958) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962), but she achieved her most lasting recognition for her performance as the doomed Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). For this role she was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Her acting career declined from the mid 1960s. However, she continued to appear occasionally in films and television, including two performances with her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis in The Fog (1980) and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998). ( Psycho, Touch of Evil) (attended University of the Pacific) • Janet Leigh Books

Curtis was born in Los Angeles, California, the child of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Her paternal grandparents were Hungarian Jewish immigrants. Curtis's parents divorced in 1962 and her mother then married Robert Brandt. Curtis has an older sister, Kelly Curtis, who is also an actress, and several half-siblings (all from her father's remarriages), Alexandra, Allegra, Ben, and Nicholas Curtis (who died in 1994 of a drug overdose). Curtis attended both Westlake School in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills High School, but graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall. Returning to California in 1976, Jamie attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Jamie considered majoring in social work, but left after a semester in order to pursue a career in acting. Trading Places, A Fish Called Wanda) (attended University of the Pacific) • Jamie Lee Curtis Books

Spanos earned varsity letters in running and diving at the University of the Pacific in Stockton and later distinguished himself as an amateur golfer. Spanos was the first person ever to be on the winning teams in both the Bob Hope Desert Classic in Palm Desert (1977) and the Bob Hope British Pro-Am (1980).

Spanos began life working as a baker, but when the business nearly went bankrupt, he decided to go in a different direction. In 1951, he used an $800 loan to purchase a small trucking company, which he turned into a successful enterprise. Spanos used his profits to invest in real estate, and by 1960, he had an incorporated business.

Alex Spanos also was the recipient of the AHEPA Award, the prestigious awards to recognize members of the community for their contributions and achievements in their chosen field of endeavor.

The elder Spanos was one of the largest contributors to George W. Bush's campaign in 2004. By contributing $5 million to 527 groups that supported the Bush campaign in 2004, Spanos ranked among the top five GOP donors. President Bush appointed Spanos to the Kennedy Center board in 2004. Spanos was inducted into the California Building Industry Hall of Fame in 2005. • Alex Spanos Books

A hard-thrower, Sprague did not play at school level. He was scouted while pitching in the Army in Germany and was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1966. A year later he was sold to the Oakland Athletics. He entered the majors in 1968 with the Athletics, playing for them until 1969 before joining the Cincinnati Reds (1971-1973), St. Louis Cardinals (1973[mid]) and Milwaukee Brewers (1973-1976). He filled various pitching roles, coming out from the bullpen as a closer or a middle reliever, and as an occasional starter as well. His most productive season came in 1974 with Milwaukee, when he set career-highs in wins (7), strikeouts (57) and earned run average (2.39) in 20 games, including 10 as a starter, before damaging knee ligaments during the midseason which ruled him out for the year.

Following his playing career, Sprague became the owner of the Stockton Ports and his wife the owner of the Lodi Crushers, both teams based in the California League. His son, Ed Jr., was the Toronto Blue Jays' first pick in the 1988 draft and played in the majors from 1991-2001. •

Stagg became the first paid football coach at Williston Seminary, a secondary school, in 1890. This was also Stagg's first time receiving pay to coach football. He would coach there one day a week while also coaching full time at Springfield College. He moved on to coach at the University of Chicago (1892-1932), and the College of the Pacific (1932-46), after he was forced to retire from Chicago at the age of 70. During his career, he developed numerous basic tactics for the game (including the man in motion and the lateral pass), as well as some equipment. Stagg played himself in the movie Knute Rockne, All American released in 1940. From 1947 to 1952 he served as a co-head coach with his son at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. In 1924, he served as a coach with the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team in Paris. Known as the "grand old man" of college football, Stagg died in Stockton, California, at 102 years old.• Amos Alonzo Stagg Books