With every Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, gets its place in the national spotlight thanks to its most famous resident. The city's prophetic groundhog Punxsutawney Phil declares when spring will make its entrance, and his image can be found on all sorts of memorabilia and collector's items. However, Punxsutawney can count a diverse group of notable residents in its history as well.
Born in Punxsutawney in 1836, Jenks was Solicitor General during the first term of President Grover Cleveland. From 1875 to 1877, Jenks was Pennsylvania’s congressman for the 44th Congress. Over the course of his political career, Jenks was the Democratic nominee in the 1898 Pennsylvania governor’s race, and was also the state’s Democratic senate nominee in 1899. In 1908, Jenks died in Brookville, Pennsylvania, with a surviving daughter.
Best-selling children’s author Florence Parry Heide was born in Pittsburgh in 1919 but spent most of her childhood in Punxsutawney. Among Parry Heide’s most famous literary works are My Castle, That’s What Friends are For, The Shrinking of Treehorn and A Promise is a Promise. As of September 2010, Parry Heide resides in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Wilbur Good was born in Punxsutawney in 1885, and in 1905 he began his career as a pitcher and right-fielder in the early days of American baseball. Initially signing as a free agent, Good spent 11 years as a professional player for teams including the Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Highlanders, later known as the New York Yankees. Good died in 1963 in Brooksville, Florida.
