I was making a list of the most influential people in my life, that other people would recognize. I acknowledge that the real influences on our lives are relatives, teachers, coaches etc, but I wanted people to be able to recognize the names. I thought I could come up with 10, but the list quickly expanded to 20. In no particular order:

Stan Lee
Jack Kirby
Charles Schultz
Gary Trudeau
Chuck Jones
John Irving
Bill James
Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy
Groucho Marx
Steve Martin
Johny Carson
David Letterman
Michael J Fox
Bob Costas
Michael Palin
John Cleese
Cal Ripken
Ted Williams
Lou Gehrig

Speaking of famous people, in order I thought of them:

Ronald Reagan
Sylvester Stallone
Don Mattingly
Hulk Hogan
Stan Lee
George Lucas
Michael J. Fox/writers Family Ties
George Washington
Teddy Roosevelt
Jim Carrey
Billy Joel
Bill Cosby

I did a top 10. Without looking until I was done, I was suprised to see so many who were also on your list, Garp.

Bill Clinton
Morrissey
Bill Cosby
John Cleese
FDR
Stan Lee
Neal Adams (though I didn't know it at the time)
Bill Gates
Steve Irwin
David Letterman
Gary Larson

Okay, here we go...

Jack Kirby
Joe Shuster
Jerry Siegal
Stan Lee
Mike Allred
Mike Mignola
Jim Lee
Rob Liefeld
Anthony Kiedis
Flea
John Frusciante
Bill Watterson
Sly Stallone
Bruce Lee
Sean Connery
Joe Madureira
David DeAngelo
George Washington
Abe Lincoln
FDR

I guess that's twenty...

Harlan Ellison
Martin Scorsese
George Carlin
Aimee Mann
Joe Jackson
Richard Pryor
Governor Ann Richards
George Orwell
Neil Gaiman
Rod Serling
Francis Ford Coppola
Alfred Hitchcock
Billy Joel
Suzanne Vega
Aaron Sorkin
Bill Hicks

That's only 16, but I'm sure I'll think of more later.

(If Mrs. Peel makes her way into this thread, she's going to make noise about there being very few women's names being put forth. Just you wait, Henry Higgins! Just you wait!)

ok..

Michelangelo Buonarroti
Leonardo Da Vinci
Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco
William Morris
Sylvia Pankhurst
Andy Warhol
Jack Kirby
Charles Dickens
hanif kureishi
Gilbert & George
Lou Reed
Morrissey
Johnny Marr
Bobby Moore
Clement Atlee
Jim Kerr
John Byrne
George Lansbury
Elizabeth Garrett
Michael Stipe

Captain Kangaroo
Bill Hanna
Joe Barbera
Gene Roddenberry
Mort Weisinger
Curt Swan
Julius Schwartz
Dick Dillin
Nick Cardy
Jim Aparo
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Pierre Bouelle
Jeff Lynne
Steve Martin
Neal Adams
Alex Robinson
Drew Friedman
Arthur C. Clarke
Alan Moore
Bruce Timm

Henry Rollins
Eddie Van Halen
Truett Cathy
Alfred Hitchcock
Michael Crichton
Stephen King
Jason Kay
Bill Gates
John Byrne
Newt Gingrich
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stan Lee
George Lucas
Gene Roddenberry
Steven Spielberg
Ben Folds
Bill Gates
Ronald Reagan
Jerry Siegel
Joe Shuster

Robert Heinlein
Page/Plant
Mark Twain
John Byrne
Gene Roddenberry
Jon Anderson
Dave Cockrum
Keith Giffen
Ronald Reagan
Jim Croce
Arthur C Clarke
Harlan Ellison
Stan Lee
Jack Kirby
Don Heck
John Buscema
Roy Thomas
Roger Stern
and

of course

L. Ron Hubbard. .... .... ... kidding.

Fred Rogers
Jim Henson
Hanna
Barbera
George Lucas
Whoever made G/I/ Joe
Abner DoubleDay
Stan Lee
Jim Shooter-for Secret Wars
James Naismith
after that its pretty much a crapshoot.

Add Fred Rogers and Jim Henson to my list. and maybe even Bob, Gordon, and Linda from Sesame Street. and hell, add W. too

Interesting the people who put relatively new people. I don't think anyone has really changed me or affected me in that way since childhood, other than probably W. in his first 3 or 4 years.

Jesus
Jonathan, prince of Israel
David, king of Israel (the psalms he wrote)
Elijah
Jeremiah
Isaiah
Paul of Tarsus
Luke the evangelist
John Milton
J.R.R. Tolkien
Edith Hamilton
Isaac Watts
John Newton
Carl Barks
C.M. Schulz

Can't really think of more that anybody here would be likely to have heard of.

Well, yeah, Jesus. I thought that was understood

Jesus is completely non-existant for me, I do not think of him at all.

Frank, is that Joe Jackson the singer/songwriter/musician? I have seen in concert three times.

This is my position as well.


It certainly is, and you're one concert up on me.

This comment was not meant for you.

From the Bible:
1. Ruth and Naomi (For Faith)
2. Queen Esther (For Courage)
3. Rahab (For Trust in God whom she did not know)
4. Rebekkah (wife of Isaac; For Love)
5. Sarah (wife of Abraham; For Obedience)
6. Abigail (who became King David's wife, For Sensibleness and Foresight)
7. Job (For Integrity)
8. Moses (For Humility)
9. Abel (For Unselfishness)
9. David (For Respecting what is Holy and Faithfulness)
10. Jonathan (For Love of Others)
11. Daniel and the 3 Hebrew companions in exile in Babylon (Unwavering Devotion before God)
12. Jesus (For doing his Father's will so we may all live)
13. The Faithful Apostles (for doing a work entrusted to them Faithfully)
14. Paul (leaving behind a course of futility)
15. My parents (For teaching me)
16. Earl George Routledge; My Grandfather (For being Larger than Life)
17. Agnes Mae Routledge; My Grandmother (For being a Lady)
18. Andra (For being my sister)
19. Kevin Earl Routledge (For just being)
20. Jehovah (For bringing us all into being)

Another couple of good ones:

Deborah (provided leadership and showed courage)
Huldah (was ready to speak God's word when she got the chance)

You have family members who were in the bible?? Man, and I thought my New York connections were something.

Fixed.

Yes, ma'am.

Jesus
Paul the Apostle
Luke (Apostle)
Matthew (Apostle)
Mark (Apostle)
John (Apostle)
King David
Moses
Alanis Morissette
My Grandmother
Christine (My sis)
U2
Jerry Howarth (Blue Jays Announcer)
Spider Jones (Announcer)
Chantel Kraviazuk (Singer)
Paul McCartney
John Lennon
Kim (My friend)
Betty (Friend)
John (Friend)