Heroes & Trailblazers

Be inspired by fascinating men and women whose drive and determination transformed our country and our lives.

Jennie Grossinger (1892-1972), Garment Worker to Resort Owner

  • Established a world-class, financially successful resort

Jennie Grossinger was born in Austria in 1892 to parents who wanted to save enough blankmoney to bring the family to America for a better life.  When Jennie was five, her father emigrated, and three years later he had saved enough money to bring Jennie, her younger sister, and her mother to New York; they lived on the lower east side.  Her father, a former real estate overseer, was now a coat presser; life was not easy.

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Jean Carroll (1911-2010), Pioneered the Path for Female Stand-Up Comediennes

  • blankOne of the early female comics (Moms Mabley preceded her, performing in the 1910s, but she was on the black vaudeville circuit; more about her another day)
  • Appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show more than twenty times

Born Celine Zeigman in Paris, France, she moved with her family to New York City when she was still a child. Her father was abusive to her mother. Growing up in that atmosphere led Celine to the conclusion that she needed to be self-supporting, to never have to be dependent upon a man.

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