Michael T. Mondak speaks: 40 til 40 day 17

This is day 17 of the 40 til 40 series of blog entries leading to my 40th birthday on July 10.  40 til 40 is about anything and everything relevant to the number 40.

Last time I talked about the 40 best golf shots I have ever hit.  This entry talks about 40 of my fellow natives of Hampton Roads (not including Portsmouth).

Johnny Gilbert:  Newport News native and longtime announcer on Jeopardy!

Joyce Bulifant:  Newport News native and actress; was semiregular on Match Game during the Gene Rayburn era.

Michael Copon:  Chesapeake native and winner of But Can They Sing?

Alonzo Mourning:  Chesapeake native and NBA star.

Dwight “Mad Dog” White:  Hampton native and member of the 1970s Steel Curtain defense.

Allen Iverson:  Hampton native and NBA star.

Ella Fitzgerald:  Newport News native and jazz singer.

Curtis Strange:  Norfolk native and 2x U.S. Open champion.

Larry Sabato:  Norfolk native and political analyst.

Kendra Todd:  Virginia Beach native and winner of The Apprentice 3.

Tim Reid:  Norfolk native best known as Marcel Brown on Simon & Simon, Venus Flytrap on WKRP in Cincinnati and Ray Campbell on Sister, Sister.

James Avery:  Suffolk native best known as Philip Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Mike Tomlin:  Hampton native and current Pittsburgh Steelers head coach.

Mills E. Godwin Jr.:  Suffolk native and former governor of Virginia.

Gabby Douglas:  Virginia Beach native and Olympic gold medal winning gymnast.

Pharrell Williams:  Virginia Beach native and Grammy winning rapper.

Jesse Britt:  Suffolk native and football player turned police officer and preacher.

Jay Pharoah:  Chesapeake native and comedian.

Kenny Easley:  Chesapeake native and Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Gene Vincent:  Norfolk native and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer.

Stephen Furst:  Norfolk native best known as Flounder Dorfman in National Lampoon’s Animal House.

George Robert Watkins:  Hampton native and Pennsylvania state Senator.

Jerod Mayo:  Hampton native and current New England Patriots head coach.

Kelvin Taylor:  Hampton native and actor.

Pearl Bailey:  Newport News native and singer.

Katie Balloons:  Newport News native and star of the TLC show The Unpoppables.

Spencer Christian:  Newport News native best known as the weatherman on Good Morning America.

Max Quayle:  Suffolk native and composer.

Kaytron Allen:  Norfolk native and Penn State running back.

Gary Hudson:  Newport News native best known as Blackie Simpson on Santa Barbara.

Gretchen Massey:  Newport News native and late night talk radio host.

Tia Norfleet:  Suffolk native and NASCAR driver.

Darren Perry:  Chesapeake native and NFL All-Pro safety.

Timbaland:  Norfolk native and 4x Grammy winner.

Henry VanSant:  Hampton native and athletic director at East Carolina University.

Charlie Sands:  Newport News native and World Series champion.

Craig Brewer:  Newport News native and Oscar winning songwriter.

Annette Lemieux:  Norfolk native and picture theory artist.

William Magee:  Norfolk native and founder of Operation Smile.

James Winston George:  Virginia Beach native best known as Michael Bourne on Sunset Beach.

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