ROGER WILLIAMS
Born Louis Weertz in Omaha, Nebraska on October 1, 1924 (the exact same day as future President Jimmy Carter), the young prodigy began practicing piano at the age of four and found he could easily play by ear. He became familiar with a dozen other musical instruments by the time he was eight. In the mid-1930s, after his family moved to Des Moines, Iowa, the youngster had a 15 minute music program on radio station KRNT-AM 1320, then later moved to WHO-AM 1000, where he met future actor and U.S. President Ronald Reagan, working at the time as a sportscaster; the two remained friends their entire lives. Louis's father, Lutheran minister and former professional prize fighter Frederick Weertz, taught his son to box as a self-defense ... MORE ››
