"Town of Elmira, N.Y., debating whether to keep hometown boy Brian Williams on local billboard...The billboard greets visitors when they exit the highway."
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"These are all the famous people who lived, grew up, died, from, etc. in Elmira, New York. ...
People on sign from left to right:
~Brian Williams (You'll see him on the national news every night!)
~Hal Roach (A famous Producer and Director. He was the producer for the "Little Rascals" movie! He is currently buried here as well. You can go visit his grave!)
~Ernie Davis (Most of you already know him but for those who don't. Went to Elmira Free Academy here. Played for Syracuse University and died at a very young age. He was a winner of the Heisman Trophy as well. You can visit his grave here as well.)
~Mark Twain (WE ALL KNOW HIM! Famous writer. Credits include Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the Prince and the Pauper, etc. You can visit his study where he wrote most of these. You can also visit his grave site where him and his family are buried. And in the Chemung Country museum where some of his things are.)
~Eilleen Collins (First woman captain astronaut)
~John W. Jones (A huge activist in the Underground Railroad where Elmira was a huge part of. He helped free 800 slaves and none where captured and returned to the self. He also became the sexton for the biggest cemetary here. It's actually where most of these dead celebrities are buried. One of his primary roles was to bury each deceased Confederate soldier from the Elmira Prison Camp. Of the 2,973 prisoners who Jones buried, only seven are listed as unknown. Jones kept such precise records that on December 7, 1877 the federal government declared the burial site a national cemetery. His house is currently a museum to honor the activists who participated in the Underground Railroad.)
~Tommy Hilfiger (A famous fashion designer. Last time I knew, he does have his own mansion up here for when he comes visit)"
John Jones is the one who ties to the history of Elmira the most. There was a Civil War prison here. Conditions were poor and many died. John Jones buried them and kept good records. He also was important on the Underground railroad that went through Elmira.
Mark Twain married an Elmira native and spent summers here and wrote many of his works here. His study is at Elmira College a private school in Elmira.
The astronaut represents the future, even though it is not Elmira specific.
Elmira is struggling. At the beginning it was a very important city with a river, a canal, and the railways. The glory is mostly past, so the effort is to maintain its economy and relevance.
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"In 1950, the population of the City of Elmira peaked at about 50,000,...The population decline began during the recession of the early 1970s during which several large employers (Ann Page, American Bridge, General Electric, American LaFrance, Westinghouse and Remington Rand) either closed their factories or moved to more labor-friendly states."