The 2021 National Garden of Heroes Inductees

 

In the Summer of 2020, President Trump proposed a National Garden of Heroes, an outdoor
space filled with statues of the greatest Americans of all time. Despite its cancellation, I still think it was a wonderful idea, especially when monuments to our heroes are being destroyed. To this end, I created my own “digital garden” of the 100 greatest American heroes, with the intention of adding ten a year. Here are the 2021 inductees to this list:

 

1. Michael Crichton (1942-2008), Writer

            Crichton was a talented novelist and screenwriter who heavily influenced the adventure and science fiction genre during the 1980s and 1990s.

 

2. SG Dorothy Day (1897-1980), Poverty Activist

            Day founded the Catholic Worker movement, bringing grace, dignity, and material help to millions.

 

3. Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), 1^st Secretary of the Treasury, Founding Father

            Hamilton was active on multiple front on the founding of the United States, especially our financial system.

 

4. Charlton Heston (1923-2008), Actor and Political Activist

            Heston was a prominent actor during Hollywood’s golden age, most famous as the title character in Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments. Later in life, he became an advocate for 2^nd amendment rights.

 

5. Milton Hershey (1857-1945), Businessman

            Hershey created the largest candy company in US history, bringing joy and tummy aches to millions of kids the world over.

 

6. Steve Jobs (1955-2011), Computer Engineer, Businessman

            Jobs founded the Apple company and revolutionized the computer industry, including bringing the first smartphone and tablet to market.

 

7. St. Damien of Molokai (1840-1889), Missionary

            Originally from Belgium, he volunteered to lead a leper colony in Hawaii, bringing them civilization, sanity, and hope for heaven before dying prematurely from the disease that afflicted his people.

 

8. James Naismith (1861-1939), Physical Educator

            Naismith invented the game of basketball and was the catalyst for its rise to prominence.

 

9. James K. Polk (1795-1849), US President

            In his inaugural address, Polk laid out four clear goals for his presidency. He achieved these goals after only three years, and thus declined to seek a second term. He provided a standard of government transparency and efficiency that has, unfortunately, rarely been duplicated.

 

10. Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011), Actress

            Taylor was one of the most prolific actresses during the golden age of Hollywood.