For a city as sophisticated and well-established as Leawood, getting some influential and notable individuals from here does not come as a surprise. Dr. Gordon is a renowned implant dentist across the U.S., but there are quite a number of individuals who did whatever it took to make this little gem known to the entire globe.
Sean Saintmichael Plott. Sean was born in 1986 in Leawood, KS and he was also raised here. He is known to many as Day-9. This talented American is a great esport commentator, host, player and game designer. He is most recognized for his major contribution in the StarCraft scene professionally. For many years, he alternated between host, player and commentator for the game.
The fact that he was raised catholic could have a lot to do with his middle name. he attended Rockhurst High School and it was during this time that he and his brother stated playing a game by the name ‘StarCraft Brood War.’ He was an avid player and he participated in various tournaments until 2004 when he rose to fame by being ranked the 12th best player in the world in the USA World Cyber Games. After that, his career seemed to maintain an upward steady rise.
Julie Garwood. This iconic novelist was born in Kansas in 1944. She has written more than 27 romance novels in both the suspense and historical subgenres. There are more that 35 million copies of her books available in print form. She has roughly 24 bestsellers in the New York Times. She also has a novel tailor made to young adults that goes by the name ‘A Girl Named Summer’. Rose Hill, the television feature is based on her novel, ‘For the Roses.’
She comes from a family of six other siblings and at the tender age of six, she went through tonsillectomy. As a result, she missed so much school and she lagged behind. One summer, a math teacher, sister Elizabeth dedicated her entire time to teaching her how to read. This was soon to change her life forever. In university, her professor noticed that the quality of her essays was quite top-notch and encouraged her to concentrate on writing. Everything thing else afterwards was history. Julie has three kids and the family currently resides in Leawood.
Jim Abel. Meet the iconic American singer and songwriter. His music is a combination of alternative and folk style inspired by tom Paxton, Woody Guthrie, American Songbook and lots of music from the 1960s. he left the corporate world to manage his investments back in 1964 and he became a stay-at-home dad. It was not until 2002 when he resumed into music with more focus. His music is quite diverse including parodies, political songs, serious songs, funny songs and show tunes. He lives in Leawood together with his wife.
