They Came from Upper Darby Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Chronicles of Prydain

Writer Lloyd Alexander (1924-2007) was a 1940 graduate of Upper Darby High School. His "Chronicles of Prydain", a series of five novels, were inspired by Welsh folklore and mythology. The second book of the series, "The Black Cauldron" would be adapted into a film of the same name. During the first fifteen years of his long writing career, he mostly wrote works for adults before switching to children's literature.

Answer: NFL Running Back

John Cappelletti (born 1952) grew up in Upper Darby before attending Penn State University, where he won the 1973 Heisman Trophy as part of Penn State's undefeated (12-0) season. Selected in the first round of the 1974 NFL draft, he played running back for nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (1974-78) and San Diego Chargers (1980-83).

His number (22) would later be retried by Penn State.

Answer: Time in a Bottle

A member of the Class of 1960 from Upper Darby High School, Jim Croce (1943-73) first developed a serious interest in music in college. A number of his songs were based upon his personal experiences and people he met during his time in the US Army National Guard.

His career was taking off when he died as a passenger in a plane crash. His songs, "Time in a Bottle" and "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown", both reached Number One on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Answer: The Blair Witch Project

Actress Heather Donahue (born 1974) may be best known for starring in the surprise 1999 hit "The Blair Witch Project". She also starred in the 2000 film "Boys and Girls" and had a recurring role on the television series "Taken". After her acting career, she spent several years as a medical marijuana grower. She is a member of the Upper Darby High School Class of 1991.

Fun Fact: Heather and I were in the same graduating class at Upper Darby High School.

Answer: 30 Rock

Tina Fey (born 1970) is a 1988 graduate of Upper Darby High School. She created and starred in the television series "30 Rock" (2006-2013, 2020). Before that she spent several seasons working on the sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live", where she may be best known for her impersonation of 2008 Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin. She has also appeared in several feature films including "Mean Girls".

Fun Fact: While in college, Tina worked as a director at a children's theater program where I was a participant. I can tell everyone I was an actor in a play directed by Tina Fey.

Answer: Abolitionist

Thomas Garrett (1789-1871) grew up on his family's Riverview Farm in Upper Darby Township. Coming from a Quaker background, he was committed to the abolition of slavery at an early age. Living his later years in Wilmington, DE, he was an active conductor on the Underground Railroad. Exactly how many enslaved people he assisted is unclear, but it probably numbers in the thousands.

Fun Fact: The house I grew up in was less than two blocks from Garrett Road in Upper Darby.

Answer: I Love You

Hwang Young-min, or Tim (born 1981), was born in Philadelphia, PA, but grew up just outside the city in Upper Darby. Though Korean-American, Tim did not visit Korea until after high school, when a producer suggested he could be a Korean pop music star. Between 2003 and 2010 he released five albums. The first album, "First Tim", included the ballad "I Love You".

Answer: Veteran's Activist

Captain Shannon Meehan is a spokesman for veteran's issues, focusing on traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. He served in the US Army from 2005-2009, with active duty in the Iraq War. He is the co-author of the memoir, "Beyond Duty".

In 2010 he unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He is a 2001 graduate of Upper Darby High School.

Answer: The Franklin Institute

Coleman Sellers II (1827-1907) was a mechanical engineer with the firm of William Sellers and Company. He had more than 30 letters-patent for inventions during his lifetime. He spent several years as a professor of mechanics at the Franklin Institute and served as its president from 1870 to 1875. He later served as president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Fun Fact: The main branch of the Upper Darby Library is called Sellers Library.

Answer: NBA Head Coach

Paul Westhead (born 1939) had a long career of coaching basketball at the college and professional levels. During a period as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers (1979-81), he coached the team to a championship in the 1980 NBA finals. During his NBA coaching career, he accumulated a record of 183-224.