The Kids Hall of Fame Inductees
5-Year-Old Extraordinary Achievers
ACTIVIST: ANIMAL ADOPTION
Roman McConn, founder of Project Freedom Ride, achieved his first transport of 31 unwanted and/or abandon dogs from Texas to their new family/forever homes in Washington.
(Augusta, Georgia: 2016)
Photo: Courtesy of The McConn Family and Project Freedom Ride
Visit Roman’s website.
Learn about Roman as:
– an activist: age 4, age 7, age 12
– a founder: age 5 (see below)
– a speaker: age 7
– a TV host: age 8, age 10
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Carson Bolde played the role of Sam Brody in the film Godzilla.
(Los Angeles, California: 2014)
ACTOR / ACTRESS
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Ashley Olsen and Mary Kate Olsen, twins, shared playing the role of Michelle on the ABC television sitcom Full House.
(Los Angeles, California: 1991)
Learn about Ashley and Mary Kate as:
– actresses: prior to age 1
ACTOR / ACTRESS
Quvenzhané Wallis, among 4,000 kids, auditioned to play the role of Hushpuppy in the film Beasts of the Southern Wild. Quvenzhané won the role. Her film performance earned her the youngest-ever Academy Award (Oscar) nominee for Best Actress (at age 9, pictured above) although she did not win.
(Louisiana: 2012)
AMBASSADOR:
MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION
Julian Pavone was named Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Honorary Goodwill Ambassador for 2009. He also served as The Miracle League of Michigan’s Honorary Goodwill Ambassador for 2009-2010.
(Detroit, Michigan: 2009 & 2010)
Visit Julian’s website.
Learn about Julian as:
– an inventor: age 3, age 5 (see below)
– a musician: prior to age 1, age 1, age 2, age 4, age 8
– a patentee: age 5 (see below), age 7
AMBASSADOR:
MARCH OF DIMES
Kieran Wittstruck became the National Ambassador for March of Dimes for 2012. He and his family traveled throughout the United States sharing his inspirational story and raising awareness of premature birth.
(Seattle, Washington: 2012)
ANNOUNCER: RADIO
Kimberley Perez hosted a radio program every Saturday from 3:00-7:00 pm on KLAX 97.9 La Raza FM, in Los Angeles.
(California: 2003)
Illustrated by Kathan Dorriety
ATHLETE: EQUESTRIAN
Heather Dunn rode Pickles in lead rein classes, because her mum was going to sell him as a lead rein pony. At age 5 1/2, Heather was permitted to ride her own pony, Peter Pan, on her own, without anyone leading her, only Peter Pan.
(Hampshire, England: 1989)
Learn about Heather as:
– an athlete: age 8, age 9
ATHLETE: GOLFER
Soona Lee-Tolley scored a hole-in-one at the Manhattan Woods Gold Club, West Nyack, NY. The hole is 125 yards long.
(West Nyack, New York: 2007)
Coby Orr was the youngest to shoot a hole-in-one on the 103-yard fifth hole in the Riverside Course.
(Texas: 1975)
ATHLETE: ICE HOCKEY PLAYER
Manon Rhéaume was the only girl on the ice hockey team and in the entire league. She played goalie for the team on which her father coached and her brother played. Some kids told her, “Girls play dolls, not hockey.” Some parents complained, “She’s taking our son’s spot on the team.” Some coaches vowed, “No girl will ever play on my team.”
Manon didn’t let negative comments deter her from what she loved to do, play hockey. She worked hard to prove she could play and belonged on the team. Her efforts and determination paved the way for future girls to become ice hockey players and play in tournaments.
Manon went on to become the first woman to play in the National Hockey League preseason.
(Lac-Beauport, Quebec, Canada: 1977)
Visit Manon’s website.
Learn about Manon as:
– an athlete: age 19
ATHLETE: MARTIAL ARTIST
Ryusei Imai became a Kung Fu Master.
(Japan: 2016)
AUTHOR: INFLUENTIAL LETTER
Sophie Cruz wrote and hand-delivered her letter to Pope Francis asking him to help undocumented immigrants, like her parents, in the United States. Sophie wrote, “I have a right to live with my parents. I have a right to be happy… Immigrants just like my dad feed this country. They deserve to live with dignity. They deserve to live with respect. They deserve an immigration reform.”
Since then, Sophie has given public speeches across the United States regarding immigration rights.
(Los Angeles, California: 2015)
Illustrated by Jiani Ma
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
Agnivesh Jyotiraditya authored Little Stories by Little Monu published by H & C Publishing House.
(Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India: 2009)
Adauto Kovalski da Silva had his book, Aprender é Fácil (It’s Easy to Learn) published.
(Brazil: 2005)
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED BOOK
AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHED BOOK
Bella J. Dark authored and illustrated The Lost Cat, published by Ginger Fyre Press. This tale of Snowy the cat is meant to teach children not to go outside on their own at night.
Bella, who has been writing short stories since she was three, spent about five days writing the story. She also drew and colored all the illustrations, except for one on the last page, which was drawn by Lacie May, her older sister.
Bella explained, “It started off as a picture. My daddy said I could make a book and a story came from the picture.” Bella advises young authors to, “Write a story that comes from you.”
(Weymouth, United Kingdom: 2022)
AUTHOR: PUBLISHED COMIC BOOK
Aadvika Khurana wrote a comic book on environmental sustainability entitled The Good Wave and The Bad Wave. It was published by Wordly Wise.
(Pune, Maharashtra, India: 2023)
CHESS PLAYER
Leila Mayra became the youngest member of the United States Chess Federation.
CHESS PLAYER
Abhimanyu “Abhi” Mishra started playing in official US Chess tournaments. Abhi, who at age 2, learned to play chess from his father, went on, at age 7, to become the youngest player in history to become a United States Chess expert. At age 9, Abhi became a United States Chess national master (NM). At 10, he became the world’s youngest international master (IM).
(Englishtown, New Jersey: 2014)
Learn about Abhi as:
– an author: age 13
– a chess player: age 2, age 7, age 9, age 10, age 12
CIRCUS PERFORMER
Teara Karoly
(Baraboo, Wisconsin: 1993)
COMEDIAN
Charlie Chaplin made his first stage appearance.
(London, England: 1894)
Learn about Charlie as:
– a comedian: age 8
COMPOSER
CRITIC: FOOD
Max Lowenstein and his 8-year-old sister, Lucy Lowenstein, were the first food critics at Eater NY, a food blog that got thousands of views daily. Twice a month, the brother-sister duo wrote their reviews on lined paper and accompanied them with illustrations of their meals. (New York: 2012)
Illustrated by Yuyang Zhang
DANCER: BALLET
Vitoria Bueno began ballet dancing at the suggestion of her physical therapist, who noticed Vitoria had a bounce in her step. Vitoria felt ballet was the perfect match for her and she danced well. She did not allow the fact that she was born without arms prevent her from dancing.
(Brazil: 2009)
Written & Illustrated by Lisa Subryan
Learn about Vitoria as:
– a dancer: age 16, age 18
DAVIDSON YOUNG SCHOLAR
Akash Vukoti became one of the youngest Davidson Young Scholars in 2014. It is a title he still holds today. The Davidson Young Scholars program was founded by the Davidson Institute, an educational organization for profoundly gifted and talented children. Akash placed in the 99.9th percentile of the population, an incredibly rare achievement for his age, and was admitted alongside his sister Amrita, who was seven.
(Cleveland, Ohio: 2014)
Story: Courtesy of Akash & His Family
Visit Akash’s website.
DONOR: HAIR
Seren Anthwal wanted long hair like Rapunzel but decided it was better to donate nine inches of her hair to Little Princess Trust so they could make a wig for a kid with cancer.
(United Kingdom: 2017)
Karla Buckley donated her hair to Little Princess Trust, a non-profit organization that creates wigs for kids who lost their hair due to their cancer treatments.
(Widnes, England: 2014)
Lilly Burrell had her first haircut ever. She donate her cut hair to Wigs for Kids, so it could be made into wigs for kids who have lost their hair due to medical issues.
(Weippe, Idaho: 2017)
Alice Cassidy donated 13 inches of her hair to Little Princess Trust that makes real hair wigs for kids suffering from hair loss. The recipients are often kids undergoing chemotherapy because of cancer.
(Solihull, United Kingdom: 2022)
Mollie Hammock donated 12 inches of her hair to Wigs for Kids.
(Waynesboro, Georgia: 2016)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
DONOR: HAIR
Momoko Kanda had her waist-length hair cut, for the first time ever, and donated it to be made into wigs for kids who suffered hair loss due to cancer and other illnesses. Momoko was inspired to do so after her month-long hospital stay due to a fever and rashes. She had often visited the playroom with her mother, and had seen a young girl wearing a hat quietly reading a book.
(Aichi Prefecture, Japan: 2019)
Dexter, Herbie, and Reed Kannisto, triplets, their 8-year-old twin brothers, Silas and Emerson, and their 10-year-old brother, Andre, along with their mother, Phoebe, donated their hair, a total combined length of seventeen feet, to Children with Hair Loss, an organization that makes hair replacements for kids with medically related hair loss. Prior to doing so, all six brothers were teased about looking like girls. They learned that the best response is to explain to their teasers why they are doing it. The six brothers, almost immediately, began predicting how long it would take them to grow their hair out to donate it again.
(Buffalo, New York: 2017)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
DONOR: HAIR
Leni Lindsey, and her 7-year-old sister, Izze, had their hair cut so they could donate it to Wigs for Kids, a non-profit organization that creates wigs for kids who lost their hair due to medical issues.
(Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida: 2016)
Amelia “Milly” Grace Lomax had her hair cut and donated it to Little Princess Trust that makes wigs for kids who have no hair due to cancer treatments. Amelia did so in honor of her aunt who suffers from an inoperable brain tumor.
(Worcester, England: 2016)
Alyssa Lundin had her first haircut ever and donated the 12 inches of her cut hair to Wigs for Kids. They make wigs for kids who have lost their hair due to medical issues.
(Faithorn, Michigan: 2020)
Amri Wright, who had not had her hair cut since birth, had it cut by a hairdresser. Amri then donated her cut hair to Locks of Love, so it could be made into a wig for a cancer patient.
(Star Valley, Arizona: 2022)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
FOUNDER
Roman McConn, with his mom, Jennifer, founded Project Freedom Ride (PFR) a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to connect unwanted and abandoned dogs (and a few cats) in Texas where their survival rate is often low, to families and rescues in the northern United States & British Columbia, where their chance of adoption is higher.
(Augusta, Georgia: 2016)
Photo: Courtesy of The McConn Family and Project Freedom Ride
Visit Roman’s website.
Learn about Roman as:
– an activist: age 4, age 5 (see above), age 7, age 12
– a speaker: age 7
– a TV host: age 8, age 10
FUNDRAISER
Jayden Sink operated her lemonade stand outside the Westboro Baptist Church headquarters and, in one day, raised $1,400 for peace. She donated her proceeds to the Rainbow House charity.
(Kansas: 2013)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
FUNDRAISER
INVENTOR
Robert W. Patch invented a toy truck which he created from Keds shoeboxes. The truck can be disassembled, and other trucks made from it.
Although Robert never made any money from his invention, he did receive newspaper coverage. He also received a pair of sneakers from Keds, as a “Thank you” for the publicity.
(Chevy Chase, Maryland: 1963)
Illustrated by Ray Russotto
Learn about Robert as:
– a patentee: age 6
INVENTOR
INVENTOR
Julian Pavone invented Julian’s Drum Gloves, for which he obtained a patent at age 7. The palm side of each glove has an interchangeable drumstick tip on each of the four finger extensions, that drummers can use to achieve a unique sound when playing a drum with their hands. Julian said, “I was watching Led Zeppelin, and John [Bonham] was playing drums with just his hands and I said, ‘Why doesn’t he have drumstick tips on his fingers?’” In later years, Julian explained, “Most of the time, your best ideas come from the inspiration of others; embrace that inspiration.”
(Detroit, Michigan: 2009)
Photo: Courtesy of The Pavone Family
Visit Julian’s website.
Learn about Julian as:
– an ambassador: age 5 (see above)
– an inventor: age 3
– a musician: prior to age 1, age 1, age 2, age 4, age 8
– a patentee: age 5 (see below), age 7
LIFESAVER / RESCUER
Riley Brandon was in the shallow end of a hotel swimming pool when she saw a toddler walk over. “Then, as soon as I turned away, bloop, she fell in.” Riley a strong swimmer who had been taking swimming lessons since she was two, decided it was better to act quickly than call out for help. (Both her parents are former search-and-rescue divers.) Riley quickly dove down about three feet and retrieved the toddler from the bottom. “When I brought her up, I shouted, ‘I’ve got the baby! I’ve got the baby!'”
(Florida: 2021)
Jolene Daniels saved her baby sister from drowning in a lake.
(Saskatchewan, Canada: 1989)
Learn about Jolene as:
– a lifesaver/rescuer: age 9
LIFESAVER / RESCUER
Tregan Emmett’s quick action helped save the life of his mother, Jailyn. She had just finished her phone conversation with her husband, who was stationed hundreds of miles away at an Army Reserve basic training camp. Jailyn then dialed 911 and collapsed on her bedroom floor.
Tregan took the phone, identified himself as “Spiderman” rather than giving his real name and told the emergency operator, “My mom just died.” Tregan remained on the phone, as an emergency team was sent out. They went to the wrong address just a few houses away from the Emmett’s new home. At the dispatcher’s urging, Tregan flicked the outside light on and off and opened the front door until the paramedics arrived. They quickly provided Jailyn medical attention and rushed her to the hospital.
In the confusion, Tregan’s brother (11-month-old Lincoln) wander outside alone. Tregan told the policeman who then went outside to find Lincoln. Tregan’s smart and quick actions helped save both his mother and his baby brother.
(Saratoga Springs, Utah: 2019)
LIFESAVER / RESCUER
Sean Kingsley saved his 3-year-old cousin, Casey Rose Bradford, from falling into a dry well during a snowball fight. He held her by her wrist for five minutes in freezing weather, while they screamed for help. Later Casey explained, “Sean’s got strong muscles.”
(Poughkeepsie, New York: 1988)
LIFESAVER / RESCUER
Chloe Olson was at home when her mom began choking and couldn’t speak. Chloe picked up the phone and dialed 911. The dispatcher asked, “Where’s your emergency?”
Chloe responded, “Daddy? Hello? Daddy, Mommy’s choking.”
The dispatcher told Chloe, “Open the front door. I’ll be right there.”
Learn more…
(Ridgewood, New Jersey: 2013)
LIFESAVER / RESCUER
Julius Rosenberg was the youngest to receive the Medal of Bravery, for stopping a black bear from attacking his 3-year-old sister.
(Manitoba, Canada: 1992)
Yolanda Mia Vasquez rescued her mother.
(New York: 2000)
MAGICIAN
Nicole Poole won her first magic competition.
(Florida: 1987)
Learn about Nicole as:
– a magician: age 8
MEMORY WHIZ: ANIMALS
BIRDS
Shreejita Das recited the scientific names (genus and species) of 55 birds and animals, in one minute.
(Ikiri, Nayagarh, Odish, India: 2017)
Learn about Shreejita as:
– a memory whiz: age 4, age 5 (see below)
Soveta Datta identified the names of 111 different birds by looking at their pictures, in 2 minutes and 34 seconds.
(Midnapore, West Bengal, India: 2021)
MEMORY WHIZ: ANIMALS
CETACEANS (AQUATIC MAMMALS)
Sujan Karthik identified 100 cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) by looking at their pictures, in 2 minutes and 42 seconds.
(Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu, India: 2021)
MEMORY WHIZ: ANIMALS
SEA CREATURES
Raghav Sathish Kumar identified 200 different sea creatures, by looking at flashcards, in 4 minutes and 36 seconds.
(India: 2021)
MEMORY WHIZ: COUNTRY FLAGS
Shivram J. Pillai identified the flags of 50 different countries, by viewing flashcards, in 26 seconds and 73 milliseconds.
(Emakulam, Kerala: 2023)
Izaan Riyaz identified the flags of 100 different countries, in 55 seconds.
(Kottayam, Kerala, India: 2021)
MEMORY WHIZ: HUMAN BODY
Meenakshi Madhu identified 65 parts of the human body (including 11 glands, 15 bones, and 1 blood cell), in 1 minute and 49 seconds.
(Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India: 2021)
MEMORY WHIZ: HUMAN SKELETON
Unnathi K. S. recalled the names of all the 206 bones of the human skeleton, in less than one minute.
(Karnataka, India: 2021)
MEMORY WHIZ: PLANTS
Shreejita Das recited the scientific names (genus and species) of 441 plants, in 13 minutes and 56 seconds.
(Ikiri, Nayagarh, Odish, India: 2017)
Learn about Shreejita as:
– a memory whiz: age 4, age 5 (see above)
MEMORY WHIZ: PREAMBLE
M. S. Amelia recited the Preamble to the Indian Constitution in three languages: English (47 seconds), Hindi (46 seconds), and Malayalam (46 seconds).
(Kannur, Kerala, India: 2022)
MUSICIAN: PIANIST
Charles-Valentin Alkan became the youngest ever music student at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied both piano and organ.
(France: 1818)
Claudio Arrau, who read music before he read words, performed his first public recital/concert.
(Chillan, Chile: 1908)
MUSICIAN: PIANIST
Emily Bear made her professional piano debut at the Ravinia Festival. She was the youngest person ever to perform there.
(Rockford, Illinois: 2006)
Visit Emily’s website.
Learn about Emily as:
– a musician: age 3, age 9, age 12
PATENTEE
Samuel Thomas Houghton obtained a patent for his Sweeping Device With Two Heads, a double-headed broom that he invented at age 3. The patent protects Samuel’s invention from being copied by someone else.
(Buxton, England: 2008)
Illustrated by Hannah Umali
Learn about Samuel as:
– an inventor: age 3
PATENTEE
Julian Pavone obtained a patent for Abracadabra, a drum-shaped bottle and drumstick applicator for containing and applying correction fluid/stain cover-up, that he invented at age 3.
(Detroit, Michigan: 2009)
Illustration: Courtesy of The Pavone Family
Visit Julian’s website.
Learn about Julian as:
– an ambassador: age 5 (see above)
– an inventor: age 3, age 5 (see above)
– a musician: prior to age 1, age 1, age 2, age 4, age 8
– a patentee: age 7
VISIONARY
John Lewis envisioned himself becoming an effective speaker, perhaps a preacher or minister, who helps others, by being their voice. He often worked on perfecting his speakings skills, by preaching to the chickens he took care of, on his parent’s farm. John took his responsibility so seriously that he also baptized and eulogized the chickens.
Many years later, after John had become a civil rights leader and congressman, he looked back on those “sermons” and explained, “Some of these chickens would bow their heads, some of these chickens would shake their heads. They never quite said, ‘Amen,’ but when I looked back on it though, the chickens that I preached to in the 40s and 50s tended to listen to me much better than some of my colleagues listen to me today in the Congress.”
(Troy, Alabama: 1945)
Illustrated by Jake Reher
Visit John’s website.
Learn about John as:
– a speaker: age 15