Though born and raised in Lansing, Magic Johnson’s legendary basketball career became nationally recognized during his time at Michigan State University in East Lansing, where he led the Spartans to an NCAA championship and launched a professional legacy that would inspire generations. Earvin Johnson Jr., better known as Magic Johnson was raised in a large family with nine siblings. Johnson grew up in a hardworking household, and from a young age, he was drawn to basketball, often hitting the court by 7:30 a.m. to practice. While attending Everett High School, he earned the nickname “Magic” after an amazing performance where he recorded 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 16 assists in one game. Johnson went on to play basketball for Michigan State University. Johnson being 6 feet and 9 inches tall made him the perfect point guard. He helped lead the Spartans to the NCAA championship. After just two years Johnson left college and was drafted by the in the 1979 NBA Draft. He led the Lakers to five NBA championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988). In 1991, he shocked the world by publicly announcing that he was HIV-positive, which led to a significant increase in public awareness of the disease. After his basketball career, Johnson became a powerful advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and safe sex (McIntyre, 2021). To see more about Magic Johnson click here.

​

The co-founder of Google, Larry Page is an East Lansing High School graduate with deep ties to East Lansing. Page was born in East Lansing in 1973. Growing up in a tech-savvy household, his father was a computer science professor at Michigan State University, Page developed an early interest in technology. He earned a degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan in 1995 before entering Stanford University’s Ph.D. program, where he met Sergey Brin. In 1998, they launched Google, named after the term googol, reflecting the vast amount of information their search engine could organize. The company quickly grew, receiving major investments and handling hundreds of thousands of queries daily (Britannica, 2025). To learn more about Larry Page click here.

Mary Potter Sharp was a pioneering civil rights advocate and public servant who significantly influenced East Lansing's journey toward greater equity and inclusion.From 1965 to 1977, Sharp served on the East Lansing City Council, becoming a leading voice for civil rights in the region. She was instrumental in leading open housing laws that prohibited racial discrimination in home sales and rentals, a bold stance during a time when such efforts were met with significant resistance. Beyond her council work, Sharp was the first legal counsel on human rights to the president of Michigan State University and actively participated in organizations like the Michigan Equal Opportunity Employment Commission and the Greater Lansing Urban League (City of East Lansing, 2025). To learn more about Sharp click here.

William J. Beal appears in much of the early history of the City of East Lansing and was a pivotal resident in the early years of the city. Both the founder and a previous resident of the Cowles House on campus, his legacy is a cornerstone in East Lansing and Michigan State University’s history. However, his legacy is also fundamental to the work of botanical science. Beal was born in Adrian, Michigan in 1833. He came to teach at MSU in 1877, where he was a professor of botany but also taught classes of all subjects. Due to his understanding of experimental agriculture and through research at the University, he was able to modernize a new species of corn to how we know it today from the original form of corn, which yielded less kernels per cob and was lower quality than the original crop – both in taste and longevity. The new corn created with Beal’s work is one of Michigan’s most abundant crops nowadays. To see more about his work click here.

John Hannah was the 12th President of Michigan State University. John Hannah served from 1941 to 1969. Hannah was an idealist and with global ambitions, fundamentally changing MSU from a small midwestern (mostly) agricultural college to a top research university. Hannah would also go on to lead USAID after his tenure ended as MSU’s president. To learn more click here.

As the youngest mayor in East Lansing’s history, Aaron Stephens broke barriers and brought fresh perspectives to local government. Elected at just 24, Stephens represented a new generation of civic leadership rooted in community engagement and progressive policy. Stephens attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Political Science in 2018. During his time at MSU, he was actively involved in political campaigns and student activism. In 2017, while still an undergraduate, Stephens was elected to the East Lansing City Council. Following the unexpected resignations of the mayor in 2020, he became mayor at the age of 24, making him the youngest mayor in East Lansing's history and, at the time, the youngest mayor in the United States. As mayor, Stephens led East Lansing through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing public health concerns and calls for police reform. Despite the demanding nature of the role and its modest compensation, he balanced his mayoral duties with a nighttime job stocking shelves to support himself financially. In 2021, Stephens stepped down as mayor to pursue a Master in Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. After completing his degree, he returned to East Lansing and continued his work in public policy, focusing on issues such as antitrust legislation and efforts to ban insider trading in Congress(Department of Political Science, 2025). His story shows you are never too young to start making a difference. To read more about Aaron click here.

 Patricia Beeman was a local activist in East Lansing who played a huge role in fighting against apartheid, racial segregation, in South Africa during the 1970s to 1990s. She helped lead a group called the Southern Africa Liberation Committee, and worked hard to convince Michigan, MSU, and East Lansing to stop doing business with companies that supported the racist government in South Africa. She teamed up with her husband, and pushed for laws that stopped East Lansing from buying from those companies (Michigan Women Forward, 2021). To learn more about Patricia and other Michigan Women click here.

Since graduating from James Madison College with a bachelor’s degree in social relations, Emily Dievendorf (they/she) has led a life of public service. Before they were elected to the House of Representatives, Emily served as executive director for Equality Michigan, Michigan’s statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) political advocacy organization. Dievendorf is currently serving their second term as representative of the 77th House District, which encompasses north Lansing, DeWitt and Watertown Township. As a legislator, Rep. Dievendorf is passionate about advocating for progressive policy, particularly on LGBTQIA equality, racial justice and equality, sexual and domestic violence, women’s rights, and HIV/AIDS. Emily currently sits on the Agriculture and Regulatory Reform committees and is a member of the LGBT and Allies Cacus of the Michigan Democratic Party. To learn more about Rep. Dievendorf click here.

In 2009, Rachel Crandall-Crocker (she/her) an MSU alum and executive director of Transgender Michigan founded International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). TDOV is a day of joyful, celebratory gatherings and rallies across the world highlighting transgender lives and accomplishments. On the 15th anniversary of TDOV in 2024, President Biden became the first President of the United States to acknowledge the transgender holiday which brought awareness of TDOV even further into mainstream consciousness. When asked why she started TDOV, Crandell-Crocker said, “I wanted a day that we could focus on the living whereas Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is a day to acknowledge those who are no longer with us”. Crandall-Crocker continues to use her social work degree and the advocacy lessons she learned while at MSU in her current roles as a therapist, community organizer, and activist. To learn more click here.

Wharton was the first Black president of a major American university. The “quiet pioneer” began his tenure in 1970 and spent 8 years during this tumultuous period of the US. During his tenure, MSU began to build its superconducting cyclotron. To learn more click here.