Town has lots of fame to claim

You might recognize the names of these famous former Fisher residents and alums. And if not, well, now you know.

– Mike Hofferth spent three years as production manager on Fox's "American Idol." Hofferth, a 1996 Fisher High graduate, credits his work ethic, values and morals – "essential to being what I am today" – with his upbringing in Fisher.

Hofferth left "American Idol" in June and founded a multimedia company, Kombined Media, with two partners.

He lives in California and earned a degree in advertising at Pepperdine University. Before "American Idol," he worked on awards shows and music specials.

"I weaved my way," he said.

At Kombined Media, he and his partners are in the preliminary stages of two television programs.

Hofferth doesn't get back to Fisher often. But he said he'd love to come back and talk to the schools and "help kids further their dreams."

– Scott DeGraff is an athletic trainer with the Chicago Bears. A 1995 Fisher High grad, DeGraff's known what he wanted to do since seventh grade. With the Bears, he evaluates and treats injuries and supervises rehabilitation. He tapes the athletes on game day and can be seen on the sidelines during games.

DeGraff, of Round Lake, is busy from spring and summer training camps right through the season. Last year, that extended into February when the Bears played the Colts in the Super Bowl.

DeGraff's mom, Linda, is proud of what her son has accomplished.

"You can grow up in Fisher and end up on the Chicago Bears," she said.

– Bill Geist is a CBS news correspondent who's received two Emmy awards for his work. He's also a former New York Times columnist and reporter for the Chicago Tribune, according to his biography page on the CBS News Web site.

Former Fisher Reporter owners Doreen and Ken Sparks said Geist's father, Russell, was the paper's editor from 1938 until 1944.

– Jim Sheppard has been known as the voice of the Illini since 1985, doing the public address for home football and basketball games.

Sheppard, of Champaign, has fond memories growing up in Fisher.

"It is a great small town to grow up in and has a great school system," Sheppard said. He goes back to visit friends and relatives and once a season announces a boys' basketball game in the high school gym. Several weeks ago he was back in town for a book signing of his newly released "Are You Ready," written by News-Gazette sports writer Fred Kroner.

Last season was Sheppard's last to announce basketball games. He has not been told if he will continue announcing football games past the current season.

– Leland Glazebrook, who graduated in 1939, founded a 34-station agricultural radio network in Illinois. He said he's proud of his Fisher education, as he was active in FFA in high school.

He was invited to the White House several times and spent time with Presidents Carter, Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He traveled to China, Europe and Africa.

"At that time (in the 1980s), every politician in the country wanted to talk to me," Glazebrook said. "I was personally acquainted with four secretaries of agriculture."

Glazebrook, 86, lives in Sullivan.

– Sue M. Howard might have given Fisher the distinction of having the first woman rural mail carrier – and the only female rural carrier in the entire country in 1902, according to an entry in the town's centennial history book.

An Internet search on the subject turned up a competing claim by Vicksburg, Ind., and a few others that say their communities had the first woman rural mail carrier in the U.S.

Perhaps if not quite the first, Howard was certainly an early carrier in the history of rural free delivery history since the service began in 1896.

News-Gazette correspondent Jean Noellsch contributed to this story.