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Tivadar Puskas was a contemporary of Thomas Edison, and was the inventor of the telephone exchange… the type you see in all the old movies, with one operator at a switchboard wearing one of those chunky headsets (a far cry from the modern Bluetooth headset) and listening in on everyone’s calls. After building the first subscriber style exchange in Europe, thereby inflicting a whole new avenue for gossip mongers upon the world, he died of a heart attack at age 49. He is interred in the Kerepesi Cemetery in Budapest, Hungary.

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William Sylvester Harley may not seem like a recognizable name, but trust me, ask any of these motorcycle afficionados you see on the street, and you are going to find a significant number of them cruising around on used Harleys. This man was one of the four original founders of the Harley Davidson company, and his name is going to live on forever. He is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee Wisconsin, Block 6, Section 2, Lot 330, Grave 1.

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James Vernor, Sr was a florist… and pharmacist. He created the drink Vernor’s Ginger Ale and sold it through his drug store. As with most original sodas, there were whispers that it was great for what ails you… anything from warts to acne treatment. He was also a renowned and able military officer during the Civil War on the Union side. His unit is credited with the capture of Jefferson Davis, the Confederate President. Still, he is best remembered for inventing Ginger Ale. He is buried in the Woodmere Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.

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Alex Manoogian was a relatively obscure philanthropist. He was also an inventor, and back in the mid fifties, he perfected a single handled faucet design that was the precursor to our modern shower, bath sink and bar faucets. You might find this grave a bit hard to visit, however, unless you enjoy (and can afford) world travel. He is buried in the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in the town of Yerevan, Armenia. Visit it? I can’t even SAY it!

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Muriel McBrien Kauffman was the wife, and some say the driving force behind, the founder of the drug company Marion Laboratories, Inc. In 1989, their company merged with Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals (not to be confused with the company that makes Merrell shoes) to become Marion Merrell Dow, Inc. Perhaps more interesting to baseball fans, she and her husband were the owners of the Kansas City Royals. She is buried in the garden of the Kauffman Foundation and Memorial Garden in Kansas City, Misouri.

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In this modern world of microwave meals, adjustable beds, and instant internet access, it can be easy to forget what it was like in a time when meals took all day to prepare, you slept on straw, and divorce was unheard of. This first epitaph, which can be found in a graveyard in Leeds, seems to indicate that things were a bit different back then…

Here lies my wife,
Here lies she;
Hallelujah!
Hallelujee!
(the date on this marker was 1861)

In a Ribbesford, England, cemetery we find THIS commentary, apparently also a none too pleased husband…

The children of Israel wanted bread
And the Lord sent them manna,
Old clerk Wallace wanted a wife,
And the Devil sent him Anna.

Makes you kind of wonder what YOUR spouse is gonna do, doesn’t it?

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William Caxton was the very first English printer. That, along with dates of birth and death, and the fact that he is buried in the St. Margaret’s Churchyard in London, England, appear to be about all anyone knows about the guy. You have to wonder about what type of printing press they must have had back then. Certainly a far cry from modern quick service places, as evidenced by offers on the latest Vista Print coupons. I may just do a study on this.

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John Fairfield Dryden was the founder of the well known Prudential Insurance company, one of the leading providers of term insurance today. He was also a senator, representing the state of New Jersey. He served for five years, in spite of several allegations that he used his money and power to buy the votes necessary to gain him the position. He is buried at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark, New Jersey.

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Gary Kildall… you may not recognise the name, but there is a VERY large chance that life as you know it would have been vastly different without him. He was a computer scientist, the developer of the cpm system, which predated, and was at least the idea behind, DOS. He was a true pioneer within the personal computer industry. He is buried at the Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Seattle.

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Noah Purifoy was an artist who worked with “rubble art” media… of the type that most people would see as simply a huge pike of trash. His best known work was a traveling exhibition called “66 Signs of Neon” (which makes one wonder what he could make out of the digital signage around today, doesn’t it?) which was actually composed of rubble from the famous riots of his time. The location of his grave has, unfortunately, is unavailable at this time.

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