July 17, 1942

1942Gale Garnett, New Zealand–born Canadian singer^[†]

Gale Zoë Garnett is a Canadian singer best known in the United States for her self-penned, Grammy-winning folk hit "We'll Sing in the Sunshine". Garnett has since carved out a career as an author and actress.

1942Connie Hawkins, American basketball player (died 2017)^[†]

Cornelius Lance "Connie" Hawkins was an American professional basketball player. A New York City playground legend, "the Hawk" was to play basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes but was unjustly implicated in a point-shaving scandal that saw him kicked out of school as a freshman and essentially blackballed from the NBA. Hawkins found refuge with the Pittsburgh Rens of the American Basketball League, where he won the 1961 league MVP before the league folded. He played four years for the famed exhibition team Harlem Globetrotters before getting to play in the American Basketball Association with the Pittsburgh Pipers in 1967. He won the first league MVP award by averaging 26.8 points and led the team to the ABA championship. After a stellar second season, Hawkins was allowed to play in the NBA after a lawsuit filed on his behalf proved successful in stirring public opinion. Wracked with injuries, Hawkins would play seven seasons in the NBA for three different teams, most notably the Phoenix Suns before retiring in 1976 at the age of 34. In eleven seasons of professional basketball, Hawkins was an All-Star six times while being named a First Team player in each of the three leagues he played in. Hawkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

1942Don Kessinger, American baseball player and manager^[†]

Donald Eulon Kessinger is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1964 to 1979, most prominently as a member of the Chicago Cubs, where he was a six-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner. He ended his career playing for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox.

1942Zoot Money, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player^[†]

George Bruno "Zoot" Money was an English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader. He was best known for playing the Hammond organ and for his leadership of the Big Roll Band. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, Money was drawn to rock and roll music and became involved in the music scenes of Bournemouth and Soho during the 1960s. He took his stage name "Zoot" from Zoot Sims after seeing him perform in concert.

1942Robina Nicol, New Zealand photographer and suffragist (born 1861)^[†]

Robina Nicol was a New Zealand photographer and suffragist.