... was my Mom's cousin, once-removed (or my cousin, twice removed), Michael J. Heney. He built the first trans-Alaskan railroad, and his feat inspired several books and one Hollywood movie, according to his Wikipedia entry. Here's the bio from the White Pass & Yukon Route historical cite (which cites his birthplace incorrectly). Cool beans is the fact that both a glacier (Heney Glacier) and a mountain range (Heney Mountains) are named for him in Alaska. I flew over the mountain range this morning, going from Anchorage to Juneau. Inside the family he was known simply as "M.J." Not to be outdone, his cousin and my grandfather, Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame inductee Gerald Clifford, now also has his own Wikipedia entry. Just to finish the trifecta, here's the one for my other famous cousin, twice-removed (paternal grandfather's cousin), Maj. Gen. George Barnett, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. We've got a beautifully framed, color copy of his official USMC portrait in our formal living room, along with a sketch of his famous DC socialite wife in our dining room. His cermonial rifle, a Winchester 03, given to him by the Corps upon retirement, hangs in our kitchen in a glass box. I'm all bragged out.