LASIK | St Louis

If you’re a Missouri native, you understand the pride that comes with calling the Show-Me State home. From the Cardinals to the Blues, and from toasted ravioli to provel, Missouri is a great place. Like Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and Maya Angelou, we have a way of putting our own unique mark on things.

It’s not just the food, music, or sports that make us proud. Plenty of Missourians have made it big in Hollywood, on stage, on playing fields, and more. Here’s a list of seven of Missouri’s Who’s Who that you may not know about:

  1. Brad Pitt—Though he was born in Oklahoma, we can claim this superstar because he claims Springfield, Missouri as his home town. Brad graduated from Kickapoo High School and went to college at University of Missouri, where he left two weeks before earning his journalism degree to pursue bigger dreams. Looks like that worked out well for him.
  2. John Goodman—Born and raised in Affton, MO, Goodman played football at Missouri State University (then called Southwest Missouri State). In the school’s drama program, he took the stage with would-be Hollywood stars Kathleen Turner (also a Missouri native) and Tess Harper before becoming the “Thanks, I needed that” guy on the Skin Bracer by Mennen commercial. Eventually, of course, Goodman earned much bigger roles in movies and television, not the least of which was as the affable Dan Conner in “Roseanne.”
  3. Max Scherzer—This three-time Cy Young Award winner was born in Chesterfield, MO and went to high school at Parkway Central. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2003 but decided to attend Mizzou first. In 2006, he was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and has been striking Major Leaguers out ever since. Fun fact: Scherzer has heterochromia iridium, a condition in which his right eye is blue, and his left eye is brown.
  4. Rush Limbaugh—Love him or hate him, Rush was born in Cape Girardeau and attended Missouri Central High School before flunking out of Southeast Missouri State University. From there, he bounced around radio stations from the 1970s through the 1990s, when a combination of the Gulf War and Clinton’s Presidential election win boosted his popularity through the roof.
  5. Rusty Wallace—Perhaps the most famous of the Wallace family of NASCAR, Rusty was born in Arnold, MO in 1956. He started racing on area short tracks in the 1970s before making his NASCAR debut in 1980. He landed in the circuit with a splash, finishing an impressive 2nd Place in the 1980 Atlanta 500.
  6. Sterling K. Brown—If you’re a fan of “This is Us,” we don’t have to tell you how fantastic Sterling K. Brown is! Born in St. Louis, Brown grew up in Olivette and attended Mary Institute and St. Louis Day School before going on to graduate from Stanford University with his acting degree in 1988, then New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with his MFA. Though many of us know him as Randall Pearson from “This is Us,” his list of stage, television, and movie appearances is extensive and began in 2002. Fun Fact: Brown went by his middle name, Kelby, until he turned 16 years old and took on his given first name, Sterling.
  7. Tyron Woodley—Born and raised in Ferguson, MO, this UFC welterweight champion made the honor roll every term and received all-conference honors in football at McCluer High School. He also won a state title in wrestling, and despite offers from other good schools, decided to help rebuild the wrestling team at Mizzou, where he graduated with a degree in agricultural economics. So far, his MMA career has earned a steady record of wins. No word if he’s planning to run a farm anytime soon, but he does own a gym, ATT Revolution, in Brentwood, and has said that he would one day like to open a non-profit facility for troubled youth.

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Of course, there are hundreds more notable folks who were born in Missouri, or who claim it as their home state, including Jenna Fischer, Jon Hamm, Dennis Hopper, Phyllis Smith, Kevin Nealon, Michael McDonald, Scott Bakula, Ryan Howard, Don Cheadle, Cheryl Crow, Michael Chandler, Bob Barker, Kevin Kline, Kathleen Madigan, Redd Foxx, Joe Garigiola and Yogi Berra (they grew up across the street from each other on Elisabeth Street in The Hill), J.C. Penney, Ed Asner, and Walter Cronkite.

At Brinton Vision, we’re proud, too, to call St. Louis, Missouri our home, and to provide the priceless gift of sight to our neighbors and friends through LASIK in St. Louis.

Dr. Jason P. Brinton is a world-renowned Harvard University graduate who has changed the lives of countless people in St. Louis and Missouri through SBK LASIK, RLE, Smile, ASA (advanced PRK), Kamra, LRI, and EVO ICL refractive treatments. Come get to know us! Give us a call at 314.375.2020 to schedule a comprehensive Brinton Vision Ocular Analysis, or click here to schedule an appointment online.

Dr. Jason P. Brinton is an internationally recognized specialist in the field of LASIK and refractive surgery. He is a graduate of Harvard College, earned his medical doctorate from the Harvard Medical School and is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology.