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George F. Vande Woude was a pioneering Dutch-American cancer researcher, renowned for discovering the MET oncogene and leading major programs at the Van Andel Institute and National Cancer Institute.

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942) was an American sculptor, patron of the arts, and founder of the Whitney Museum of American Art, whose philanthropy and support of emerging artists shaped twentieth-century American art.

Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (1899–1992) was an American businessman, aviation investor, film financier, government official, and philanthropist who helped found Pan American World Airways, built mining enterprises, served in federal posts, and supported major American arts institutions.

Peter Van Winkle (1808–1872) was a Unionist U.S. Senator from West Virginia during the Civil War and one of the state’s first senators after its 1863 admission, previously serving in Virginia politics and constitutional conventions.

Simeon De Witt (1756–1834) was New York State’s long-serving Surveyor General, a Revolutionary War army geographer, planner of New York City’s grid street system, Erie Canal commissioner, and an early founder and land developer of Ithaca, New York.

James DeWolf (1764–1837) was a Rhode Island merchant, slave trader, and politician who served as a U.S. senator and state legislator. He amassed great wealth through maritime trade and slavery while also investing in early American cotton manufacturing.k.

Nicholas Wolterstorff (born 1932) is an American philosopher known for work in epistemology, philosophy of religion, justice, and aesthetics. A longtime Calvin College professor, he later taught philosophical theology at Yale Divinity School.

Tiger Woods (born 1975) is an American professional golfer widely regarded as one of the greatest in history. A multiple major champion, he dominated world golf rankings and transformed the sport’s global popularity and commercial success.

Wilbur (1867–1912) and Orville Wright (1871–1948) were American aviation pioneers who achieved the first successful powered airplane flight in 1903 at Kitty Hawk, developing the three-axis control system that became fundamental to modern aircraft design.

Jane Wyatt (1910–2006) was an American film and television actress best known for portraying Margaret Anderson on the long-running series Father Knows Best, earning three Emmy Awards and appearing in films, Broadway productions, and later television dramas.