Did you know that Oakton, Virginia was the original birthplace of dozens of famous individuals? From sports stars to political spokespersons, Oakton has had many notable people walk through its streets. Here’s a look at some of the most prominent names whose hometown is Oakton.
- Jim Callis
Executive editor of Baseball America grew up in Northern Virginia. He attended The University of Georgia and graduated in 1988 with a Journalism degree. Shortly after graduating Jim began working for Baseball America, a Durham, NC-based magazine. His contributions include weekly updates to the magazine’s website, as well as major contributions to a variety of publications, including The Baseball America Almanac.
- Serena Deeb
Serena Debb is a yoga instructor and professional wrestler who has made appearances in Total Nonstop Action and Ohio Valley Wrestling. She is currently signed to WWE as a trainer. Serena grew up in Oakton where she grew her love of wrestling at the early age of 11 after watching the World Wrestling Federation. After graduating from Oakton High School, she began training at 18 for wrestling and started her wrestling carrier in 2005. Serena has won multiple championships and is a household name in wrestling.
- John Doolittle
John Doolittle is an attorney and politician who once served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009. He represented California’s 4th congressional district and held a leadership role for the Republican Party as the Deputy Whip. While John was not born in Oakton, he lives there now with his wife Julie.
- Bud Grace
Cartoonist Bud Grace is a known themed comic book strip artist who has been published in a variety of publications, including the comic strip called Ernie whose title was later altered to Piranha Club. Bud, under the pseudonym Buddy Valentine, also did the artwork for a comic strip for King, known as Babs and Aldo. While Bud was born in Pennsylvania and lived in Florida in his younger years, he spent many years living in Oakton. Bud has also extensively traveled, visiting Europe and areas across the U.S.
- Thomas David Jones
Thomas David Jones is an American author and former astronaut. He was chosen in 1990 to join the astronaut corps and completed several space shuttle flights before he retired in 2001. Thomas completed an overall mission time of 53 days and 48 minutes. Since leaving NASA, he has worked as a consultant in space operations and as a planetary scientist.
- John Stertzer
Professional soccer player John Stertzer was born in Oakton, Virginia in 1990. John spent four seasons with the Maryland Terrapins before being chosen as the 12th pick in the 2013 MLS Superdraft in 2013. In 2017, Sterzer was signed with New York City FC and was later released by the club at the end of the 2017 season.
With a population of over 34,000, it’s not always easy to know everyone in Oakton. However, it’s interesting to know that there are a number of people with famous backgrounds living in the quaint Northern Virginia community.
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