Beaumont, Texas

[IroNat]

Quite a list. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaumont,_Texas#Education

Notable People

For a more extensive list of people associated with Beaumont, Texas see: People from Beaumont, Texas

    Chip Ambres, Major League Baseball player[115]
    Kelly Asbury, film director, writer, illustrator and voice actor[116]
    Doug Ault, Major League Baseball player
    Melvin Baker, football player
    Jerry Ball, football player for SMU and in NFL, 3-time Pro Bowl selection; born in Beaumont[117]
    Vance Bedford, football coach
    Charlotte Beers, businesswoman and former Under Secretary of State[118]
    Jan van Beveren, Dutch soccer player (goalkeeper)
    Squire Booker, biochemist at Penn State University
    James Brown, starting quarterback of Texas Longhorns from 1994 to 1997[119]
    Ben Broussard, Major League Baseball first baseman[120]
    Jay Bruce, Major League Baseball player, three-time All-Star; born in Beaumont[121]
    James Busceme, boxer who fought Alexis Argüello for world title in 1982
    Wayde Butler, football player
    Tommy Byars, motorcycle racer and dealer
    Tracy Byrd, country music artist; grew up in Vidor[122]
    Mark Chesnutt, country music artist; grew up in Nederland[122]
    Robert Crippen, astronaut[123]
    Tiffany Derry, celebrity chef, Top Chef contestant and fan favorite winner[124]
    Floyd Dixon, professional football player
    Earl Dotson, professional football player
    Mel Farr, football player, UCLA, first-round draft choice of Detroit Lions, NFL Rookie if the Year; born in Beaumont[125]
    Miller Farr, NFL player, first-round draft choice, three-time AFL All-Star; born in Beaumont[126]
    Debra Jo Fondren, model and actress, lived in Beaumont[127]
    Lew Ford, Major League Baseball player[128]
    Herman Fontenot, NFL player [129]
    Larry Graham, bass player for Sly and The Family Stone, pioneered "slapping" technique, founder and frontman of Graham Central Station[130]
    Irma P. Hall, actress in Soul Food, The Lady Killers, and many other movies
    Detrick Hughes, poet, author[131]
    Harry James, musician and bandleader in Grammy Hall of Fame[132]
    Blind Willie Johnson, Baptist minister and seminal gospel/blues bottle-neck guitarist[133]
    George Jones, country music artist; grew up in Vidor[134]
    Louie Kelcher, NFL player, 4-time All-Pro for San Diego Chargers; born in Beaumont[135]
    Jerry LeVias, college and NFL football player, member of the College Football Hall of Fame.[136]
    Bruce Lietzke, professional golfer, 22 victories, member of winning 1981 Ryder Cup team[137]
    Arlon Lindner, Minnesota state representative and businessman[138]
    Barbara Lynn, R&B music artist[139]
    Bob Mann, political historian, columnist, head of Department of Journalism at LSU; born in Beaumont[140]
    Masada, pro wrestler
    Christine Michael, Texas A&M running back[141]
    Kevin Millar, Major League Baseball player; played in college for Lamar[142]
    Frank Middleton, NFL player[143]
    Roger Mobley, child actor; police officer in Beaumont
    Vamsi Mootha, Indian-American physician-scientist[citation needed]
    David Ozio, bowler, won 11 titles on PBA Tour; executive at Etonic Shoe Company[144]
    Kendrick Perkins, NBA player; member of 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics[145]
    Mark Petkovsek, Major League Baseball player[146]
    Dade Phelan, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and Republican representative from District 21; real estate developer born in Beaumont[147]
    Bob Pollard, NFL player[148]
    Kheeston Randall, football player[149]
    Taylor Reed, football player
    J.P. Richardson, "The Big Bopper", DJ, rock & roll singer, killed with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in 1959 plane crash[150]
    Allan Ritter, member of Texas House of Representatives from Jefferson and Orange counties, born in Beaumont[151]
    Frank Robinson (1935–2019), Major League Baseball player and manager, member of Hall of Fame; born in Beaumont[152]
    Kevin Russell, musician, born and raised in Beaumont[153]
    Brian Sanches, Major League Baseball player; grew up in Nederland, TX[154]
    Bubba Smith, football player, College Football Hall of Fame, Super Bowl V champion in NFL and actor[155]
    Tom Tierney, noted paper doll artist, cartoonist, and painter[156]
    Billy Tubbs, basketball coach at Lamar, Texas Christian and Oklahoma University, 1988 NCAA Final Four
    Teezo Touchdown, rapper, singer and songwriter
    Jason Tyner, Major League Baseball player[157]
    Helen Vinson, actress, appeared in more than 40 films between 1932 and 1945; born in Beaumont
    Clay Walker, country music artist; grew up in Vidor, Texas[158]
    Ben Wells, defensive back for CFL's Montreal Alouettes
    Edgar Winter, rock music artist, brother to Johnny Winter; born in Beaumont[159]
    Johnny Winter, blues and rock music artist, brother to Edgar Winter; born in Beaumont[160]
    Will Wynn, former mayor of Austin[161]
    Mildred Ella ("Babe") Didrikson Zaharias, Olympic champion athlete and Hall of Fame pro golfer; one of the founders of LPGA[162]
    Gus Zernial, Major League Baseball player, 1951 American League home run leader; born in Beaumont[163]

[IroNat]

Beaumont, Texas is where the great Texas oil boom began.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spindletop

Spindletop is an oil field located in the southern portion of Beaumont, Texas, in the United States. The Spindletop dome was derived from the Louann Salt evaporite layer of the Jurassic geologic period.[2] On January 10, 1901, a well at Spindletop struck oil ("came in"). The Spindletop gusher blew for 9 days at a rate estimated at 100,000 barrels (16,000 m3) of oil per day.[3] Gulf Oil and Texaco, now part of Chevron Corporation, were formed to develop production at Spindletop.[4] The Spindletop discovery led the United States into the oil age. Prior to Spindletop, oil was primarily used for lighting and as a lubricant. Because of the quantity of oil discovered, burning petroleum as a fuel for mass consumption suddenly became economically feasible.

The frenzy of oil exploration and the economic development it generated in the state became known as the Texas oil boom. The United States soon became the world's leading oil producer.

[deadz]

Quite a list. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaumont,_Texas#Education

Notable People

For a more extensive list of people associated with Beaumont, Texas see: People from Beaumont, Texas

    Chip Ambres, Major League Baseball player[115]
    Kelly Asbury, film director, writer, illustrator and voice actor[116]
    Doug Ault, Major League Baseball player
    Melvin Baker, football player
    Jerry Ball, football player for SMU and in NFL, 3-time Pro Bowl selection; born in Beaumont[117]
    Vance Bedford, football coach
    Charlotte Beers, businesswoman and former Under Secretary of State[118]
    Jan van Beveren, Dutch soccer player (goalkeeper)
    Squire Booker, biochemist at Penn State University
    James Brown, starting quarterback of Texas Longhorns from 1994 to 1997[119]
    Ben Broussard, Major League Baseball first baseman[120]
    Jay Bruce, Major League Baseball player, three-time All-Star; born in Beaumont[121]
    James Busceme, boxer who fought Alexis Argüello for world title in 1982
    Wayde Butler, football player
    Tommy Byars, motorcycle racer and dealer
    Tracy Byrd, country music artist; grew up in Vidor[122]
    Mark Chesnutt, country music artist; grew up in Nederland[122]
    Robert Crippen, astronaut[123]
    Tiffany Derry, celebrity chef, Top Chef contestant and fan favorite winner[124]
    Floyd Dixon, professional football player
    Earl Dotson, professional football player
    Mel Farr, football player, UCLA, first-round draft choice of Detroit Lions, NFL Rookie if the Year; born in Beaumont[125]
    Miller Farr, NFL player, first-round draft choice, three-time AFL All-Star; born in Beaumont[126]
    Debra Jo Fondren, model and actress, lived in Beaumont[127]
    Lew Ford, Major League Baseball player[128]
    Herman Fontenot, NFL player [129]
    Larry Graham, bass player for Sly and The Family Stone, pioneered "slapping" technique, founder and frontman of Graham Central Station[130]
    Irma P. Hall, actress in Soul Food, The Lady Killers, and many other movies
    Detrick Hughes, poet, author[131]
    Harry James, musician and bandleader in Grammy Hall of Fame[132]
    Blind Willie Johnson, Baptist minister and seminal gospel/blues bottle-neck guitarist[133]
    George Jones, country music artist; grew up in Vidor[134]
    Louie Kelcher, NFL player, 4-time All-Pro for San Diego Chargers; born in Beaumont[135]
    Jerry LeVias, college and NFL football player, member of the College Football Hall of Fame.[136]
    Bruce Lietzke, professional golfer, 22 victories, member of winning 1981 Ryder Cup team[137]
    Arlon Lindner, Minnesota state representative and businessman[138]
    Barbara Lynn, R&B music artist[139]
    Bob Mann, political historian, columnist, head of Department of Journalism at LSU; born in Beaumont[140]
    Masada, pro wrestler
    Christine Michael, Texas A&M running back[141]
    Kevin Millar, Major League Baseball player; played in college for Lamar[142]
    Frank Middleton, NFL player[143]
    Roger Mobley, child actor; police officer in Beaumont
    Vamsi Mootha, Indian-American physician-scientist[citation needed]
    David Ozio, bowler, won 11 titles on PBA Tour; executive at Etonic Shoe Company[144]
    Kendrick Perkins, NBA player; member of 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics[145]
    Mark Petkovsek, Major League Baseball player[146]
    Dade Phelan, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and Republican representative from District 21; real estate developer born in Beaumont[147]
    Bob Pollard, NFL player[148]
    Kheeston Randall, football player[149]
    Taylor Reed, football player
    J.P. Richardson, "The Big Bopper", DJ, rock & roll singer, killed with Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in 1959 plane crash[150]
    Allan Ritter, member of Texas House of Representatives from Jefferson and Orange counties, born in Beaumont[151]
    Frank Robinson (1935–2019), Major League Baseball player and manager, member of Hall of Fame; born in Beaumont[152]
    Kevin Russell, musician, born and raised in Beaumont[153]
    Brian Sanches, Major League Baseball player; grew up in Nederland, TX[154]
    Bubba Smith, football player, College Football Hall of Fame, Super Bowl V champion in NFL and actor[155]
    Tom Tierney, noted paper doll artist, cartoonist, and painter[156]
    Billy Tubbs, basketball coach at Lamar, Texas Christian and Oklahoma University, 1988 NCAA Final Four
    Teezo Touchdown, rapper, singer and songwriter
    Jason Tyner, Major League Baseball player[157]
    Helen Vinson, actress, appeared in more than 40 films between 1932 and 1945; born in Beaumont
    Clay Walker, country music artist; grew up in Vidor, Texas[158]
    Ben Wells, defensive back for CFL's Montreal Alouettes
    Edgar Winter, rock music artist, brother to Johnny Winter; born in Beaumont[159]
    Johnny Winter, blues and rock music artist, brother to Edgar Winter; born in Beaumont[160]
    Will Wynn, former mayor of Austin[161]
    Mildred Ella ("Babe") Didrikson Zaharias, Olympic champion athlete and Hall of Fame pro golfer; one of the founders of LPGA[162]
    Gus Zernial, Major League Baseball player, 1951 American League home run leader; born in Beaumont[163]

I happen to be indirectly related to one of those individuals through a step-siblings marriage.

[IroNat]

I happen to be indirectly related to one of those individuals through a step-siblings marriage.

Something in the water in Beaumont.

Petrochemicals?