Meadowlark Lemon

Meadow "Meadowlark" Lemon, Jr., was born on Apr. 25, 1932, in Wilmington, NC. After graduating from the local Williston Primary and Industrial School in 1952, Lemon enrolled briefly in Florida A&M University before enlisting in the U.S. Army, with which he served two years in West Germany and Austria. Upon his return to America in 1954, Lemon joined the Kansas City All-Stars, and shortly afterward, the Harlem Globetrotters. Lemon gained renown for his association with the team, earning stature as the Globetrotters' star player over the span of his 23 years therewith. During this period, Lemon appeared on the animated series "Harlem Globe Trotters" (CBS 1970-72), though only with occasional background vocals; the Meadowlark Lemon character was voiced regularly by actor Scatman Crothers. However, Lemon did star properly on "The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine" (CBS 1974-75) alongside his teammates. Shortly after leaving the Globetrotters in 1978, Lemon made his feature film acting debut in "The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh" (1979) and made a brief recurring stint on the sitcom "Hello, Larry" (NBC 1979-1980). Lemon was ordained as a Christian minister in 1986, and received a Doctor of Divinity two years after. Between 1993 and '94, Lemon played one final season with the Harlem Globetrotters, participating in approximately 50 games. Lemon died on Dec. 27, 2015 at age 83.