Wisconsin is home to all kinds of heroes: first responders, family members, athletes, musicians, actors, and everyday people who inspire us to tackle life’s toughest challenges. We’ve partnered with Clutch Energy Drink to share three Wisconsin heroes that inspire us with their strength, creativity, and persistence to live everyday to the fullest.
For Discover Wisconsin co-host, Mariah Haberman, her Wisconsin hero is her late grandmother, Marian Tomlin. She said, “Despite getting polio at age 20, Marian went on to have 10 children, raised them basically single-handedly and actually won a “World’s Greatest Mom” contest in 1992 by the National Enquirer. My family used to tease her that nothing that tabloid wrote was true. ;)”
Eric Paulsen, another co-host of Discover Wisconsin, is inspired by Wisconsin-born music legend, Les Paul. He explains in his own words: “One of my Wisconsin heroes is a guy named Lester 
Polsfuss, better known as Les Paul. This music legend started his career in Waukesha playing roadhouses and drive-ins. He went on to play with big stars in St. Louis, Chicago, and New York, and in 1940 he created a new electric guitar, eventually working with Gibson guitars to create a true electric guitar with his name on it in 1952.
His contributions to music and music production are legendary; almost all of the popular music we’ve enjoyed over the past 60 years has drawn from Les Paul’s inventions. He’s a Wisconsin hero for his influence on the world of music, musicians, producers, and all of us who love music and entertainment.”
Another inspiring Wisconsinite (although many of you might not know it) is actor and activist, Mark Ruffalo. Born in Kenosha in 1967 he spent his formative years here before moving to Virginia. Since then he has achieved significant success on the big screen, but outside of that he has also made great contributions giving back to the community and making a difference in the lives of others. He is the founder of Water Defense, a non-profit dedicated to clean water. Water Defense’s mission is to use technology and public engagement to keep water ways and drinking water sources from contamination and industrial degradation.
Ruffalo is also an advocate for renewable energy and is currently on the board of directors for The Solutions Project, an initiative that focuses on accelerating the transition to 100% clean energy and making it accessible to all people.Maddie Brady and Ellen Fallon are members of the Discover Wisconsin Marketing Team. You can watch Discover Wisconsin online at discoverwisconsin.com and learn more about Clutch Energy Drink at clutchenergydrink.com.
