A search for famous people named
Whitney usually
shows only two that are older than
Whitney Houston
and could thereby be her namesake. Despite being
closely related to
Dione Warwick,
Darla Love, and
Aretha Franklin, their names, obviously were not
chosen. Instead, she was named after (
Nancy)
Whitney Blake, a white actress/producer/director
from 'Route 66' to 'One Day At a Time' and
everything in between, but barely 30 in 1963.
The other
Whitney was the Executive Director of
the National
Urban League, and considered one of
the 'Top 5' Most Influential Leaders of the Civil
Rights Movement in
America, but otherwise unsung.