# Six Degrees -- a game of names **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 8, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360 "2007-02-08T15:29:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/41 "2007-02-09T13:41:41Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] I knew him in elementary school, up until 6th grade, so I couldn’t tell you what he went by in high school. He had a younger sister named Wei Wei, if that helps. [/QUOTE] Wei Wei sounds Chinese, but the Shih Young Kim I knew was from South Korea and spoke very poor English. He came to our high school from 1994 to 1996. Same time frame? ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/42 "2007-02-09T16:36:24Z")
[QUOTE=Jurph] Wei Wei sounds Chinese, but the Shih Young Kim I knew was from South Korea and spoke very poor English. He came to our high school from 1994 to 1996. Same time frame? [/QUOTE] Same time frame but definitely a different guy. I’m pretty sure he was Chinese, and he spoke nearly perfect English since his family had been in the States from the time he was very little. Ah well…at least we got a hit on the name. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hugh\_Jass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4da419/32.png) [@Hugh\_Jass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hugh_Jass)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/43 "2007-02-09T17:21:54Z")
No hits on any names, but here’s my list: Joe Deskevich Jim Seljos Cathy Savage Barbara Kuhn Lon Markus Sue Dehaan ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/44 "2007-02-09T17:59:38Z")
No hits (aside the wildly common names, which I’ll assume are coincidental). Lotus Goldstein Grace Kelly Elizabeth Jappay Casey Zombor Brad Kerth Devin McKinney ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/45 "2007-02-09T18:08:39Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] I don’t know any of the previously mentioned names. Here’s my list: Christopher Kelley Aneetinder Brar Mary Davalian Hazel Kim Amparo Salgado Shih-Young Kim Samantha Davidson Michelle Reyes [/QUOTE] Ooooh, I knew a Michelle Reyes (well, actually knew \*of \* her is more like it) and I grew up in SoCal. This would have been 20+ years ago in the South Bay area. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/46 "2007-02-09T18:19:49Z")
[QUOTE=Litoris] Eric Mumpower [/QUOTE] Know him? I’m in a [photo](http://www.sheldonbrown.org/g-s/thespis/posed/pages/thespis-15.33b.htm) with him! I once met a Joe Jones, so two hits for me. My list: Sherry Small John Gorsky (I knew two of them) Phil Hoffman (Yes, the movie star) Brad Stoddard Karen Weiner Brad Cole Janet Esposito Gina Ott ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/47 "2007-02-09T19:33:33Z")
No hits for me! Here’s a list: 1. Karen Fitzgerald 2. Christina Ballinger 3. Robert Hoffman 4. Mike Lally 5. Kerry O’Rourke 6. Lori Baker 7. Mary Beth Farrell 8. Mitch Smith 9. Chris Couch 10. Mike Greenwell ---
**Author:** ![frog\_princess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6bbea6/32.png) [@frog\_princess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frog_princess)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/48 "2007-02-09T19:33:43Z")
[QUOTE=Sgt Schwartz] Richard Rose [/QUOTE] I work with a Richard Rose. He’s an LPN in a psych hospital. My list: Tim Swan Danielle Ortelli Dawn Campguard Nancy Flynn Gary Williams Kristin Janda Peter Spooner ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/49 "2007-02-09T20:01:26Z")
No hits from me yet. Try these: Tim Behunin Roy Boehm Jack Butters (Buttars?) Matt Caldwell Don Case Scott Chandler Jason Childers Mike Christensen Vince Cunningham Dan DeWitt Jennifer Eggleston Mike Franke Adam Geise Chris Geyer Sharon Ham David Hamilton Cory Hawkins Jeff Heinrich Odie Huber Jonathan Hunt Matt Hyde John Jungles Tom Kari Mike Langston James Marshall Jared Morgan Chad Olsen Melissa Pincock Matt Purvis Robert Preston Ryan Saleh Mark Schmidt Mike Stowell David Strawn Wendell Thompson David Tullis Nancy West Steve Yonker ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/50 "2007-02-09T20:08:47Z")
[QUOTE=WOOKINPANUB] Ooooh, I knew a Michelle Reyes (well, actually knew \*of \* her is more like it) and I grew up in SoCal. This would have been 20+ years ago in the South Bay area. [/QUOTE] I knew her about 20 years ago, but she was going to junior high school near downtown LA at the time. My guess is, probably not the same, which is too bad. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/51 "2007-02-09T20:13:56Z")
[QUOTE=dwc1970] Jason Childers [/QUOTE] Childhood friend from upstate New York. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/52 "2007-02-09T21:20:22Z")
**tdn** – pretty funny – it’s not really a hit, but it does have the 6 degrees to it. That is not _my_ Eric Mumpower, but apparently his cousin. I had heard about him through a mutual friend who had met him (your EM) when he googled trying to find the one to which I am referring. I purposely listed the names that were strange enough I figured there wouldn’t be hits on or if there were would be “real” hits. Funny. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/53 "2007-02-09T21:24:27Z")
I’m waiting for someone to see his or her Actual Name. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/54 "2007-02-09T21:29:47Z")
[QUOTE=Ellen Cherry] I’m waiting for someone to see his or her Actual Name. [/QUOTE] I was worried about such a thing when I did the OP. I gather that either that has already happened and been ignored or this crowd has names a little further from “common.” Now, the trick for Dopers who have “common” names would be to include their own name in their list. This way, they can hide behind the drapes, so to say. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/55 "2007-02-09T21:36:16Z")
[QUOTE=frog princess] I work with a Richard Rose. He’s an LPN in a psych hospital. [/QUOTE] Probibly not the same one. The one I knew worked in auto mechanics from the time he was 12 years old, or thereabouts. Sgt Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/56 "2007-02-09T21:48:04Z")
[QUOTE=Ellen Cherry] I’m waiting for someone to see his or her Actual Name. [/QUOTE] I _did_ include my name in my list. Common enough to get a boatload of google hits, not common enough to be hit randomly, I think. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/57 "2007-02-09T21:56:33Z")
[QUOTE=Litoris] **tdn** – pretty funny – it’s not really a hit, but it does have the 6 degrees to it. That is not _my_ Eric Mumpower, but apparently his cousin. I had heard about him through a mutual friend who had met him (your EM) when he googled trying to find the one to which I am referring. I purposely listed the names that were strange enough I figured there wouldn’t be hits on or if there were would be “real” hits. Funny. [/QUOTE] Hold on – explain this again. Eric has a cousin named Eric. I know one, you know the other. And when a friend of yours Googled your Eric, he got mine instead (no doubt from a page related to the one I posted). And so this friend went to meet my Eric? If I’m even partially right on this, then I think we have a winner for the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/58 "2007-02-09T21:57:44Z")
[QUOTE=WVmom] Here’s some people I knew growing up: Robert Alexander [/QUOTE] When I was in high school, I was on the _Academic Challenge_ team as a sophomore, junior, and senior. Bob Alexander was the captain when I was in eleventh grade (we won, as we had the year before – I was the captain as a senior, but the person who was charged with delivering my school’s application to the sponsor “forgot all about” the task until it was too late). ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/59 "2007-02-09T22:12:52Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Hold on – explain this again. Eric has a cousin named Eric. I know one, you know the other. And when a friend of yours Googled your Eric, he got mine instead (no doubt from a page related to the one I posted). And so this friend went to meet my Eric? If I’m even partially right on this, then I think we have a winner for the thread. [/QUOTE] Ok, let me see if I can 'splain it. My friend Eric is a brainy sort who tends to forget that people actually like him and like to talk to him now and then. Our other friend decided that he wanted to know what Eric was up to, so did a GIS for Eric Mumpower. He got multiple hits and they were all this Eric Mumpower at MIT. On a whim (since _our_ Eric was seriously a brain), he emailed the MIT Eric. The MIT Eric explained that no, he was not the EM my friend was looking for, but rather his cousin and yes, he did know how to contact _our_ Eric. My friend did not actually meet your Eric in person, only via email. I don’t know much about your Eric, but ours was the product of an American dad and German mom. He is a total brain and a lot of fun to get drunk with. He should be around 34/35 nowdays and last I heard was living in Germany. So, do we get a prize for this one? ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360/60 "2007-02-09T22:12:56Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] 2) Michael Hall [/QUOTE] When I was in college, Michael Packert-Hall was my professor of English Renaissance Drama Exclusive of Shakespeare. He hyphenated his surname upon marriage, but now (based on alumni newsletters I’ve recently read) goes simply by Michael Hall. Don’t know if he divorced, or merely chose to simplify. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-degrees-a-game-of-names/391360.md?page=4)