Just to weigh in, I can't think of one good role model for a young boy to look up to, and have their father alongside and state, "well, son, if you truly apply yourself to your aspirations and goals, you can someday be like ____".
Every popular figure in our media mainstream has faults, and with the way our journalism and entertainment news works, those faults eventually become badges of this famous person's personalities, even if it was a rare instance they faltered, for whatever reason.
I'm thinking of leaning toward writer, but most of the novelists I read and follow are not from North America. Also, while it's certainly not a selfish thing to want to nominate someone in your own family, or a notable person you are especially close with, chances are their status as a role model may only apply to soely you and your family, and perhaps a small segment of that person's community involvement.
For the most part, when the word "role model" is thrown around, it is usually used as a broad defining term for someone with wide-reaching status, a celebrity, politician, athlete, musician, millionaire corporate entity, etc.
And still, with all those choices, I still cannot think of one "just" and honorable man.
Maybe we're just inherently evil, and we find whatever good we can in a person and cling to that.
For me, though, if I were to ever adopt a role model, which seems unlikely as I've never depended upon the context of another's life to mirror my own drive and dreams, I'd look for someone who grew up in humble beginnings, and through sheer determination and an incredible ethic to both furthering their mind's intellect and current situation, rose above it all and grew to become a household name.
Maybe I could state that
Andre Johnson should be able to pass as a suitable role model for young ones, as he is very humble, he works hard, is arguably the best at what he does, and toiled for years upon years to achieve what he has now, and does not take it for granted in the least. But then again, I don't know him all that well, so I may think of another to add later.