William Woods University Notable Alumni

Last Updated on December 24, 2022

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About is William Woods University a Good School

William Woods University has a long and fascinating history originating in the aftermath of the American Civil War. First known as the Female Orphan School, the institution that is now William Woods University was founded in 1870 in Camden Point, Missouri in response to the needs of female children orphaned during the war.

During the late nineteenth century, the institution moved to Fulton, Missouri, and expanded its elementary and secondary programs to accommodate young women who aspired to become teachers. Known briefly at the beginning of the twentieth century as Daughters College, the institution changed its name to William Woods College to honor a major benefactor and began offering a two-year college program. In 1962, anticipating dramatic changes in the role of American women in the labor force, William Woods became a four-year college.

Expanding its mission to address the need for graduate and adult-oriented programs, the institution became known as William Woods University in 1993 and began offering graduate degrees and admitting men as well as women into all of its programs.

An independent institution, chartered by the State of Missouri, governed by a self-perpetuating board of trustees, and in an ongoing covenant relationship with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), William Woods University remains committed to serving the public good by helping students link intellectual development with the responsibilities of citizenship and professional life.

Dr. William Stone Woods – Namesake of the University

Recent History (1993 to Present)
2012
Gayle Lampe, professor emeritus of equestrian studies, is named an Icon of Education by Ingram’s, Kansas City’s business magazine.
Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum campaigns at WWU.
Made up of students, faculty/staff and community members, the WWU Parliament Pep Band makes its debut at basketball games. A parliament is a group of owls, tying the band’s name to the school’s mascot.
Students broaden experiences with a Woods Around the World trip to France, visiting the site of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as well as art museums and historical sites.
One of the most prolific actors of his generation, Val Kilmer, spends a week at WWU, performing his play, “Citizen Twain,” visiting various groups and speaking at commencement; Kilmer receives honorary doctorate degree from WWU.
The United States Saddle Seat World Cup Selection Trials are held at WWU, with riders vying for an opportunity to represent their country in the 2012 Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup in Parys, South Africa, in December.
The social work department institutes a new award to honor a woman who helped establish the social work program at WWU-the Jane Bierdeman-Fike Inspiration Award. The inaugural award is presented to Harriet Yelon, a prominent member of the campus community for three decades.
Ken Lyle, chief financial officer for Fulton State Hospital and an adjunct faculty member at William Woods University, is the first recipient of the newly created Graduate College Distinguished Professor Award.
Dr. Jahnae H. Barnett, president of William Woods University for the past 22 years, is named a Woman of Achievement by the Zonta Club of Jefferson City. The award was presented at the 13th annual Yellow Rose Luncheon, with about 700 people in attendance. Proceeds from the event subsidize Zonta’s Second Chance Scholarship Fund for women.
The American Horse Publications (AHP) Association presents the 2012 AHP Student Award to Dani Moritz, a senior from Algonquin, Ill., for her talent in journalism and love for horses.
2011
The “Mad Hungarian,” Al Hrabosky, former St. Louis Cardinal and current color commentator, speaks on campus as part of the President’s Concert and Lecture Series.
Dr. Mary Spratt, Cox Distinguished Professor in Science, is named an Icon of Education by Ingram’s, Kansas City’s business magazine.
The LEAD program garners national attention as a nominee for the 2011 ACE Network Award for the Advancement of Women in Higher Education.
William Woods University-known to students and alumni as “The Woods”-is chosen for Tree Campus USA status. It is the first year a college or university in Missouri has received such designation.
Students travel to Italy as part of Woods Around the World to increase global awareness
Woody’s, on the lower level of Tucker Dining Hall, is remodeled to provide a gathering place for student functions, as well as various faculty/staff events.
Eight William Woods University students place in the top 10 in their respective categories, competing with more than 1,400 other college students at the DECA International Conference in Orlando, Fla.
A member of the WWU Board of Trustees, Theresa Vonderschmitt, donates a 15-acre country residence for the presidential home, allowing work to proceed on the new Alumni and Visitors’ Center that previously served as the president’s home.
Alumna Romaine Seguin, new president of the UPS Americas Region with responsibility for Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, speaks at commencement.
Professor Jack Dudley retires after 47 years at WWU. He has been the only WWU teacher to receive the Louis D. Beaumont Dad’s Distinguished Professor Award in three separate decades.
A group of students and staff travel to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota for a week of service-learning among the Oglala Lakota Sioux.
William Woods University is approved by its accrediting body, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), to offer its first doctorate degree, a doctorate in educational leadership.
WWU is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), providing reciprocity with other states for master of education-administration and educational specialist degrees.
The Alpha Chi Omega chapter at WWU is the sole recipient of the National Council Trophy-the sorority’s highest award for collegiate chapters.
For the second year in a row, WWU is one of the top 100 universities in the Midwest, according to the 2012 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Colleges issue. WWU jumped eight spots from last year.
As a result of a nationwide trend toward student transfers, WWU begins a campus-wide initiative to streamline the transfer process.
2010
Dr. Jahnae H. Barnett celebrates the 20th anniversary of her inauguration as president of William Woods.
WWU celebrates the 10th anniversary of the LEAD (Leading, Educating, Achieving and Developing) program.
The Center for Ethics and Global Studies is established at WWU, funded in part through an anonymous gift to the university’s endowment fund. This Imagine Campaign gift represents the largest gift from an individual in university history.
William Woods enrolls record number of students in fall 2010 as 340 new students cause the undergraduate enrollment to reach approximately 990, marking the largest on-campus undergraduate student body in university history.
U.S. News, which ranks 1,400 schools nationwide, ranks William Woods in top 100 Midwest universities.
President Emeritus Dr. Randall B. Cutlip, president of William Woods from 1960-1980 and honorary member of WWU Board of Trustees passes away at age 93.
Rita Mae Brown, best-selling author and Emmy-nominated screen writer,is the May commencement speaker. She is awarded honorary alumna status.
Rita Mae Brown publishes Cat of the Century–a mystery novel set on the campus of William Woods University.
WWU launches the Imagine Campaign, an initiative to raise $11.7 million to fund construction of a residential complex for sororities, an amphitheatre, establish the Center for Ethics and Global Studies, and to refurbish the presidential residence as a new alumni and visitors’ center.
Graduate and Adult Studies becomes Graduate and Professional Studies, to reflect an increase in undergraduate programming offered in outreach settings.
WWU opens a fourth outreach facility, in Branson, Missouri.
Local chapter of Lambda Alpha Epsilon, a national criminal justice fraternity, is established with 12 charter members.
WWU team wins quiz bowl and right to represent Missouri’s 11 accredited athletic training education programs in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association District 5 competition.
The division of human performance creates a minor in coaching, available to all students with an interest in athletics.
The Rev. Samuel “Billy” Kyles visits campus to talk about his involvement in the civil rights movement and his friendship with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Kyles was with King when he was assassinated in 1968.
Pulitzer Prize winner and Mark Twain biographer, Ron Powers, speaks at WWU on 100th anniversary of Twain’s death.
Students visit Holocaust sites in Europe as part of Woods Around the World.
2009
WWU welcomes 335 new students in the fall, the largest incoming class ever.
Dr. Jahnae H. Barnett is named 2009 Alumnus of the Year by the University of Mississippi School of Education, is honored by Arkansas State University during its Centennial as one of its 100 most successful leaders and is selected as one of Ingram’s magazine’s nine Icons of Education for 2010.
The MBA program is ranked 5th in the Top MBA programs of Missouri and Kansas by Ingram’s, a Kansas City business magazine.
William Woods University hosts Nobel Peace Prize winner Betty Williams for PeaceJam Youth Conferences in November: Nobel Laureate Betty Williams, known for her work to end the conflict in Northern Ireland and her continued work on behalf of women and children affected by violence, is awarded an honorary degree.
US Senator Claire McCaskill is the May commencement speaker. She is awarded an honorary degree.
An Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) circle is created at William Woods. ODK is a national leadership honor society.
Dr. Mary Spratt, WWU Cox Distinguished Professor of Biology and 2008 Missouri Professor of Year, co-authors an article, “Genomics Education Partnership,”; and is published in the science education section of the prestigious weekly journal, Science.
At a meeting of the Missouri Branch of the American Society for Microbiology, WWU senior Kathryn Golden wins an award for her undergraduate research conducted in collaboration with Dr. Mary Spratt into tick-borne disease.
William Woods University students and horses are highlighted in a book, “Knack Grooming Horses: A Complete Illustrated Guide.”
Equestrian Judging Team wins Collegiate Overall Highpoint Team and the L.V. “Cy” Tirell Award at Morgan Grand Nationals.
Prazer OBF, a horse owned by WWU, wins a United States Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year Award.
WWU athletics has a banner year. Men and women’s golf teams are AMC champions and national qualifiers. Women’s basketball is AMC regular season co-champs, AMC tournament champs and makes a national tournament appearance. The softball team is AMC regular season champion. The volleyball and baseball teams are AMC regular season and postseason tournament runners-up.
Two WWU baseball players sign professional contracts with Major League Baseball. Nick Wooley becomes the first player in the history of the 10-year-old baseball program to be drafted by MLB when he is drafted by the Kansas City Royals. Josh Goodin later signs a free agent contract to join the Baltimore Orioles.
William Woods is recognized by the NAIA as a Champions of Character Institution and the softball team receives the NAIA’s Buffalo Funds Five Star Award for its dedication and implementation of the Champions of Character program.
A WWU fight song is created by faculty member Murphy Tetley.
2008
WWU President Dr. Jahnae H. Barnett is named inaugural First Lady in Education and receives award from Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt and First Lady Melanie Blunt.
Students in a new concentration in therapeutic riding sponsor an Equestrian Special Olympics, which attracts 19 riders.
Graduate and Adult Studies offers first cohorts in Arkansas.
WWU welcomes 325 new students in the fall, the largest incoming class ever.
A new entrance to campus, called Woods Way, is established on the northwest edge of campus.
Dr. Mary Spratt, Cox Distinguished Professor of Science, is named Missouri Professor of the Year by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Jefferson City facility takes over entire building at 919 Wildwood Drive, doubling its square footage from 9,750 to 19,500.
2007
WWU graduates nearly 600 students in May, setting a record for a single commencement.
WWU begins offering online career training courses to allow more people to pursue their educational and professional goals.
American Sign Language Learning Community is introduced, creating a living environment made up of ASL majors.
NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball is added.
Graduate and Adult Studies is approved by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (the university’s accrediting body) and the Arkansas Department of Higher Education to offer William Woods classes in the state of Arkansas.
Larry York is named American Midwest Conference and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Region V Athletics Director of the Year.
William Woods University hosts two Nobel Peace Prize winners for PeaceJam Youth Conferences in April and November: Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, known for her work to ban landmines, and Nobel Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum, a Quiché Maya Indian, known for her work as a peaceful advocate of native Indian rights in Central America, her leadership for indigenous people around the world and her involvement in the women’s rights movement. Both are awarded honorary degrees.
2006
Communication department adds degree concentration in digital filmmaking.
New residence hall, named in honor of President Emeritus Dr. Randall B. Cutlip, opens, housing 62 students.
Landon and Sarah Rowland Applied Riding Arena opens, made possible through a $300,000 lead gift from Sarah and Landon Rowland of Kansas City, Mo., and other WWU supporters.
Dr. John M. Bartholomy, President of William Woods from 1980-1990, passes away at age 71.
Office of Service-Learning is established to involve more students in organized community service that addresses local needs, while developing their academic skills.
WWU is selected as the Heartland Region headquarters for PeaceJam, serving youth in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and southern Iowa and dedicated to inspiring a new generation of peacemakers through contact with Nobel Peace Prize winners.
The exercise science degree program meets the criteria recommended by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) for official recognition.
Master of education in athletics/activities administration program becomes one of the few to be recognized by the National Interscholastic Athletic Association as meeting the educational requirements toward becoming a Registered Athletic Administrator (RAA) or a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA).
Judging Team wins the national championship at the U.S. National Arabian Championship Horse Show and takes many first place honors at the Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show, including an individual world champion title.

William Woods University | Photos | US News Best Colleges

2006 biology graduate Amanda Candee receives a public health fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga.
Students raise $17,500 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through a student-run organization, Up ’til Dawn.
Undergraduate major in management information science replaces the computer information science program.
Graduate and Adult Studies adds a direct admissions MBA program (for recent college graduates), and an agribusiness concentration to the current accelerated MBA program.
2005
WWU opens new apartment-style Stone-Campbell Memorial Hall, with funding provided in part by John Schiffman of St. Louis.
1,124 graduate from WWU in 2005, setting new record.
First male is elected to National Alumni Board of Directors.
Criminal Justice program is revised to provide a homeland security emphasis.
CIRCLES equestrian program for at-risk youth wins Martin Luther King award from the State of Missouri.
Two students, working with Dr. Mary Spratt on a research project involving ticks, Amanda Candee and Jillian Lee, win first place for the oral presentation of their research at the annual meeting of the Missouri Academy of Science (MAS). They later receive more honors at the American Society for Microbiology General Meeting in Atlanta, Ga.
Office of Career Services is created.
Graduate and Adult Studies offers master of education degree in athletics/activities administration.
2004
Graduate and Adult Studies introduces a new Bachelor of Science degree in marketing and a Bachelor of Science degree in management with an emphasis in human resources.
A major in exercise science is developed to provide students with the academic preparation and practical experience to serve as fitness/exercise specialists in a variety of physical fitness, wellness, health enhancement and/or rehabilitative settings.
An 18-hour minor in film studies is introduced, and a number of new courses are developed in such areas as script writing, history, film critique and applied film study.
A minor in social work is introduced, requiring 18 credit hours, many of which also fulfill the university’s general education requirements. As part of the new minor, a new course in community service-learning is added to the curriculum.
A minor in chemistry is added.
The Office of Faith and Service is created.
Men and women’s cross country, indoor track and outdoor track teams are added, as well as a university cross country/fitness course with funding provided by the Weider Corporation.
2003
Undergraduate major in criminal justice is added to round out the offerings in legal studies, which already include political science, pre-law, paralegal studies and juvenile justice.
The university’s new FM radio station goes “on the air” around the clock. The Pulse, operating as KWWU, broadcasts on 94.9 MHz
Graduate and Adult Studies begins offering the Specialist of Education in Administration program, which prepares educational administrators to be certified for the superintendent’s certification.
Bachelor of Science degree-completion program in paralegal studies is introduced.
The Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) grants approval for certified HR personnel to be re-certified for three years through WWU’s MBA human resources program.
The Columbia facility expands again to 13,700 square feet to accommodate more students and new programs.
2002
Division of Human Performance, comprising physical education, athletic training and sport management, is established.
$1.5 million Center for Human Performance opens, providing state-of-the-art care to WWU athletes and enhancing the university’s ability to provide clinical experiences for students.
Graduate and Adult Studies moves to a larger facility in Columbia to accommodate the demand for additional classroom space–a new 7,500-square-foot facility at 3100 Falling Leaf Court.
Master of Business Administration (MBA) program with concentration in human resources is introduced.
The Owls volleyball team wins the NAIA/Tachikara National Men’s Volleyball Championship. It is the first national championship ever for any William Woods athletic team. The Owls finish the season with a record of 31-4.
WWU’s mock trial teams sweep the National Mock Trial Championship during the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-law Conference and Mock Trial Competition in Chicago.
The Lucille and Bruce Lambert Charitable Foundation, Inc. donates $500,000 to William Woods University. Camden Point and Centennial Hall are renamed Lambert and Brockman halls.
2001
Graduate and Adult Studies implements new degree programs: AA-Liberal Arts, MBA-Accounting and MBA-Health Management.
Missouri awards an $80,000, three-year renewable grant to create an innovative new program, combining the study of social work with the study of American Sign Language (ASL). The ultimate goal is to provide the deaf community with social workers trained in their language.
An undergraduate honors program is added, enabling students to engage in a series of exceptional in-depth learning experiences in conjunction with their regular undergraduate program.
The Federal Communication Commission awards a license to William Woods for the construction and operation of a low-power on-campus FM radio station (KWWU 94.9, The Pulse) with a signal available within a three- to five-mile radius of campus.
Actor William Shatner is the May commencement speaker.
2000
WWU institutes an innovative program intended to make the institution more affordable and, at the same time, encourage and reward involvement that makes for a complete, well-rounded liberal arts education. The $5,000 LEAD (Leading, Educating, Achieving and Developing) tuition award is available to any student, regardless of financial need, who agrees to make a committment to campus and community involvement.
A model courtroom, named for Bernard J. Weitzman, longtime trustee, is built in the Burton Business and Economics Building for the Legal Studies program. The facility is used for educational mock trials and hosts the Western Division of the Missouri Court of Appeals twice a year.
Two international fraternities, Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) and Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE), colonize on campus.
Best-selling author and Emmy-nominated screenwriter Rita Mae Brownaddresses the graduates and their families and friends at May commencement. She is awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Letters.
President Jahnae H. Barnett is chosen by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) to receive the Chief Executive Leadership Award.
1999
New academic majors in juvenile justice (the first in the state), political and legal studies, as well as several areas of concentration in a new mass communication and journalism program are introduced.
Graduate and Adult Studies moves into a new, larger facility in Jefferson City-at 3405 W. Truman Blvd.-because of program expansion and enrollment increases.
$5.5 million, 41,000-square-foot Gladys Woods Kemper Center for the Arts opens, providing an art gallery and academic facilities for visual, performing and communication arts students. Much of the funding comes from the William T. Kemper Foundation and the David Woods Kemper Memorial Foundation. Gladys Woods Kemper was the granddaughter of Dr. William S. Woods. She served as the first woman trustee of the university from 1927 until her death in 1931. The art gallery is named in honor of Mildred Cox, wife of Clark Cox (Cox Science and Language Center- and former WWU trustee).
The Kresge Foundation awards the university a $100,000 challenge grant to help finance the $400,000 purchase of science laboratory equipment and endowment of science laboratories.
In a joint partnership with the city of Fulton, a new athletic complex providing facilities for softball and baseball opens in the spring of 1999, and WWU fields a baseball team for the first time.
“Mr. Las Vegas” Wayne Newton receives an honorary degree in music from WWU prior to performing a Christmas concert on campus to benefit student scholarships.
1998
Auditorium in McNutt Campus Center named in honor of former president, Randall B. Cutlip.
Degree program for adults in computer information management is introduced.
1997
Weider Fitness Center opens. It is named for honorary trustee, Joe Weider, president of Weider Health and Fitness, publishers of popular health magazines.
Electrical fire guts the Fine Arts Center, which is declared a total loss.
WWU opens its second off-campus facility-in Jefferson City, with 170 students.
NAIA Division I men’s sports are added in soccer, volleyball, baseball and golf.
1996
The first men to enroll in the traditional on-campus program start classes in the fall.
Board of Trustees votes to make WWU a coeducational institution.
WWU receives a $150,000 Connections Grant to develop programs, strategies and preventative measures to help Missouri students excel in school.
Mabee Foundation challenge grant of $620,000 is met, allowing for improvement of the equestrian science complex and the Amy Shelton McNutt Campus Center.
1995
Kemper Foundation provides $1.5 million grant to build cultural arts center.
WWU receives National Science Foundation Grant of $42,000.
WWU establishes the innovative Mentor-Mentee Program, a platform for faculty and students interested in working together in either research or creative projects. The student member of a mentor-mentee team conducts independent research or engages in a creative project which may either be independent of or related to the faculty member’s research or project agenda while the faculty member serves as a mentor-collaborator.
WWU celebrates is Quesquicentennial (125 years) and inaugurates a capital campaign.
Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee visits WWU and speaks about “keeping your eyes on the prize.”
New computer system makes library more accessible through a $132,000 grant.
WWU creates a web site.
WWU introduces Century Scholars, an accelerated three-year baccalaureate program.
1994
Dr. Mary Spratt, biology professor, receives her fourth National Science Foundation teaching enhancement award.
WWU and Westminster College receive a joint grant for $132,000 technology enhancements for both institutions.
WWU establishes a women’s leadership program.
1993
William Woods College becomes William Woods University.
WWU receives a five-year Title III grant totaling approximately $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Education for “Strengthening Institutions.”Funds were used to strengthen academic quality through technological support by providing more computers, computer labs and technological upgrades for library; develop and improve student support services for minority, non-traditional and hearing-impaired students; improve and enhance faculty and staff development through comprehensive programs; strengthen the university’s institutional advancement capabilities.
1992
William Woods College began an extended campus program.
William Woods hasn’t always been called William Woods University. Read more!

Female Orphan School (1870-1899)
Daughters College (1899-1900)
William Woods College (1901-1992)
Over its history, William Woods has been under the leadership of a total of twelve Presidents.

William Woods University’s archival documents are in the care of the Western Historical Manuscripts Collection at the Missouri State Historical Society in Columbia, Missouri on the campus of MU.

Arts, Education, Industry, Media
Steve Berry, LAW 1980; popular best-selling author of 19 novels including several New York Times bestsellers.
Buford Boone, CLA 1929; Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper writer (1957), recognized for editorials against segregation.
David Bottoms, CLA 1971; HON 2005, award-winning poet and former Georgia Poet Laureate.
Baciliky Andris “Betty” Cantrell, while a student in Mercer’s Townsend School of Music, was crowned Miss Georgia 2015 and Miss America 2016.
John Couric, CLA 1941; former United Press International editor and journalism professor; daughter, Katie, is anchor for television and online news.
Josiah Crudup, 1923; helped build the original radio tower and establish WMAZ at Macon, former president of Brenau College.
Milton Cruz, CLA 1982; chairman, president and chief executive officer of MedHoldings Inc. MedHolding’s affiliated entities serve as health care real estate investment vehicles, managers, owners and operators of health care facilities in Puerto Rico, Georgia and Florida. MedHoldings specializes in the acquisition of assisted living Facilities (ALFs), memory care communities and other health care related entities.
Harry Stillwell Edwards, LAW 1876, HON DIV LIT 1923; former editor of the Macon Telegraph; author of 19 books including the Southern classic Eneas Africanus.
Barry P. Fanaro, CLA 1975; Hollywood screenwriter (Men in Black II, Kingpin, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, The Golden Girls).
Searcy Garrison, CLA 1934; served as executive director of the Georgia Baptist Convention and was instrumental in convincing GBC that Mercer must have academic freedom.
Nancy GraceNancy Grace
Nancy Grace, CLA 1981, LAW 1984; prosecutor and former host of the popular legal analysis program on Headline News called Nancy Grace. She previously served as an anchor for Court TV network and legal commentator and guest host for CNN’s Larry King Live.

Terrell Griffin, CLA 1966, LAW 1968; practicing attorney; member of American Board of Trial Advocates; holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100 Ton Masters License; author of three best-selling mystery novels, Longboat Blues (2005), Murder Key (2006) and Blood Island (2008) .
Rufus Carrollton Harris, CLA 1917; dean of Mercer Law School, 1925-1927, and Tulane Law School, 1927-1937; president of Tulane University, 1939-1960; president of Mercer University, 1960-1979; co-authored the G.I. Bill.
Budge Huskey, CLA 1981; served as president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC until 2016.
John F. Hogan Jr., 1940; founding president of the Radio and Television News Directors Association, the world’s largest organization devoted to broadcast journalism.
Malcolm Malone Johnson, 1926; Pulitzer Prize-winning author (1949); his reports were the basis for On the Waterfront, which starred Marlon Brando.
Anne B. Kerr, CLA 1976; president of Florida Southern College.
William Heard Kilpatrick, CLA 1901; career educator; acting president of Mercer University, 1903-1905; co-founder and trustee of Bennington College in Vermont.
Landrum P. Leavell, CLA 1948; president of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1975-1995.
Andrew Light, CLA 1989; moral philosopher; author and editor of 17 books on environmental ethics, philosophy of technology and aesthetics.
James Thomas “Tom” McAfee III, BUS 2000; chairman and president of Hallmark Systems Inc., a Georgia-based health care corporation. The McAfee family, including Tom’s parents, Carolyn Townsend McAfee and the late James T. McAfee Jr., provided founding endowments for Mercer’s McAfee School of Theology and Townsend School of Music.
Reg Murphy, CLA 1955, HON 1975; former president and vice chairman of National Geographic Society; former publisher of the Baltimore Sun; former editor and publisher of the San Francisco Examiner; and former editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; author of Uncommon Sense: The Achievement of Griffin Bell.
George P. Oslin, CLA 1920; former Western Union executive; invented the singing telegram in 1933.
Lyman Ray Patterson, CLA 1949, LAW 1957; noted law professor and copyright scholar; former dean, of the University of Georgia School of Law.
Jack Perry, CLA ‘1951; formerly with U.S. Foreign Service-Moscow, NATO headquarters and Paris; former deputy chief of mission in Prague Stockholm and Bulgaria; former U.S. ambassador to Bulgaria.
James W. Rachels, CLA 1962; moral philosopher, university professor and author; best known for his writing on euthanasia.
Ferrol Sams, CLA 1942; widely read Southern author noted for Run with the Horsemen and Whisper of the River, the sequel where he writes about his days at Mercer through the eyes of his main character, Porter Osborne, at Willingham University.
Robert A. Sauerberg Jr., BUS 1990; president of Conde Nast.
Patrick Shannon, BUSA MBA 1987; vice president and treasurer of Ingersoll Rand.
Neil Skene, LAW 1977; president and publisher of Congressional Quarterly, 1990-1997.
George McIntosh Sparks, CLA 1909 (AB), 1929 (MA), HON LLD 1933; founded Georgia State University (1955).
Eugene W. Stetson, CLA 1901, HON LAW 1933; Macon native; Stetson joined Guaranty Trust Company of New York in 1916 as vice president at age 35 and eventually became its president and chairman. Stetson is considered one of the nation’s great financial magnates of the 20th century. Mercer’s Stetson School of Business and Economics was named in his honor in 1984.
Steve Stoler, CLA 1980; news reporter for WFAA in Dallas, Texas; noted for his coverage of the Branch Davidian Siege in Waco, Texas.
Jack W. Tarver, CLA 1938; publisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 1958-1976; chairman of the Associated Press, 1977-1983; namesake of the Jack Tarver Library on the Macon campus.
Corbett H. Thigpen, CLA 1946, MD; discovered “Eve,” who had multiple personalities; wrote Three Faces of Eve.
Ellis Paul Torrance, CLA 1940; educator known for pioneering research in creativity; namesake of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development.
William Tryon, 1835; member of Mercer’s first graduating class; traveled to Texas as a missionary and was one of three founders of Baylor University, along with Judge R.E.B. Baylor and James Huckins.
Phil Walden, CLA 1962; music pioneer and founder of Capricorn Records; discovered Otis Redding and represented The Allman Brothers.
Athletics
Sam MitchellSam Mitchell
Wallace “Wally” Butts, CLA 1928; head football coach for University of Georgia, 1939-1960; athletic director, 1939-1963; member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Andrea Congreaves, CLA 1994; Mercer’s only consensus All-American in basketball.
Wesley Duke, BUS 2004; former tight end for the Denver Broncos; 2005 AFC West Champions, after starting in basketball at Mercer.
Big James Henderson, PEN 1994; power-lifter who competed in the International Powerlifting Federation and won five world bench press titles from 1994 to 1998.
Kyle Alexander Lewis, professional baseball outfielder for the Seattle Mariners organization; a first-round draft pick after his junior year at Mercer; 2016 Golden Spikes Award recipient.
Sam Mitchell, CLA 1985; former head coach of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association, 2004-2008; selected as the 2007-2008 NBA Coach of the Year; 13-year playing career in the NBA.
Bill Yoast, CLA 1949; high school football coach made famous in the film Remember the Titans.
Numerous Mercerians have been Major League Baseball players.
Health, Medicine, Pharmacy
Leila Denmark, Tift 1922; nationally-renowned pediatrician who practiced medicine past her 100th birthday.
Spencer KingSpencer King
Dr. Spencer Bidwell King III, CLA 1958; a pioneer in cardiac catheterization and co-developer of the multi-purpose technique of coronary arteriography. He is world-renowned as a pioneer and leader in interventional cardiology. In 2009, Dr. King received the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Career Achievement Award for his many clinical and academic contributions to the field. He is a professor emeritus at Emory University School of Medicine and editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Dr. Donald Ervin Baxter, CLA 1965; orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle medicine and one of America’s leading experts in nerve compression syndromes. Dr. Baxter in 1984 first described the condition that would become “Baxter’s nerve entrapment.” While a member of the men’s basketball team, he was the roommate of Sam Oni, Mercer’s first Black student. In 1990, he was named to the Silver Anniversary All-America team by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He also received the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award.
Edward J. Schutter Jr., B.S. Pharm. 1977, MBA; founder and CEO of Arbor Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Dr. Melinda D. Screws, MED 1993; served as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force. As a pilot, she served in the Iraqi war in 2008, and then joined NASA, working with flight surgeons to support the shuttle program. She now serves as a physician for the Veteran’s Administration in Dublin, Georgia.
John T. Sherrer, B.S. Pharm. 1977; 2014-2015 president of the Board of Trustees for the National Community Pharmacists Association; former president of Georgia Pharmacy Association; former president of Georgia State Board of Pharmacy.
Hon. J. Ron Stephens, B.S. Pharm. 1978; Georgia State House of Representatives; Chairman of the House Economic Development and Tourism Committee.
Law
Harris Adams, CLA 1970, LAW 1971; former Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals.
Griffin B. Bell, LAW 1948, HON 1967; Judge, United States Court of Appeals, 1962-1976; 72nd Attorney General of the United States, 1977-1979.
John Sammons Bell, CLA 1937; Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals, 1960-1979; Chief Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals, 1969-1979.
Reason Chesnutt Bell, LAW 1902, HON LLD 1936; Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, 1943-1946; Associate Justice, 1932-1943 and 1946-1949; Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals, 1922-1932.
William Augustus “Gus” Bootle, CLA 1925, LAW 1925, HON 1982; Federal District Judge, 1954-2005; ordered the first admission of an African-American to the University of Georgia in 1961; federal courthouse in Macon, Ga., named in his honor.
Harrold Carswell, LAW 1980; Judge, United States Court of Appeals, 1969-1970; unsuccessful nominee to the United States Supreme Court, 1970.
Linton M. Collins, CLA 1921 (AB) CLASS 1921 (MA); Judge, United States Court of Claims, 1964-1972.
Brainerd Currie, LAW 1935; law professor; noted conflict of laws scholar who developed the characterization concept of governmental interest analysis.
Thomas Hoyt Davis, CLA 1939, LAW 1940; Senior Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, 1945-1969.
Sara L. Doyle, LAW 1994; Chief Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals.
Homer DrakeHomer Drake
W.H. “Homer” Drake Jr., CLA 1954, LAW 1956; Federal Bankruptcy Court Judge, Northern District of Georgia; appointed to the court in 1964.

Beverly D. Evans Jr., CLA 1881; Georgia Supreme Court Justice, 1904-1917; Federal District Judge for the Southern District of Georgia, 1917-1922.
Albert John Henderson, LAW 1947; Judge, United States Court of Appeals, 1979-1999; Judge, Federal District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 1968-1979.
Yvette Miller, CLA 1977, LAW 1980; Chief Judge, Georgia Court of Appeals; first African-American woman to serve on the court and the first African-American woman to serve as chief judge.
Carlton Mobley, CLA 1928, LAW 1928; Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court, 1972-1974; Associate Justice, 1954-1972; United States Representative, Georgia’s 6th Congressional district, 1932-1933.
Louis Sands, CLA 1971, LAW 1974; Chief Judge, Federal District Court for the Middle District of Georgia; first African-American to serve on the court.
Jay Sekulow, CLA 1977, LAW 1980; chief counsel, American Center for Law and Justice and the European Centre for Law and Justice.
Evett Simmons, LAW 1982; former president, National Bar Association.
Hugh Thompson, LAW 1969; retired Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice.
Marc Treadwell, LAW 1981; U.S. District Judge.
Lin Wood Jr., CLA 1974, LAW 1977; nationally-recognized attorney based in Atlanta, Georgia. He represented the late Richard Jewell, the security guard falsely accused in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta in 1996. Wood has represented a number of high-profile clients including John and Patsy Ramsey, parents of JonBenét Ramsey; Herman Cain; former Congressman Gary Condit; and Dr. Phil.
Military
Ross William Crossley, CLA 1960; Brigadier General, U.S. Army – Commanding General, V Corps Artillery, 1983-1985; Chief of Staff, V Corps, 1985-1988.
Benjamin GriffinBenjamin Griffin
Benjamin S. Griffin, BUSA 1981; General, U.S. Army – Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command, 2004-2008.

Richard E. Hawes, LAW 1915; Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy – commanded several vessels during World War II; recipient of the Navy Cross; namesake of the USS Hawes.
Michael L. Howard, CLA 1986; Colonel, U.S. Army – Commander, 4th Brigade (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, the only airborne brigade in the Pacific Theater.
Claude M. Kicklighter, CLA 1955; Lieutenant General, U.S. Army – Commanding General, Pacific, 1989-1991; after military retirement, served in senior civilian positions in the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs; Assistant Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, 2001-2005; Inspector General, Department of Defense, 2007-2008.
Charles Stewart Rodeheaver, TIFT 1985; Brigadier General, U.S. Army – Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army.
William T. Thielemann, CLA 1967; Brigadier General, U.S. Army – Commander, 48th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), Georgia Army National Guard, 1995-1997.
George J. Walker, CLA 1956; Brigadier General, U.S. Army – Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, U.S. Army Forces Command, 1987-1989; member, Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.
Perry L. Wiggins, CLA 1983; Lieutenant General, U.S. Army – Commanding General, U.S. Army North (Fifth Army), and Senior Commander, Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis.
Blanton Winship, CLA, 1889, LAW; Major General, U.S. Army – First Judge Advocate General of the Army (TJAG), 1931-1933; Governor of Puerto Rico, 1934-1939.

William Woods University | flourish!

Politics
Ellis Arnall, CLA 1924; Governor of Georgia, 1943-1946.
Doug Barnard, CLA 1943, LAW 1948; U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 10th Congressional district, 1977-1993.
Allen D. Candler, 1859; Governor of Georgia, 1898-1902;U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 9th Congressional district, 1883-1891; namesake of Candler County, Georgia.
Cathy CoxCathy Cox
Cathy Cox, LAW 1986, HON 2007; Dean of Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law; former President of Young Harris College; Georgia Secretary of State, 1999-2007, first woman elected to this position.

Edward E. Cox, LAW 1902; U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 2nd Congressional district, 1925-1952.
Nathan Deal, CLA 1964, LAW 1966; U.S. Representative, 1992-2010; Georgia’s 82nd Governor, 2011.
Walter C. Dowling, CLA 1925; U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, 1956-1959; U.S. Ambassador to West Germany, 1959-1963.
Robert W. Everett, U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 7th Congressional district, 1891-1893.
Walter F. George, CLA 1900, LAW 1901; U.S. Senator from Georgia, 1922-1957, served as president pro tempore, 1955-1957; namesake of Mercer’s Law School.
Thomas W. Hardwick, 1892; United States Senator from Georgia, 1915-1919; Governor of Georgia, 1921-1923; as Governor, appointed Rebecca L. Felton as the first female U.S. Senator.
Richard B. Hubbard, 1851; Governor of Texas, 1876-1879; U.S. Ambassador to Japan, 1885-1889.
William D. Jelks, 1876; Governor of Alabama, 1901-1907.
Thomas Goodwin Lawson, 1855, HON 1908; U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 8th Congressional district, 1891-1897.
Rufus Ezekiel Lester, CLA 1857, AM 1860; U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 1st Congressional district, 1889-1906.
Henry Dickerson McDaniel, CLA 1856; Governor of Georgia, 1883-1886.
Charles L. Moses, U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 4th Congressional district, 1891-1897.
William J. Northen, 1853; Governor of Georgia, 1890-1894; president, Southern Baptist Convention, 1899-1901; served as a Mercer trustee for 44 years, 1869-1913.
James W. Overstreet, 1888; U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 1st Congressional district, 1906-1907 and 1917-1923.
John W. Oxendine, CLA 1984, LAW 1987; served four terms as Georgia Insurance Commissioner.
Homer C. Parker, LAW 1908; U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 1st Congressional district, 1931-1935.
John Peyton, CLA 1986; Former Mayor of Jacksonville, Fla., 2003-2011; current president of Gate Petroleum.
Charles “Jack” Pritchard, CLA 1972; U.S. Ambassador and Special Envoy for Negotiations to North Korea, 2001-2003.
Dwight Laing Rogers, LAW 1910; U.S. Representative, Florida’s 6th Congressional district, 1945-1954.
William J. Sears, U.S. Representative, Florida’s 4th Congressional district, 1915-1929; U.S. Representative, an at-large Florida district, 1933-1937.
Chauncey Sparks, CLA 1907, LAW 1910; Governor of Alabama, 1943-1947.
Malcolm Conner Tarver, LAW 1904; U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 7th Congressional district, 1927-1947.
Sandra L. Thurman, CAS 1992; director, Office of National AIDS Policy, 1997-2001; the first Presidential Envoy for AIDS Cooperation, 2000-2001; referred to as the nation’s “AIDS czar” in the administration of President Bill Clinton.
Carl Vinson, LAW 1902; U.S. Representative for more than 50 years, 1914-1965; long-time Chairman, House Armed Services Committee; has been called the “patriarch of the armed services” and the “father of the two-ocean navy;” namesake of the USS Carl Vinson.
William S. West, AB 1875, LAW 1875; U.S. Senator from Georgia, 1914-1914.
Mark Wilcox, LAW 1910; U.S. Representative, Florida’s 4th Congressional district, 1933-1939.
John S. Wood, LAW 1910; U.S. Representative, Georgia’s 9th Congressional district, 1931-1935 and 1945-1953; Chairman, House Un-American Activities Committee, 1949-1953.
12 Mercerians have served as governors, for the states of Alabama, Georgia, New Hampshire and Texas and of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Other Public Service
John Birch, CLA 1939; missionary and spy in China during World War II; namesake of the John Birch Society.
Charles Kelsey Dozier, CLA 1903; missionary and founder of Seinan Gakuin University in Japan.
Pearl Holmes DuvallPearl Holmes Duvall
Pearl Holmes Duvall, CLA 1948; teacher, artist, musician, chaplain, trailblazing minister and missionary to Nigeria; first female moderator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia; second Baptist woman ordained in Georgia.

Truett Gannon, CLA 1951; influential Baptist minister; chairman of Truett-McConnell College Board of Trustees, 1985-1987; chairman of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Board of Trustees, 1987-1990; president of Georgia Baptist Convention, 1990-1992.
A. L. Miller, Sr., LAW 1905, attorney and municipal court judge in Calhoun County, Georgia; served twice in the Georgia House of Representatives; served in the Georgia State Senate for the 9th District; served several terms as Mayor of Edison, Georgia, served as trustee for Norman Junior College and Edison Public School; moderated the Bethel Baptist Association for 25 years; authored “History of the Bethel Association” in 1934.
Louie D. Newton, CLA 1913; influential Baptist minister; president of Southern Baptist Convention, 1947-1948; president of Georgia Baptist Convention, 1950-1951; pastor of Druid Hills Baptist Church in Atlanta for more than 40 years; namesake of Mercer’s Newton Chapel.
Lamar R. Plunkett, CLA 1931; past chair of University System of Georgia Board of Regents; past chair, of Mercer Board of Trustees; former Georgia state senator; namesake of the Lamar R. Plunkett Lecture Series at the University of West Georgia; namesake of the Lamar R. Plunkett Award presented by the Southern Regional Education Board.
Dr. Ed Roberts, MED M.D. 1986; according to the New York Times, made an early and enduring contribution to modern computing. He created the MITS Altair 8800, the world’s first commercially successful, mass-produced personal computer. Some historians say Dr. Roberts deserves to be recognized as the inventor of the personal computer. Dr. Roberts left the computer business and was a member of the first graduating class of the Mercer School of Medicine and practiced rural medicine in Cochran, Ga.
Steadman Vincent Sanford, AB 1890, HM (LLD) 1932; former chancellor, University System of Georgia; namesake of Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia.

When you graduate from LSU, you become part of a distinguished group of more than 250,000 alumni. LSU’s alumni have distinguished themselves in politics, business, education, the arts, sports and many other areas.

LSU GRADUATE SINGS AROUND THE WORLD
The bright-voiced American soprano Lisette Oropesa — who is known for singing bel canto onstage and running marathons offstage — has been awarded the prestigious Richard Tucker Award.

The award, which comes with $50,000 and the opportunity to headline a starry celebratory gala at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 27, is among the most sought-after prizes for young American opera singers. Many of its past recipients have gone on to stardom.

AMY BRITTAIN
LSU Manship School of Mass Communication alumna Amy Brittain is part of the Washington Post staff recently recognized with a Pulitzer Prize for “its revelatory initiative in creating and using a national database to illustrate how often and why the police shoot to kill and who the victims are most likely to be.”

photo: brittain

LEAD ENGINEER FOR NASA
photo: LSU alum horton

Renee Horton, lead metallic engineer for the Space Launch System at the NASA Facility in New Orleans, is assigned to a special rocket that will one day take humans into deep space to explore places like Mars. This rocket is the largest, most powerful rocket that NASA has ever built. Read her story.

CASSANDRA CHANDLER
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism – Broadcast Journalist, 1979

Chandler retired as one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s highest-ranking African-American women as Special Agent in Charge of the Norfolk field office. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the “Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive Award,” the National Center for Women and Policing’s “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” Award, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives’ “Phenomenal Woman” Community Service Award.

photo: cassandra speaking teaching in class

WILLIAM “BILL” CONTI
photo: LSU alum Conti conducting

Bachelor of Music – Composition, 1963
Honorary Doctor of Music, 1985

Oscar-winning composer who has written theme music for several well-known movies, including Gonna Fly Now from the Rocky films, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart in 1977. He won the 1984 Academy Award for the score to The Right Stuff.

He has also composed the scores for movies including The Karate Kid, For Your Eyes Only and the Thomas Crown Affair, and wrote the theme songs for television shows including Dynasty, Falcon Crest, Cagney & Laceys and ABC’s Primetime Live. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and has either served as musical director for or conductor of the Academy Awards 16 times.

JAMES CARVILLE
Bachelor of Science – General Studies, 1970
Juris Doctor – Law, 1973
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, 1993

Carville received both a bachelor’s degree and law degree from LSU and gained fame in the 1990s as the chief campaign strategist for Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

Carville also penned a best-selling memoir titled All’s Fair: Love, War and Running for President.

photo: james carville speaking

KEITH COMEAUX
photo: LSU alum Keith Comeaux

The landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover on one of Earth’s closest neighbors captivated and fascinated people all over the world, but this historical and literally groundbreaking achievement held a special significance for the LSU community: University alumnus and Baton Rouge native Keith Comeaux served as test conductor, team chief and flight director for Curiosity’s launch, eight-month flight and landing on the Red Planet.

SHAQUILLE RASHAUN O’NEAL
Bachelor of General Studies – General Studies, 2000

A four-time NBA champion, including the 2006 title with the Miami Heat, O’Neal was the 2000 NBA MVP while a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year, he has also earned NBA Finals MVP three times and was the NBA scoring champion twice. A 15-time all-star, he was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team in 1996.
photo: lsu alum shaq

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A
Alvaro Armas
LSU research associate and recent LSU Master of Public Administration graduate Alvaro Armas will be one of two Knauss Fellows from the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program serving in Washington, D.C.

Eduardo Aguirre Jr.
Bachelor of Science – General Business, 1969
Named the first Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, Aguirre was the U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra from June 2005 until January 2009.

Doug Carl Ahlers
Master of Journalism – Journalism, 1983
Ahlers is the co-founder of Modem Media, an interactive advertising and marketing agency that creates Internet strategies for Fortune 500 companies. He helped build the first online shopping site and the first online travel site. He also built the first commercial Web site on the Internet – Zima.com – and created the first banner ad to appear on the Internet – AT&T. Modem Media subsidiary Poppe Tyson created the first Web site for the White House. Ahlers is currently a Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs Senior Fellow in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Stephen Edward Ambrose
Master of Arts – History, 1958
Ambrose was a noted historian and author of historical books including Band of Brothers, the basis for the television mini-series of the same name, D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II, The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys who Flew the B-24s over Germany, Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors and Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West. A founder of the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans, he was also the military advisor on the Academy Award-winning film Saving Private Ryan.

Dr. James Rheuben Andrews
Bachelor of Science – Arts & Sciences Medical Combined, 1988
Medical Doctor – LSU School of Medicine, 1967
Honorary Doctor of Science, 1998
A world-renowned orthopedic surgeon, Andrews has operated on sports legends the likes of Bo Jackson, Peyton Manning, Emmitt Smith, Drew Brees, John Smoltz, Roger Clemens, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen and Jack Nicklaus, although collegiate and professional athletes only comprise about a quarter of his patients. He founded the Alabama Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center and the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, Ala., and later the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Gulf Breeze, Fla. Andrews successfully lobbied Little League for pitch-count limits because research conducted at his American Sports Medicine Institute found a correlation between pitching injuries and overuse as teenagers. While at LSU, Andrews won the SEC indoor and outdoor titles in the pole vault. In 2008, he was featured in the SEC’s 75 Years “Stories of Character” campaign and inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

Larry Ottis Arthur
Doctor of Philosophy – Microbiology, 1970
Arthur is the associate director of the AIDS Vaccine Program at the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, at Frederick where he serves as the Operations and Technical Support Contract principle investigator and the AIDS Vaccine Program principle investigator. He also serves as president of SAIC-Frederick Inc., a subsidiary of Science Applications International Corporation, or SAIC, which operates the NCI-Frederick laboratories.

Seimone Delicia Augustus
Bachelor of General Studies – General Studies, 2005
Augustus received her degree in 2005 after just three years at LSU and while earning NCAA Women’s Basketball National Player of the Year honors twice. She was the first pick of the 2006 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx and a 2008 U.S. Olympic gold medalist.

B
James M. Bernhard Jr.

Bachelor of Science – Construction, 1976
Bernhard is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of The Shaw Group Inc., a Fortune 500 company offering a broad range of services to the power, process, environmental, infrastructure and emergency response markets.

Patricia Lucille Curtis “Pat” Hewlett Bodin
Bachelor of Science – Mathematics, 1972
Hewlett was the Chief Information Officer of ExxonMobil, the world’s largest energy company, and the vice president of ExxonMobil’s Global Information Services organization. In 1997, Hewlett was inducted into the YWCA’s Academy of Women Achievers, one of the United States’ most prestigious honors for professional women.

Major General William G. Bowdon, III – Retired
College of Business, 1970
Major General Bowdon entered the Marine Corps in 1970 and entered flight training. He received his wings in 1972. He later completed F-4 Combat Qualification Training and graduated from Amphibious Warfare School and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He was promoted to major in May 1981. His personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. Major General Bowdon served as the President and CEO of the LSU Foundation.

John Edmund Bradley
Bachelor of Arts – English, 1980
A former LSU football player, Bradley is a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated and has written several novels, including The Best There Ever Was and It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium.

Donna Leslie Brazile
Bachelor of Arts – Psychology, 1981
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, 2005
Brazile was the first African-American to lead to major presidential campaign as campaign manager for Al Gore’s 2000 presidential run. She is the chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute and the founder/director of Brazile & Associates, LLC, a political consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.

John Berlinger Breaux
Juris Doctor – Law, 1967
Breaux was a U.S. Senator from Louisiana from 1987-2005 and served as a U.S. Congressman from Louisiana’s Seventh District from 1972-1986.

Amy Brittain
LSU Manship School of Mass Communication alumna Amy Brittain is part of the Washington Post staff recently recognized with a Pulitzer Prize for “its revelatory initiative in creating and using a national database to illustrate how often and why the police shoot to kill and who the victims are most likely to be.”

Sherry Sue Lee Berry Brock
Bachelor of Arts – History, 1970
Master of Education – Administration Psychology, 1977
Certificate of Education Specialist – Reading, 1981
In 2006, Brock was the East Baton Rouge Parish Middle School Principal of the Year, State of Louisiana Middle School Principal of the Year, and one of three finalists for National Middle School Principal of the Year as recognized by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. She has spent more than 35 years in education and says that she feels truly rewarded when she shares her passion for educational leadership with others whom she knows will assist teachers as they assist children.

Kenneth Thurman Brown
Bachelor of Interior Design – Interior Design, 1995
Brown is the host of the HGTV show reDesign. He credits much of his success to LSU’s interior design program. He owns the Los Angeles-based firm Kenneth Brown Designs and is the resident interior deign expert for MSN.com. He recently launched a new bedding line, Kenneth Brown Design Directions, for QVC and has a baby bedding line, Kenneth Brown Baby Limited Edition, at Babies “R” Us.

C
James Carville
Bachelor of Science – General Studies, 1970
Juris Doctor – Law, 1973
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, 1993
Carville received both a bachelor’s degree and law degree from LSU and gained fame in the 1990s as the chief campaign strategist for Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Carville also penned a best-selling memoir titled All’s Fair: Love, War and Running for President.

Cassandra McWilliams Chandler
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism – Broadcast Journalism, 1979
Chandler retired as one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s highest-ranking African-American women as Special Agent in Charge of the Norfolk field office. She previously held the titles of Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco field office, Section Chief in the Investigative Services Division and Assistant Director of the Training Program. After Sept. 11, 2001, she was promoted to Assistant Director of the Office of Public Affairs where she oversaw the agency’s interaction with the media and the public. After her retirement from federal service in 2005, Chandler became the Senior Vice President of Investigative Services for domestic and international fraud investigations at a major banking institution. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the “Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive Award,” the National Center for Women and Policing’s “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” Award, and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives’ “Phenomenal Woman” Community Service Award.

Anita Chang
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication – Advertising, 2002
Honors College, 2002
LSU alumna Anita Chang was honored in 2007 as “Woman of Your Year” by Glamour magazine in New York City’s Carnegie Hall. Chang was the youngest person ever hired on the national desk at the Associated Press and was honored by the magazine after fighting back from a traumatic brain injury suffered when she was hit by a car, to return to work at the Associated Press.

Sally Ilene Clausen
Bachelor of Science – Secondary Education, 1967
Master of Education – Special Education, 1971
Doctor of Education – Education Administration/Supervision, 1980
Clausen is the Commissioner of Higher Education for the State of Louisiana. She has served as Secretary of Education for the Office of the Governor, President of Southeastern Louisiana University, President of the University of Louisiana System, and Vice President of the National Association of System Heads.

Keith Comeaux
The landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover on one of Earth’s closest neighbors captivated and fascinated people all over the world, but this historical and literally groundbreaking achievement held a special significance for the LSU community: University alumnus and Baton Rouge native Keith Comeaux served as test conductor, team chief and flight director for Curiosity’s launch, eight-month flight and landing on the Red Planet.

William “Bill” Conti
Bachelor of Music – Composition, 1963
Honorary Doctor of Music, 1985
Oscar-winning composer who has written theme music for several well-known movies, including Gonna Fly Now from the Rocky films, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart in 1977. He won the 1984 Academy Award for the score to The Right Stuff. He has also composed the scores for movies including The Karate Kid, For Your Eyes Only, and The Thomas Crown Affair, and wrote the theme songs for television shows including Dynasty, Falcon Crest, Cagney & Lacey, and ABC’s Primetime Live. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and has either served as musical director for or conductor for the Academy Awards 16 times.

Lodwrick Monroe “Lod” Cook
Bachelor of Science – Physical Science, 1950
Bachelor of Science – Math, 1955
After graduating from LSU, Cook joined the Atlantic Richfield Company and quickly advanced into management positions. In 1970, he was made a corporate vice president at ARCO and advanced to senior vice president, executive vice president and chief operating officer. In 1980, he became a member of the Board of Directors and in 1985 was named the president and chief executive officer, where he remained for nine years until his retirement in 1995. Cook is a trustee of the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation and a director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. In 1994, he was invested with the Insignia of Honorary Knight Commander and the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by the Prince of Wales.

Joan Ernestine Cowart Cronan
Bachelor of Science – Human Resource Education, 1966
Master of Science – Physical Education, 1968
Cronan has served as the women’s athletics director for the University of Tennessee since 1983 and oversees all aspects of the Lady Vols athletics programs. In 2005, she was named National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators Athletic Director of the Year. Cronan is third vice president of National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and is president elect of the National Association of Collegiate Women’s Athletics Administrators. She has served on the NCAA’s Executive Committee, Management Council, as well as the NCAA’s Council, and is a member of the NCAA Championship Cabinet and president of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

D
Joe Dean

Bachelor of Science – Health, Physical and Safety Education, 1955
LSU’s Athletics Director from 1987-2001, Dean began and ended his sports career with the Tigers. Known throughout the country for his work as the television analyst for LSU basketball, Dean’s collegiate career puts him among the best at LSU. A three-time All-SEC selection, Dean is one of 36 LSU players to score over 1,000 points in his career. He was the first LSU player ever drafted in the NBA and is a member of the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame, the NABC Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and was a member of LSU Men’s Basketball All-Century Team.

Dr. Alexander William “Alex” Dunlap
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, 1989
A medical doctor and veterinarian, Dunlap is the chief veterinarian for NASA. He is responsible for all NASA policies related to animal health and welfare. In 1998, he was a Payload Specialist alternate for STS-90 Neurolab Program, studying the effects of microgravity on the nervous system, on the Space Shuttle Columbia.

E
Anson Wright Elliott

Master of Arts – Government, 1962
Elliott is a retired executive vice president of Chase Manhattan Bank, where he worked for 24 years and supervised marketing operations and investor, government and employee relations. He was chairman of the National Executive Service Corp and served on the boards of the Manhattan Institute for Public Policy, National Association of Manufacturers, NY Botanical Garden, Police Athletic League, South Street Seaport and Union Theological Seminary.

Gen. Graves Blanchard Erskine
Bachelor of Arts, 1917
Four-star U.S. Marine Corps General who led the 3rd Marine Division during the Battle of Iwo Jima in WWII, where he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, and was later the Commanding General of Camp Pendleton, the major west coast base of the Marines. During WWI, he was injured in the battle of Bellau Wood and later was chosen to organize the Honor Guard that returned the body of the Unknown Soldier from France aboard the USS Olympia. Following his retirement, he served as assistant to the Secretary of Defense as Director of Special Operations of the United States Department of Defense. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

F
Maxime Alan Faget
Bachelor of Science – Mechanical Engineering, 1943
Honorary Doctor of Engineering, 1972
Designer of the Mercury spacecraft and later worked on the Gemini and Apollo spacecrafts and the Space Shuttle. He is a member of the National Space Hall of Fame and the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and was a recipient of the NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership.

Ruth Ann Udstad Fertel
Bachelor of Science – Chemistry, 1946
Fertel is the founder of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, which operates around the nation and the world in countries including Hong Kong, Japan, Aruba and the United Arab Emirates. She was dubbed the “First Lady of American Restaurants,” and was the 1992 “Inc. Magazine Regional Entrepreneur of the Year” and the 1995 Horatio Alger Association “Entrepreneur of the Year.”

Mary Carol Flake Flores
Bachelor of Science – Merchandising, 1971
Flores is the former first lady of Honduras. She is married to fellow LSU alum Carlos Roberto Flores, the president of Honduras from 1997-2001.

New Undergraduate Student Information | Missouri | William Woods University

Carlos Roberto Flores
Bachelor of Science – Industrial Engineering, 1971
Bachelor of Science – International Trade & Finance, 1973
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, 1995
The president of Honduras from 1997-2001, Flores helped the nation recover after Hurricane Mitch devastated the country in 1998. Flores is married to the former Mary Carol Flake, also an alumnus of LSU.

James Clyde “Jim” Flores
Bachelor of Science – Finance, 1981
Bachelor of Science – Petroleum Land Management, 1982
Flores is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Plains Exploration & Production Company, an independent oil and gas company primarily engaged in the activities of acquiring, developing, exploring and producing oil and gas in California, Texas, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico.

Murphy James “Mike” Foster Jr.
Bachelor of Science – Chemistry, 1952
Foster served as the governor of Louisiana from 1996-2001 after eight years in the Louisiana Senate representing the 21st District. He was inducted into the Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame in 2003.

Sylvia Shaqueria Fowles
Bachelor of General Studies – General Studies, 2009
Fowles is a professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is a three-time Olympic Gold medalist for Team USA, and she also won the 2017 WNBA Most Valuable Player Award.

G
Lt. Gen. Terry Joan Walter Gabreski

Bachelor of Arts – History, 1973
Air Force three-star general Gabreski is one of the highest-ranking women in the history of the United States military. There is only one female in U.S. military history that is ranked higher than Lieutenant General and no Air Force female has been ranked higher. She is the Vice Commander of the Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, which conducts research, development, test and evaluation and provides acquisition management and logistics for Air Force weapon systems. During Operation Allied Force in Kosovo in 1999, she directed logistics efforts for the air war across the entire theater. She has received various citations, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster and the Meritorious Service Medal with seven oak leaf clusters.

Kevin M. Griffin
Bachelor of General Studies – General Studies, 1989
Griffin is the lead singer of the platinum-selling rock band Better than Ezra. The band’s song Good reached No. 1 on the Hot Modern Rock Chart in 1995 and their songs In The Blood and King of New Orleans were Top 10 hits.

Adolph Glenmore Gueymard
Bachelor of Science – Petroleum Engineering, 1935
Gueymard worked for Tidewater Oil Company before joining the First City National Bank. He retired from the First City National Bank as senior vice president for petroleum and minerals. A veteran of World War II who landed at Normandy on D-Day and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, Gueymard served as director of several boards and/or foundations following his retirement including Zapata Corporation, Camco Global, Vale Inco, Harrisburg Bank, Midhurst Corporation and First City National Bank of Houston.

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Reinosuke Hara
Honorary Doctor of Science, 1992
Hara researched at LSU in the 1950s and then later received an honorary doctorate of science degree from LSU in 1992. He is the former President and CEO of Seiko Instruments. Currently a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and member of the International Business Advisory Committee.

Rufus William “Bill” Harp
Bachelor of Arts – Speech, 1947
Master of Arts – English, 1951
Harp was a television set decorator for television series including L.A. Law and Moonlighting in the 1980s.

William Bass Hatcher
Bachelor of Arts – First Grade Teacher Certification, 1917
Master of Arts – Education, 1923
Doctor of Philosophy – History, 1937
After a modest beginning as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse, Hatcher progressed to roles as principal, superintendent, dean and eventually LSU President from 1944-47. He was “especially interested in making the program of the university available to greater numbers of citizens, particularly those ambitious young men and women of Louisiana who have the capacity to learn and willingness to work.” Hatcher Hall is named in his honor and the College of Education’s LSYOU and GEAR-UP programs, which support ambitious young high school students, are housed in Hatcher Hall.

Brenda Garibaldi Hatfield
Doctor of Philosophy – Education, 1991
Hatfield was appointed to the position of Chief Administrative Officer for the City of New Orleans two weeks prior to Hurricane Katrina. She immediately established a temporary base of operation in Baton Rouge for essential city personnel to begin the monumental task of coordinating emergency relief funding for the citizens and government of New Orleans. Hatfield quickly amended the city’s budget to reflect a totally devastated revenue base, helped establish the city’s Office of Recovery, worked with the city’s Homeland Security to build an Office of Emergency Preparedness and worked with the Sanitation Director to collect thousands of tons of hurricane debris and provide new trash collection services to residents and businesses.

Walter W. Hitesman
Bachelor of Arts – Journalism, 1939
Hitesman is the former president of Reader’s Digest. He started the Books and Recorded Musical Division of Reader’s Digest, and was appointed president and chief operating officer in 1973 and retired in 1974.

Melvin Lee “Kip” Holden
Bachelor of Arts – Journalism, 1974
Holden became the first African-American Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish on Jan. 3, 2005. He previously served in the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 63 from 1988-2001 and was a Louisiana Senator from District 15 from 2002-2004.

Renee Horton
Lead metallic engineer for the Space Launch System at the NASA Facility in New Orleans, is assigned to a special rocket that will one day take humans into deep space to explore places like Mars. This rocket is the largest, most powerful rocket that NASA has ever built. Read her story.

Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr.
Master of Arts – Government, 1942
Doctor of Laws – Special Convocation, 1965
Humphrey was the 38th U.S. Vice President of the United States and served under President Lyndon B. Johnson. He also served as a U.S. Senator from Minnesota for 23 years. The Democratic nominee for president in 1968, he narrowly lost to Richard Nixon. He has several buildings named in his honor, including the Hubert H. Humphrey Building of the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., and the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.

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Eddie Joe Jones

Bachelor of Science – Accounting, 1963
The former president and chief operating officer of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins franchise and executive vice president and general manager of the New Orleans Saints, Jones also served as a trustee of the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement and Disability Plan.

William Vernon Jones
Doctor of Philosophy – Physics, 1967
Jones is a Senior Scientist for Suborbital Research at NASA headquarters in Washington D.C. He has worked extensively with NASA’s balloon-based research.

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Catherine D. “Kitty” Kimball

Juris Doctor – Law, 1970
In 1992, Kimball became the first woman elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court. She made history again on Jan. 12, 2009, when she was sworn in as the first female to serve as chief justice of Louisiana’s highest court. Kimball began her legal career in the early 1970s and became the assistant district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, which serves Iberville, Pointe Coupee and West Baton Rouge Parishes, in 1978. Four years later, she was elected a judge for the 18th Judicial District Court and served as the chief judge for the 18th District from 1990-1993. In 2006, she was inducted into the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame.

Delos Lavern “Kip” Knight III
Bachelor of Science – General Business, 1978
Knight was the former vice president of marketing for eBay North America, the global online shopping site, is an alumnus of E. J. Ourso College of Business. He is currently the president of Knight Vision Marketing, a strategic marketing consulting firm, and works with the U.S. Department of State to teach diplomats marketing strategies to enhance the country’s image overseas.

Tracy William Krohn
Bachelor of Science – Petroleum Engineering, 1978
Krohn founded W&T Offshore, Inc., an independent oil and natural gas acquisition and exploration company, in 1983 after working at Mobil Oil and Taylor Energy and has served as the company’s chief executive officer since then. W&T Offshore went public in 2005 and doubled its size in 2006 with the purchase of Kerr-McGee’s Gulf assets. In 2005, Krohn was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year national award winner in the Distribution/ Manufacturing/Security Category and in fall 2008, he was ranked 321 among Forbes 400 Richest People in America.

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Mary Loretta Landrieu

Bachelor of Arts – Sociology, 1977
In 1997, Landrieu became the first woman from Louisiana elected to a full term in the U.S. Senate. She is now the state’s senior senator, a member of the Appropriations Committee and the chair of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. She was the Louisiana state treasurer from 1988-1996 and a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1980-1988.

Pinkie Gordon Lane
Doctor of Philosophy – English, 1967
Lane was the first African-American female to earn a Ph.D. from LSU and the first African-American Poet Laureate of Louisiana. Lane is the author of eight volumes of poetry, including Elegy for Etheridge: Poems and Girl at the Window: Poems. Two of her works were nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Cpl. Germaine Catherine Laville
Bachelor of Science – Education/Upper Elementary, 1942
After graduation, Laville taught school for one year before enlisting in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. She was killed in the attempt to rescue a Marine from a fire in an aerial gunnery class in 1944. At age 22, she was the first LSU alumna to die in World War II. Laville Halls – East and West – are named in her memory.

Russell Billiu Long
Bachelor of Arts – Economics, 1941
Bachelor of Laws – Law, 1942
Juris Doctor – Law, 1968
Long was a U.S. Senator from Louisiana from 1948-1987. He was the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance from 1965-1981 and the Senate Majority Whip from 1965-1969. He also served on the Board of Directors of The New York Stock Exchange, Lowe’s, and Met Life.

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Augustus Carlyle “Carl” Maddox

Master of Science – Health, Physical & Safety Education, 1943
Maddox went from high school coach to assistant football coach at LSU and was the backfield coach for the 1958 LSU National Championship team. The first director of the LSU Union, he eventually became the LSU Athletics Director. Under his leadership, significant upgrades were made to LSU athletics facilities and ten varsity sports were added. He received the Corbett Award, a lifetime achievement award from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. He was inducted posthumously into the LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction and the Carl Maddox Field House is named in his honor.

Freddie Ray Marshall
Master of Arts – Economics, 1950
The Secretary of Labor under President Jimmy Carter, Marshall was also one of the founders of the Economic Policy Institute in 1986. He is currently the Professor Emeritus of the Audre and Bernard Rapoport Centennial Chair in Economics and Public Affairs at the University of Texas. He is the author of more than 30 books and monographs, including “Thinking for a Living: Education and the Wealth of Nations.”

James Edward Maurin
Bachelor of Science – Aerospace Engineering, 1971
Maurin is a founder and currently serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of Stirling Properties Inc., a nationally recognized real estate services firm that is one of the largest in the Gulf South. In 2004-05, he served as the chairman of the International Council of Shopping Centers, or ICSC, and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees.

Grover Elmer Murray II
Master of Science – Geology, 1939
Doctor of Philosophy – Geology, 1942
A former professor and dean at LSU, and vice president for the LSU System, Murray went on to become the president of Texas Technological College, which was renamed Texas Tech University during his tenure. In 1996, he was awarded the William H. Twenhofel Medal, which is the highest award given by the Society for Sedimentary Geology.

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Jake Lee Netterville
Bachelor of Science – Accounting, 1960
Netterville is the chairman of the board of Postlethwaite & Netterville, one of the top 80 firms in the country and the largest Louisiana-based public accounting firm, after spending 22 years as the managing director.

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Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal
Bachelor of General Studies – General Studies, 2000
A four-time NBA champion, including the 2006 title with the Miami Heat, O’Neal was the 2000 NBA MVP while a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. The 1992-93 NBA Rookie of the Year, he has also earned NBA Finals MVP three times and was the NBA scoring champion twice. A 15-time all-star, he was a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic team in 1996.

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Michael Plato Papajohn

Bachelor of General Studies – General Studies, 1987
Papajohn is the only actor to star in four $150 million moves in the same calendar year – 2009s Terminator: Salvation, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, Land of the Lost, and G-Force. Getting his start in acting as the stunt double for Dennis Quaid in Everybody’s All-American while still a baseball player at LSU, Papajohn has gone on to appear in films including The Longest Yard, Charlie’s Angels and For the Love of the Game. His most memorable role to date is the carjacker who kills uncle Ben at the beginning of 2002s Spider-Man and leads Peter Parker to devote his life to crime fighting.

Mary Carolyn Bennett Patterson
Bachelor of Arts – Journalism, 1942
Patterson became the first female senior editor for National Geographic in 1962, spending a total of 37 years at the publication. She is also the author of her memoir, Of Lands, Legends, & Laughter: The Search for Adventure with National Geographic, about her time with the magazine.

Suzanne Marie Perron
Bachelor of Science – Textile and Clothing Communication, 1991
Perron is the owner of Suzanne Perron Studio in New Orleans, which specializes in bridal and debutante gowns. She worked with celebrity designer Vera Wang in New York for four years on the design of runway and bridal collections and has had her designs featured on the covers of Vogue, Modern Bride, and Martha Stewart Weddings. She has also worked for world-renowned designers Carolina Herrera, Anna Sui and Christina Perrin, and designed the dresses that Jennifer Lopez wore in her wedding to Marc Anthony, Holly Hunter wore to the Academy Awards and Mariska Hargitay wore to the Golden Globes.

Robert Lee “Bob” Pettit Jr.
Bachelor of Science – Insurance & Real Estate, 1954
A two-time All-American, Pettit became the first player in LSU history to have his number retired. In 1971, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and was a member of the NBA 50-Year Top 50 team. He was a first round draft choice in 1954 of the Milwaukee Hawks and played all 11 seasons with the franchise, which later retired his number. He wrote nearly every record in the Hawks’ record book and was a four-time MVP of the NBA All-Star game. He led the Hawks to the 1958 NBA Championship and five NBA Finals. In 1964, he became the first NBA player to exceed the 20,000-points scored barrier.

Robert E. Pierre
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism – News Editorials, 1990
Pierre is the metro bureau chief at the Washington Post. In 2000, Pierre suggested the Post consider a series on the lives of black men. Six years later, the Post ran a series titled Being a Black Man, that later became a book with the same title. In April 2008, he was part of the Washington Post metro staff that won the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news for coverage of the massacre at Virginia Tech.

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Joseph Howard Rambin Jr.

Bachelor of Science – Petroleum Engineering, 1954
Rambling had a 35-year career with Texaco, moving his way up the ladder to finally being named the chief executive officer and chairman of the board in 1964 before later retiring in 1970.

Rex Taylor Reed
Bachelor of Arts – News Editorials, 1960
Reed is a film critic who writes an entertainment column, On the Town with Rex Reed, for the New York Observer, and previously co-hosted the syndicated television show At the Movies.

Lt. Gen. Thomas Gene Rhame
Bachelor of Science – Accounting, 1963
Rhame led 1st Infantry Division against Iraq during Persian Gulf War, which successfully conducted the initial attack to penetrate Iraqi defensive positions. He is currently the vice president of finance and administration for the Association of the U.S. Army, a private, non-profit educational organization that supports the Army.

Major General Ronald G. Richard – Retired
Bachelor of Arts – History, 1968
Major General Ronald G. Richard served with the 4th Marine Division in Louisiana and Texas. Captain Richard completed Amphibious Warfare School and subsequently attended the Senior Career Level Advance Course. He was promoted to major in 1979. He earned a Masters of Arts degree in International Relations from Salve Regina College and later served in the Persian Gulf War. Brigadier General Richard was promoted to his current rank in 1997, assuming his present command two years later. His personal decorations include: the Defense Superior Service Medal; the Legion of Merit with Combat “V” and gold star in lieu of a second award; Meritorious Service Medal; Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” and gold star; and the Combat Action Ribbon with gold star. Major General Ron Richard currently serves as the President of the LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation, and is currently serving as the Commanding General, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC.

Walter Robledo
PhD in Econometrics – Dept. of Economics and Agricultural Economics & Agribusiness, 2003
Robelo is the Minster of Science of the Province of Cordoba in Argentina. He is the first ever minister of science.

George Walter Ruiz
Bachelor of Arts – Political Science, 1986
Ruiz is the Managing Director of Royal Collection Enterprises, the trading subsidiary of the Royal Collection Trust, which holds the art collection of the British Royal Family. The collection includes paintings, drawings and watercolors, furniture, ceramics, clocks, silver, sculpture, jewelry, books, manuscripts, prints and maps, arms and amour, fans and textiles. The value is estimated to be at least $16.5 billion.

Thomas O’Neal Ryder
Bachelor of Arts – News Editorials, 1966
Ryder is a director of Amazon.com Inc., and is also a director of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. He was previously the chairman and chief executive officer of the Reader’s Digest Association. One of the most respected magazine publishers in the country, Ryder received the Magazine Publishers of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

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Mary Frances Seghers

Bachelor of Arts – News Editorials, 1974
Seghers is the executive vice president and head of worldwide government relations for Sony Picture Entertainment. She previously served as the senior vice president of Sony Entertainment European Community Affairs, which includes Sony Music, Sony Pictures and Sony Playstation.

Gerald Martin “Marty” Sixkiller
Bachelor of Fine Arts – Graphic Design, 1992
Sixkiller, a media tools supervisor at PDI/DreamWorks, was technical director for Shrek the Third, Shrek 2, Over the Hedge and Flushed Away and senior technical director for Madagascar.

Dolores Margaret Richard Spikes
Doctor of Philosophy – Algebra, 1971
Spikes was the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics from LSU. She later became the first female chancellor of a public university in Louisiana when she was appointed to the position at Southern University. In 1998, she made history again by becoming the first woman in the United States to head a university system when she was appointed the president of the Southern University and A&M College System. In 2007, the Honors College building at Southern University was renamed the Dr. Dolores R. Spikes Honors College Building. She has been honored with the Thurgood Marshall Educational Achievement Award and was considered one of Ebony Magazine’s “Most Influential Black Women in America.”

Chris Spitale
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication – Advertising, 1996
Master of Mass Communication, 1998
Spitale is the senior manager for global product development at Lucas Licensing, a subsidiary of Lucasfilm. He oversees product development for Star Wars and Indiana Jones collectibles and merchandise worldwide. Lucas Licensing has over $8 billion in sales worldwide and includes the best-selling boys action toys of all time.

Raymond Dolph “Ray” Strother
Bachelor of Arts – Publishing/Management, 1962
Master of Arts – Journalism, 1965
An author and political consultant, Strother is one of the founding partners of Strother-Duffy-Strother, a strategic and political communications firm. He has worked on more than 50 campaigns for the U.S. House of Representatives and won awards for documentaries about civil rights leader John Lewis and U.S. Treasurer Lloyd Bentsen. In 2008, he was inducted into the American Association of Political Consultants Hall of Fame.

David Moore Suarez
Bachelor of Architecture – Architecture, 1978
Suarez is the president and chief executive officer of Atlantic Company of America, Inc., Washington, D.C.’s premier historic restoration construction firm. His firm has worked on impressive projects including the restoration of the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum, the U.S. Treasury Building, Constitution Hall, and the old Louisiana State Capital building.

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Collis Benton Temple Jr.

Bachelor of Science – Education/Health and Physical Education, 1974
Master of Education – Administration, 1979
In 1971, Collis Temple, Jr. became the first African-American to play varsity basketball at LSU and was named to the All-SEC Academic First Team as a junior. Temple was featured in the SEC’s 75 Years “Stories of Character” campaign in 2008. He is founder of the Harmony Center, a non-profit organization for foster children and mentally disabled adults, and also co-founder of the Sports Academy athletic program in Baton Rouge. He also serves as the chairman of BREC, the Recreation & Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge.

Linda Joyce Thomas-Greenfield
Bachelor of Arts – Political Science, 1974
Thomas-Greenfield is currently the United States Ambassador to Liberia, one of the few African-American females to ever serve as a U.S. Ambassador. She was sworn in on July 18, 2008, by then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In 2000, she received the Warren Christopher Award for Outstanding Achievement in Global Affairs.

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Olympia Vernon

Master of Fine Arts – Creative Writing, 2002
Vernon is an author who has been compared to Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison. Her three published novels include Eden in 2002, Logic in 2004 and A Killing in This Town in 2006. Eden, which she wrote while in graduate school at LSU, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and won the 2004 Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2005, she received the Louisiana Governor’s Award for Professional Artist of the Year. A Killing in This Town won the inaugural Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence in 2007.

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Rebecca Claire Wells

Bachelor of Science – General Studies, 1975
Wells is an author and playwright whose novels include the No. 1 New York Times bestsellers Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Little Alters Everywhere, and Ya-Yas in Bloom. Her book, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood was later turned into a movie that grossed over $73 million worldwide and featured Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Ellen Burstyn and James Garner.

Walter Charles Williams
Bachelor of Science – Aeronautical Engineering, 1939
Honorary Doctor of Engineering, 1963
The flight operations director for the Project Mercury space missions, including the manned flights of Alan Shepard, “Gus” Grissom and John Glenn, Williams served as the deputy associate administrator of the Office of Manned Space Flight and the chief engineer at NASA where he also directed the Worldwide Tracking Network and recovery operations for manned space flight missions. His career began with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the precursor to NASA, where he supervised the flight of the X-1 on Oct. 14, 1947, when Chuck Yeager became the first man to break the sound barrier, and was first Chief of the NACA High-Speed Flight Station, later renamed the NASA Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Facility. On Nov. 17, 1995, the Integrated Test Facility at the Dryden Flight Research Center was renamed the Walter C. Williams Research Aircraft Integration Facility.

Rosemary Tripi Wong
Master in Education
Wong is a native of Louisiana who matriculated through the Jefferson Parish Public Schools. As a young, elementary teacher working in the East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, she experienced the difficulty of managing a classroom while trying to engender student learning and academic success. As CEO of Harry K. Wong Publications, she is the driving force behind the development of the company’s educational books and tools aimed at improving the effectiveness of teachers. She was selected the LSU 2012 Distinguished Alumna of the College of Human Sciences and Education for her extraordinary work in education.

Deaundré Woods
(BM 2017) recently took on the role of John Laurens opposite Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton during the show’s run in Puerto Rico, and will also be performing in the lead role as Alexander Hamilton when the show opens in San Francisco this spring.

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Adriana Joy Zabala
Bachelor of Music Education – Music Education, 1994
A former Fulbright Scholar who studied German Lieder at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, Zabala is a mezzo-soprano who has performed with the Seattle Opera, the Minnesota Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, the Syracuse Opera, the Arizona Opera, the Lyric Opera of San Antonio and Opera Pacific. Among her recent performances are roles in Carmen in Spain, Le Nozze de Figaro in Ottawa and Exhilaration at Carnegie Hall.

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