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FROM THE HALLS OF FAME
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By Christine Imbs
Ever wonder what happened to that guy in your college chemistry class who blew up the lab? And when Harold Ramis co-wrote the screenplay for “Animal House” was he thinking about his days at Washington University?
Whether or not Ramis ever started a food fight in the cafeteria or snuck a horse into the dean’s office we may never know. But we do know that today he is a successful actor, writer and director of films. And this raises a question. Who are some of the famous alumni that attended St. Louis area universities?
Considering the reputations of our universities, it comes as no surprise that the graduates go on to become quite successful. Some have even gone so far as to achieve both national and international notoriety. For instance, 27 Nobel Prize-winners graduated from Washington University. The first was Arthur H. Compton in 1927 for physics and the most recent was Aaron Ciechanover in 2004 for chemistry.
Supreme Court Justice James Roberts, a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, graduated from McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill. in 1848. Harry Van Treese, one of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, is an 1893 graduate. And Cyril Curtis, a nuclear physicist and McKendree graduate, played a role in the Manhattan Project.
Although these may not be household names, others undoubtedly are. For instance long before “Rosanne” took to the airwaves, John Goodman roamed the halls of St. Louis Community College at Meramec. Sheryl Crow studied music at the University of Missouri-Columbia. And those who knew Cedric Kyles at Southeast Missouri State University were actually classmates with Cedric the Entertainer, one of “The Original Kings of Comedy.”
Obviously the list is too long to reproduce here. But to give you an idea of the caliber of students coming out of our universities, or maybe just to satisfy your curiosity, the following are some of the famous alumni who walked the halls of St. Louis’ universities.
Fernando Aguirre
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
CEO Chiquita Brands International.
James Allsup
Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville
Founder/CEO Allsup Inc., which is nationally recognized as America’s leading Social Security disability services company.
John Anderson
University of Missouri-Columbia
ESPN SportsCenter anchor.
Laura Blair
University of Phoenix,
St. Louis campus
Dean of Students, Bear University®, Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc.
Christine Brewer
McKendree College,
Lebanon, IL
World-renowned opera singer and recording artist.
William Broad
Webster University
Lead Science Reporter for New York Times, twice sharing the Pulitzer Prize with colleagues there.
James Buford
Harris-Stowe
State University
Sixth executive of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis Inc. and the first named president and CEO.
Norbert Leo Butz
Webster University
2005 Tony Award-winner for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.”
Norma Clayton
Webster University
V.P. of Supplier Management for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. Named one of the 50 Most Important Blacks in Technology in 2005 by US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine.
Clark Clifford
Washington University
Former Presidential Adviser; Secretary of Defense.
Eileen Collins
Webster University
First woman space shuttle commander (1999);
most recently commander of Discovery mission.
Chris Cooper
University of Missouri-Columbia
Academy Award winning actor. Received Best
Supporting Actor for his role in “Adaptation.”
Ken Cooper
Washington University
Pulitzer Prize-winning
journalist and reporter; national editor of the
Boston Globe.
Jerry F. Costello
Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville
Illinois Congressman for
12th District.
Phoebe Couzins
Washington University
First woman U.S. Marshal and a leader in the women’s suffrage
movement.
Frank Cusumano Jr.
University of Missouri-St. Louis
Sports anchor for KSDK-News Channel 5 and a
host of “The Press Box”
on KNFS-590 radio.
Charles Deneen
McKendree College, Lebanon, IL
An 1882 graduate who became Governor of
Illinois and an U.S. Senator.
Richard Dooling
Saint Louis University
Lawyer and author of four novels: “Critical Care;”
“White Man’s Grave;”
“Brain Storm;” and“Bet Your Life.”
Alex Fees
East Central
College, Union
Reporter for KSDK-News Channel 5.
James Fergason
University of Missouri-Columbia
Pioneer of liquid crystal
display (LCD) technology.
David R. Francis
Washington University
Ambassador to Russia;
U.S. Secretary of the
Interior.
Bertha Gilkey
St. Louis
Community College
Public housing/tenant rights advocate.
Linda Godwin
Southeast Missouri State University & University of
Missouri-Columbia
NASA Astronaut.
Andrew Goodpaster
McKendree College, Lebanon, IL
Staff Secretary to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy. Awarded the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.
Suzy Gorman
Fontbonne University
Photographer whose subjects include some of the
top executives in St. Louis, former president Bill Clinton and Olympic star Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Dan Gray
St. Louis
Community College
Reporter/anchor for
Fox 2 News.
John Greisheimer
East Central College, Union
Missouri State Senator
(26th District).
Anthony Ham
University of Phoenix, St Louis campus
Director C-17 & F-15 Assy,
T-45 Fwd Fuse and PAC/PPC Support Operations
for Boeing.
Lee Harrison, III
Washington University
First engineer to win
an Emmy for inventing
computer animation.
Tom Henke
East Central
College, Union
Major League Baseball relief pitcher for Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals.
Rebecca Herwick
McKendree College, Lebanon, IL
CEO of Global Products, a multinational corporation that manufactures and distributes Harley-Davidson products. She was also the only Harley-Davidson rider
at McKendree.
Julian Hill
Washington University
Co-inventor of nylon.
A.E. Hotchner
Washington University
Biographer of Hemingway and others; novelist, “King
of the Hill.”
Julius Hunter
Harris-Stowe
State University
V.P. of Communications for Saint Louis University; former anchor with KMOV-TV; author; historian; host of “Young Heroes in Music.”
Gene Kranz
Saint Louis University
Flight director during the Apollo 11 moon landing
and leader of the Apollo 13
rescue mission.
Howard Larsh
McKendree College, Lebanon, IL
One of three microbiologists who worked on NASA’s lunar landing
program.
Jim Lehrer
University of Missouri-Columbia
Journalist and host of “The News Hour with
Jim Lehrer” on PBS.
“Easy” Ed Macauley
Saint Louis University
Played in the NBA with the St. Louis Bombers, Boston Celtics, and St. Louis Hawks. Was inducted
into the Basketball Hall
of Fame in 1960.
Yomi Martin
Maryville University
Chief executive and founder of Vokal Clothing Company.
Marsha Mason
Webster University
Actress best known for her Academy Award nominated roles in “Cinderella Liberty,” and “The Goodbye Girl.”
John F. McDonnell
Washington University
Retired Chairman and CEO, McDonnell Douglas.
W. Patrick McGinnis
Washington University
President and CEO, Nestlé Purina Petcare Company.
Honorable
Theodore McMillian
Harris-Stowe
State University
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit, St. Louis.
Edward
Shepherd Mead
Washington University
Playwright best known for “How to Succeed in Busi- ness Without Really Trying.”
David Merrick
Saint Louis University & Washington University
Broadway producer known for “Gypsy,” “Oliver,” “Hello Dolly,” “Promises Promises,” and “42nd Street.”
Kay L. Meyer
Harris-Stowe
State University
Founder/president Family Shield Ministries and host
of “Family Shield,” a weekly hour-long radio program
on AM 850.
Jerry Mitchell
Webster University
2005 Tony Award-winner for his choreography in “La Cage aux Folles.”
Marianne Moore
Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville
General Manager for
Wolfgang Puck Catering and hosts the “Chef
Marianne” morning
cooking segment on KTVI Channel 2 morning news.
Reverend
Earl E. Nance Jr.
Harris-Stowe
State University
Appointed by Governor Joseph Teasdale to the
22nd Judicial Commission
as its first African-American member in 1980.
Conde Nast
Washington University
Publisher, Vogue Magazine.
Bill (Billy O) O’Donnell
East Central College, Union
Award winning artist.
Walter J. Ong
Saint Louis University
World-class thinker,
lecturer and author. Known today as an honorary guru among technophiles.
Mike Peters
Washington University
Pulitzer Prize-winning
editorial cartoonist and creator of “Mother Goose and Grimm.”
Kay Quinn
Maryville University
Health Reporter & weekend anchor for KSDK-News
Channel 5.
Sharon Rohrback
St. Louis
Community College
Founder/CEO of Nurses for Newborns.
Honorable
Charles Shaw
Harris-Stowe
State University
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
Larry Smarr
University of Missouri-Columbia
Helped develop Internet
and other information technology.
Bobbi Smith-Walton
Harris-Stowe
State University
Best selling romance writer with three million books
in print.
Shelby Steele
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Political commentator
and essayist.
Denise Thimes
St. Louis Community College
Singer, actress and director of musical plays.
Agne Visockaite
McKendree College, Lebanon, IL
2000 Olympic athlete (track).
Jack Wagner
East Central
College, Union
Actor/singer. Best known
for roles on “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “General Hospital.” Also had a hit
song in the 1980s titled “All I Need.”
George Herbert Walker
Washington University
Founder of Walker Cup
in Golf, the grandfather of President George Herbert Walker Bush and the
great-grandfather of
George W. Bush.
Mort Walker
University of Missouri-
Columbia
Creator of “Beetle Bailey” and “Hi and Lois” comic strips.
Sam Walton
University of Missouri-Columbia
Founder of Wal-Mart stores.
William H. Webster
Washington University
Former Director of the FBI.
Ronnie White
St. Louis
Community College
Missouri Supreme Court
Justice.
Mary Wickes
Washington University
Well-known character actress perhaps most known as Sister Mary Lazarus in the film “Sister Act.”
Wendy Wiese
Fontbonne University
Host of “The KTRS Morning Show” on KTRS-550 radio, and regular panelist on KETC-TV’s public issues
show “Donnybrook.”
Mary Ann Wyrsch
Webster University
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Webster University
Sixth President of
Indonesia and the first
to be elected directly by the voters. |
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