# Who is/was the Most Famous Person to graduate from your Alma Mater? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 18, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962 "2011-06-18T19:34:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/1 "2011-06-18T19:34:44Z")
High school or college. Ever. If you have more than one, it’s fine to list them, just make the Most Famous one the first on the list. And do please name the institution. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/2 "2011-06-18T19:42:30Z")
I don’t know if she graduated from my high school, but I know Kristen Johnson (Sally from 3rd Rock) went to my high school. Between my High School and College, I’d call her (arguably) the most famous. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/3 "2011-06-18T19:42:53Z")
The University of Illinois–Hef. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/4 "2011-06-18T19:45:33Z")
High school: Baseball player [Jim Thome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thome) College: Either Ray LaHood, the current Secretary of Transportation, or Neil Flynn, the guy who played The Janitor on Scrubs. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/5 "2011-06-18T19:47:52Z")
Kary Mullis, the controversial Nobel Prize winning scientist, went to my high school. Katherine Harris, the Florida Secretary of State for the 2000 election fiasco, went to my college (Agnes Scott) - I was there at the time and reporters kept trying to get her yearbook from the library. I suppose she’s the most famous graduate I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/6 "2011-06-18T19:48:05Z")
Supposedly Joe Kennedy and Tom Menino graduated from UMass-Boston. (I’m not finished yet) ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/7 "2011-06-18T19:49:41Z")
I’d say Burt Reynolds or Deion Sanders from Florida State University. Jim Morrison attended the school as well. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/8 "2011-06-18T19:50:35Z")
High School - Star Jones. Sad. College - anyone who graduated from Georgia Tech. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/9 "2011-06-18T19:55:16Z")
Lou Piniella High School ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/10 "2011-06-18T20:02:50Z")
Nobody famous from my high school. NC State - John Edwards ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/11 "2011-06-18T20:08:04Z")
High School: Robert Altman College: Regis? Nicholas Sparks? Joe Montana? ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/12 "2011-06-18T20:09:20Z")
Gary Larson, Edward R Murrow and Keith Jackson ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/13 "2011-06-18T20:12:18Z")
College - I went to West Point, so it’s highly debatable. Probably Eisenhower or Grant are the most famous. ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/14 "2011-06-18T20:14:20Z")
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill James K. Polk (11the US President, class of 1818) Thomas Wolfe (novelist, class of 1920) Shelby Foote (historian, attended 1935-37, did not graduate) C. Vann Woodward (historian, PhD 1937) Charles Kuralt (journalist, class of 1955) Michael Jordan ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/15 "2011-06-18T20:31:30Z")
A [Cy Young winner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaMarr_Hoyt) graduated from my high school. [A bunch of famous people](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furman_University#Notable_alumni) graduated from my undergraduate school. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/16 "2011-06-18T20:33:08Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > The University of Illinois–Hef. I was going to say Roger Ebert. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/17 "2011-06-18T20:42:41Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > A [Cy Young winner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaMarr_Hoyt) graduated from my high school. > > [A bunch of famous people](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furman_University#Notable_alumni) graduated from my undergraduate school. Aaaaaaaaaaand, later it occurred to me to check on [my grad school](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_North_Carolina_at_Greensboro#Notable_alumni), and Emmylou Harris’ name was the most noteworthy I saw. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/18 "2011-06-18T20:44:39Z")
Just checked my grad school as well: Mark Cuban Isiah Thomas Mark Spitz Coolest: Will Shortz, NYT crossword puzzle editor ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/19 "2011-06-18T20:48:49Z")
It’s hard to say who is the “most famous” - there are a lot of different ways to be famous. Here’s some famous graduates of Ole Miss: Writers William Faulkner John Grisham Actors Cynthia Geary Gerald McRaney Sports Archie Manning Eli Manning Deuce McAllister Politics Jamie Whitten, second-longest serving U.S. Representative ever (1941-1995) Trent Lott Military Admiral John S. McCain, Sr., USN; grandfather of Senator John McCain Fictional persons Dr. Leonard “Bones” MCoy (Star Trek medical officer) ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/20 "2011-06-18T20:56:16Z")
Brian Mulroney, Prime Minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Jean Chrétien, Prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. There may be others but I limited myself to the two most prominent examples of people who graduated from the same department I did. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962.md?page=2)