# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/81 "2011-06-20T10:20:37Z")
Secondary School: Probably the current England cricket team’s batsman Ian Bell. I think he started the year after I left. University: Quite a few really, but I’m guessing Neville Chamberlain is up there as one of the best known. > **[List of University of Birmingham people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Birmingham_people)** > > This is a list of notable people related to the University of Birmingham. > The University of Birmingham has had seven chancellors since gaining its royal charter in 1900. Joseph Chamberlain, the first chancellor, was largely responsible for the university gaining its royal charter in 1900 and for the development of the Edgbaston campus. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/82 "2011-06-20T11:36:30Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > My alma mater is [Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shippensburg_University_of_Pennsylvania#Notable_alumni). > > Probably the most famous is Dean Koontz, but we also had Steve Spence (marathon runner), Jeanne Shaheen (Governor/Senator from New Hampshire), Chris Raab (from _Jackass_), Tommy Franks and Jay Garner. Shippensburg is a popular school to get a Masters Degree in Public Administration from with the officer corps from the US Army War College in Carlisle. You forgot John Kuhn, formerly of the Steelers (for shame!) and currently of the Green Bay Packers. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/83 "2011-06-20T12:05:36Z")
Famous Spartans who actually graduated: Steve Garvey Kirk Gibson Robin Roberts Earl Morrall Bubba Smith Ryan Miller Didn’t graduate: James Caan Earvin Johnson ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/84 "2011-06-20T14:39:19Z")
High School: all I can remember is Larry Czonka. Since I did not graduate I won’t mention the 3 colleges I went to. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/85 "2011-06-20T14:49:27Z")
Northwestern has tons of famous celebrity graduates. Charlton Heston, Stephen Colbert, Charlotte Rae, Tony Randall, Jeri Ryan, David Schwimmer, sportscasters Mike Greenberg and Brett Musberger, and probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting. The most famous graduate of my high school is probably Lofa Tatupu of the Seattle Seahawks. ---
**Author:** ![jonesj2205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@jonesj2205](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonesj2205)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/86 "2011-06-20T14:49:35Z")
High School, Natalie Merchant ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/87 "2011-06-20T14:58:57Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > High School: all I can remember is Larry Czonka. > > Since I did not graduate I won’t mention the 3 colleges I went to. Forgot to add: Stow, Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/88 "2011-06-20T14:59:07Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Northwestern has tons of famous celebrity graduates. Charlton Heston, Stephen Colbert, Charlotte Rae, Tony Randall, Jeri Ryan, David Schwimmer, sportscasters Mike Greenberg and Brett Musberger, and probably a bunch of others I’m forgetting. > > The most famous graduate of my high school is probably Lofa Tatupu of the Seattle Seahawks. Too late to edit, but Wikipedia lists these entertainers as graduates of NU: Ann-Margret, Warren Beatty, Paul Lynde, David Schwimmer, Anne Dudek, Zach Braff, Zooey Deschanel, Marg Helgenberger, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jerry Orbach, Jennifer Jones, Jerry Springer, Megan Mullally, Dermot Mulroney, Charlton Heston, Richard Kind, Ana Gasteyer, Brad Hall, Shelley Long, William Daniels, Cloris Leachman, Bonnie Bartlett, Paula Prentiss, Richard Benjamin, Laura Innes, Charles Busch Stephanie March, Tony Roberts, Jeri Ryan, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, McLean Stevenson, Tony Randall, Charlotte Rae, Patricia Neal, Nancy Dussault, Robert Reed, Mara Brock Akil, Greg Berlanti, Dan Shor, Seth Meyers, Frank DeCaro, Zach Gilford, Stephen Colbert and Garry Marshall. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/89 "2011-06-20T15:10:30Z")
Rice had James Baker and Larry McMurtry; per wikipedia Howard Hughes attended but did not graduate. My high school had Edward Said, and apparently I was in school there at the same time as Uma Thurman, although I have no recollection of having met her (and probably didn’t). ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/90 "2011-06-20T15:12:28Z")
My high school, which ceased to exist in the 1970s: Kevan Gosper (If you include the high school which regards itself as the successor, then the best known are the members of Silverchair, which I saw perform when they were Innocent Criminals) My university: Bob Carr (the longest serving premier of New South Wales, who was two years behind me in the same faculty, so we probably did cross paths in student politics, though I don’t remember him from that time) ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/91 "2011-06-20T15:14:31Z")
Alright I get to beat Jonathan Chance in here, I think. I went to Frostburg State University in Maryland. We had [Greg Garcia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Thomas_Garcia) writer/producer of Yes, Dear and My Name is Earl. We also have [Richard Arnold II](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_R._Arnold), and astronaut, I didn’t know we had one of them. There were a couple of others, but none that I really know. It seems the biggest person from my high school was [Charlie “King Kong” Keller](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Keller), an major league baseball player in the 40s and 50s. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/92 "2011-06-20T16:01:01Z")
Sportscaster Jim McKay and author Tom Clancy graduated from my high school, which was then called Loyola High School, but has since changed its name to the snootier [Loyola Blakefield](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyola_Blakefield). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/93 "2011-06-20T16:32:52Z")
University of Central Florida: NFL players Daunte Culpepper, Asante Samuel and Brandon Marshall, NASCAR boss Brian France, singer Terence Trent D’Arby (dropped out), Actress Cheryl Hines, Comic Daniel Tosh, USA women’s soccer player Michelle Akers. Not much to show for the third largest school in the country (although it wasn’t even in the top ten ten years ago). Malvern College: weirdo Aleister Crowley, writer CS Lewis, and a bunch of people who are only famous in the UK. Merritt Island High: baseball manager Clint Hurdle, NBA player Will Perdue. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/94 "2011-06-20T16:40:21Z")
High school: Grant Hill, probably. College: Thomas Jefferson (almost certainly, although Jon Stewart is probably a close runner-up). ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/95 "2011-06-20T16:46:13Z")
The most famous graduates of Trinity College (Hartford, CT) where I got my undergraduate degree are, unfortunately, George Will and Tucker Carlson. Edward Albee was expelled well before graduating, alas. Got my advanced degrees at big universities, which inevitably have a fair number of well-known alums. So I’m going to do a switch, and mention alums of places I’ve taught full-time. Neither has very many famous alums, but each has one worth noting: 1. Christopher Newport University (Newport News, VA) names Randall Munroe among its graduates. He may not be a household name, but most Dopers [have heard of him](http://xkcd.com/). 2. King College (Bristol, TN) graduated Katharine Paterson, author of _Bridge to Terebithia_ and a number of other books in a similar vein. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/96 "2011-06-20T16:56:03Z")
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA: “Weird Al” Yankovic Burt Rutan John Madden Scott and Laci Peterson The founders of Jamba Juice ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/97 "2011-06-20T16:57:02Z")
Adam Lambert (whom I don’t know from any other Adam, since I never watch _AI_ or listen to modern music) apparently graduated from my same HS (though I’m guessing I probably graduated before he was born). ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/98 "2011-06-20T17:02:23Z")
In high school I was your stereotypical long-hair burnout type, who didn’t get along with the jocks one bit. That’s why I always had a “couldn’t have happened to a douchier guy” attitude when [Jim Dowd](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Dowd_(ice_hockey)) helped the Devils win the Stanley Cup. I worked for the local paper at the time, so I had to cover the parades and such being thrown for our “hometown hero” – _that_ was fun (although the passage of time, plus the amount of charity work he does for local kids charities and such, have caused me to toss away those sour grapes). ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/99 "2011-06-20T17:10:25Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > The College of William and Mary > > - Thomas Jefferson > - Jon Stewart I’m not sure Tom actually graduated. That’s why he had to go found his own university. W&M was too tough for him. But not for you, me and Jon Stewart! For my high school, the crazy astronaut woman went there. Charles W. Woodward (now closed) in Rockville, MD. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962/100 "2011-06-20T17:14:20Z")
High School: Dave Righetti and Kevin Pollack. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-was-the-most-famous-person-to-graduate-from-your-alma-mater/585962.md?page=6)