This is a list of famous individuals associated with the Pennsylvania State University, including graduates, former students, and professors. [edit] Alumni [edit] Art and literature - Louis Astorino, architect, PNC Park, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
- John Balaban, author/poet, Words for My Daughter and Locusts at the Edge of Summer
- Joseph Borkovich, stage manager
- Jeanne Clemson, theater director, stage actress and teacher, preserved the Fulton Opera House
- Dale Brown, bestselling author, Act of War, Battle Born, and Plan of Attack
- Richard Diehl (MA 1965, PhD 1969), Mesoamerican archaeologist and academic, expert on the Olmec civilization[1]
- Alan Furst, novelist
- Jean Craighead George, Newbery Medal-winning children's author
- Chip Kidd, renowned book-jacket designer
- Norris J. Lacy, expert on the Arthurian legend
- Steve McCurry, world-renowned photojournalist; most famous for the photograph of the “Afghan Girl” in National Geographic Magazine
- David Morrell, novelist, First Blood
- James Morrow, author
- Robert Neffson, artist
- John Pielmeier, playwright, Agnes of God, etc...
- Oliver Smith, ten-time Tony Award-winning scenic designer
- Robert Yarber, American artist
- Roland Fryer, Professor of Economics at Harvard University
- Susan Miller, playwright, "My Left Breast", etc..., 2 time OBIE winner, Eugene O'Neill Contest winner,EMMY nominee
[edit] Business and industry - Edward R. Book, former chairman and CEO of Hershey Entertainment & Resort Company
- Jim Broadhurst, chairman and CEO of Eat 'N Park Hospitality Group
- Fletcher Byrom, former CEO of Koppers, Co.
- James Carnes, former president & CEO of Sarnoff Corporation
- Tom Clarke, former president & CEO of Nike, Inc.
- Robert E. Eberly, Chairman Eberly Natural Gas Co., Penn State benefactor
- John C. Felmy, Chief economist for the American Petroleum Institute
- Herman Fisher, co-founder of Fisher-Price toy company
- Samuel F. Hinkle, former chairman and CEO of Hershey Foods Corporation
- Lloyd Huck, chairman emeritus of Merck & Co., Inc. and former CEO of Nova Pharmaceutical Corp.
- Richard T. James, Inventor of the Slinky
- Mike Keebaugh, former president of Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems
- Albert L. Lord, Vice chairman & CEO of Sallie Mae Corporation
- Kathleen Mason, President & CEO of Tuesday Morning, Inc.
- Mike McBath - co-founder/part-owner of the Orlando Predators
- Eugene O'Kelly, former CEO of KPMG
- Jordan Pearlman, Marketing Executive for the Pittsburgh Xplosion pro basketball team.
- Mark Parker, CEO of Nike, Inc.
- William Schreyer, chairman emeritus and former CEO of Merrill Lynch. The Schreyer Honors College was renamed in his honor after he and his wife made a large donation.
- Steve Sheetz, Chairman of Sheetz, Inc.
- Frank Smeal, a partner of the Goldman Sachs Group of New York City on Wall Street; an expert in the municipal bond market. The Smeal College of Business is named after his generosity.
- Scott Smith, founder, East End Brewing Company
- John P. Surma, CEO of US Steel Corp
- Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO President
- Patricia A. Woertz, CEO of Archer Daniel Midland. Named to Fortune magazine's "Most Powerful Women in Business" list.[2]
- Richard A. Zimmerman, Former president & CEO of Hershey Foods
[edit] Technology [edit] Education [edit] Entertainment and media - Tareq Al-Suwaidan, renowned Muslim scholar, reformer, TV personality and management guru.
- John Aniston, actor, Days of our Lives; father of actress Jennifer Aniston
- Brian Baker, former Sprint spokesman
- Alan Beckwith, actor, The China Syndrome, UFOria
- Donald Bellisario, television producer
- Charles Bierbauer, television journalist
- Benjy Bronk, comedian and writer, The Howard Stern Show
- Ryan Buell, founder of the Paranormal Research Society seen on A&E.
- Ty Burrell, actor, star of FOX sitcom Back to you
- Margaret Carlson, journalist, pundit. First female columnist for TIME
- Leon Carr, songwriter and composer
- Mike Cocco, contestant on Drew Carey game show, "Power of Ten", MENSA scholar
- Nathan Cook, actor, The White Shadow, Hotel
- Jill Cordes, TV personality, HGTV's My First Place and The Best Of
- John A. Dalles, hymn writer and clergyman
- Steven E. de Souza, screenwriter; Judge Dredd, Lethal Weapon, 48 Hrs., Die Hard
- Janine DiGioacchino, director of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, New York
- Julius J. Epstein, screenwriter of Casablanca
- Carmen Finestra, Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer; The Cosby Show, Home Improvement
- Jonathan Frakes, actor and director (Star Trek: The Next Generation series)
- Keegan-Michael Key, actor, comedian; MADtv, host of Animal Planet’s The Planet's Funniest Animals
- Stan Lathan, television producer and director, co-creator of Def Comedy Jam
- Rick Lyon, actor/creator of Broadway show "Avenue Q"
- Gary Ley, Chief Meteorologist of WJAR-TV in Providence, RI.
- Adam McKay, film director and screenwriter; writer and director of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and The Landlord (2007 film)
- Amy Wynn Pastor, TV personality, TLC's Trading Spaces
- Denis Phillips, chief meteorologist of WFTS-TV in Tampa Bay.
- Mike Reid, Grammy Award-winning songwriter
- John Lewis, dancer, most famous for inventing the dance "Big Baby Shuffle" that stormed Western Pennsylvania in the 1980s.
- Ian Rosenberger, 3rd place in Survivor: Palau on CBS and one time President of Penn State's USG
- Leah Rozen, film critic, People.
- Lisa Salters, ESPN reporter and former Nittany Lady Lion Basketball Star
- David Schelzel, lead singer of The Ocean Blue
- Lara Spencer, TV host of The Insider
- Don Taylor (actor), Film actor of the 1940s and 1950s
- Tom Verducci, senior writer for Sports Illustrated
- Andrew Kevin Walker, screenwriter of Seven
- Fred Waring, Bandleader
- Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz, chief meteorologist of WCAU-TV in Philadelphia.[2]
- Rake Yohn, CKY crew and Jackass crew member, as well as a synthetic metal chemist (which he graduated for).
- Immortal Technique, Political Activist and rapper.
[edit] Politics, government and military - Dr. Steve Blythe, United States Congressman candidate (D-FL 15)
- Kathleen L. Casey, commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Charlie Dent, United States Congressman (R-PA 15)
- Michael F. Doyle, United States Congressman (D-PA. 14)
- Tom Feeney, United States Congressman (R-FL 24)
- Rodney A. Funk, former United States Marine Corps Operational Test Pilot and F-18/A-6E/KC-130 Aviator. Set Trans-Atlantic World Speed Record 18 July, 2008 (NAA & FAI)
- Barbara Hackman Franklin, former United States Secretary of Commerce
- David C. Hodge, President of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio
- Harold Gehman, former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic
- Howard Fargo, (M.Ed. 1957), member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1981-2000. Served as Republican Caucus Chairman 1995-2000.[3]
- Robert Jubelirer, former President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania State Senate, former Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.
- Maria Leavey, political strategist
- Michael P. Murphy, a United States Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient.[4]
- Bonnie Newman, member of the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations, chief of staff to Judd Gregg
- William Perry, former United States Secretary of Defense
- Valerie Plame, former CIA officer
- Hugh Ellsworth Rodham, father of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Hugh Edwin Rodham, politician and brother of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
- James Patrick Rossiter, Mayor of Erie, Pennsylvania
- Rick Santorum, former United States Senator. (R-PA)
- Richard Schweiker, United States Senator and Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- Lyonpo Jigme Thinley, ’76g — Prime Minister and Head of the Government of Bhutan.[5]
- George J. Trautman, III, Lieutenant General, United States Marine Corps
- Slobodan Uzelac, Deputy Prime Minister of the Croatian government
- William E. Ward, General, United States Army
- Donald William Snyder (BBA 1973), Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 1981-2000 and Majority Whip.[3]
[edit] Science - Paul Berg, recipient of 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Elliott Abrams, Accuweather Meteorologist
- Guion Bluford, astronaut, first African-American in space
- Robert Cenker, Space Shuttle astronaut, STS-61-C
- Dennis S. Charney, current Dean of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City
- Nina Fedoroff, geneticist
- James T Harris III (D.Ed. 1988), educator and academic administrator; 2003 Alumni Fellow Award recipient[6]
- Joel N. Myers, founder and CEO of AccuWeather
- Erwin Wilhelm Müller, physicist, inventor of the field ion microscope, and the first person ever to "see" an atom
- James Pawelczyk, Space Shuttle astronaut, STS-90
- Jef Raskin, author and human-computer interface expert best-known for starting the Macintosh project for Apple Computer
- David L. Reich, among the first to demonstrate the utility of electronic medical records for large-scale retrospective investigations demonstrating the association of intraoperative hemodynamic abnormalities with adverse postoperative outcomes.[7]
- Robert Titzer, professor and infant researcher
- Paul J. Weitz, astronaut, Skylab 2, STS-6
[edit] Sports - David Aardsma, major league pitcher spent 1 semester before transferring to Rice University
- John Amaechi, former professional basketball player; BBC, ITV, and SKY television personality
- Richie Anderson, former NFL running back
- LaVar Arrington, All-Pro NFL linebacker
- Horace Ashenfelter, 1952 Olympic gold medalist, track and field
- Terry Bartlett, Olympic gymnast
- Mark Baldwin (baseball), former Major League baseball player
- Todd Blackledge, retired NFL quarterback and television sports analyst.
- Calvin Booth, NBA center
- Kyle Brady, NFL tight end
- Frank Brickowski, former professional basketball player
- Courtney Brown, NFL defensive end and #1 overall NFL draft pick
- Nate Bump, professional baseball player
- John Cappelletti, Heisman Trophy winner and subject of book "Something for Joey"
- Ki-Jana Carter, NFL Halfback and #1 overall NFL draft pick
- Ken Chertow, US Wrestling Team and Olympian, 1986-1993
- Mary Ellen Clark, 1992 and 1996 Olympic bronze medalist, diving
- Kerry Collins, Pro Bowl NFL Quarterback and 4,000 yard passer (2002)
- Shane Conlan, former NFL linebacker
- Bob Coulson, former Major League Baseball player
- Birdie Cree, former Major League Baseball player
- Joe Crispin, professional basketball player
- John Gilmore, NFL tight end
- Robbie Gould, Professional Kicker for Chicago Bears
- Helen Darling, Professional WNBA guard for the San Antonio Silver Stars
- Bobby Engram, NFL wide receiver with the Seattle Seahawks
- Rosey Grier, former professional football player
- Tamba Hali, NFL defensive lineman
- Franco Harris, former NFL running back
- Jeff Hartings, All-Pro NFL Offensive Lineman
- Jack Ham, former professional football player. Had the ability to place ham in a can without air-packing due to his Abominable Snowman-esque strength.
- Michael Haynes, NFL defensive end
- Cliff Heathcote, former Major League Baseball player
- Dan Heisman, chess master, Johnny Heisman's jealous younger brother
- Tom Irwin, former Major League Baseball player
- Larry Johnson, Pro Bowl NFL running back
- Bhawoh Jue, NFL safety
- Joe Jurevicius, NFL wide receiver
- Jeremy Kapinos, NFL Green Bay Packers punter
- Jimmy Kennedy, NFL defensive tackle
- Ed Klepfer, former Major League Baseball player
- Ali Krieger, professional women's soccer player, FFC Frankfurt, Washington Freedom
- David Macklin, NFL cornerback
- Kelly Mazzante, professional basketball player
- Mike McBath - co-founder/part-owner of the Orlando Predators
- Suzie McConnell Serio, former professional basketball player, current coach
- Kerry McCoy, 2x United States Olympian in Wrestling, current coach Stanford University Wrestling
- O. J. McDuffie, former NFL wide receiver
- Kareem McKenzie, NFL Offensive Lineman
- Matt Millen, former professional football player former president of the Detroit Lions
- Lenny Moore, former NFL Running Back
- Jim O'Hora former football player, football coach
- Mike Scioscia, former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager
- Chad Severs, professional soccer player
- Bud Sharpe, former Major League Baseball player
- Jack Sherry, captain of the 1954 Final Four Team
- Alan Strange, former Major League Baseball player
- Kevin Tan, Olympic bronze medalist (gymnastics, team)
- Myles Thomas, former Major League Baseball player
- Wallace Triplett, former NFL Running Back (first African-American draftee to play in the NFL)
- Russ Van Atta, former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Ralph Vuono, senior director of marketing, United Football League
- John Montgomery Ward, former Major League Baseball player, manager, and executive
- Tiffany Weimer, Professional soccer player for the FC Gold Pride in the WPS
- Paul Posluszny, NFL Linebacker for the Buffalo Bills.
- Dan Connor, NFL Linebacker for the Carolina Panthers
- Patrick C. Schirk, 1st Penn State NCAA Swimming Champion
- Cumberland Posey, founded the Homestead Grays in 1912
[edit] Fictional alumni [edit] Notable professors and coaches - Gregory Ain, architect, Head of Department of Architecture 1963-67
- Richard Alley, glaciologist and climate scientist, IPCC lead author
- George Andrews, mathematician
- John Barth, American novelist and short-story author
- Samuel Preston Bayard, folklorist, expert on fife and fiddle tunes
- Christian M. M. Brady, targumist and Dean of Schreyer Honors College
- Velvet Brown, tuba soloist and recording artist; is associate professor of music
- O. Richard Bundy, Director of Athletic Bands, including the Penn State Blue Band
- Donald Byrne, coach of America's first varsity chess team
- Paul DeMaine, one of the founders of the Computer Science Department.
- Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22
- Lee Giles, creator of CiteSeer
- Lee Smolin, theoretical physicist
- Ivan Illich, polymath: author, philosopher, and polemicist
- Philip Jenkins, professor of religious studies and writer on modern religious controversies
- James Kasting, atmospheric chemist and astrobiologist, a.k.a. "Dr. Habitable zone"
- Gary N. Knoppers, Head of the Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies who has written a massive and hugely significant two-volume commentary on I Chronicles (I Chronicles 1 - 9 Anchor Bible Vol. 12: Doubleday, 2003) and I Chronicles 10 - 29 Anchor Bible Vol. 12A: Doubleday, 2004)
- Webb Miller, one of the pioneers of Computational Biology. Co-creator of BLAST, a research tool used by geneticists worldwide.
- Erwin Wilhelm Müller, inventor of the field emission microscope, the field ion microscope, the atom probe, and the first person to view atoms
- Robert Neffson, artist
- Masatoshi Nei, theoretical population geneticist and evolutionary biologist
- Joe Paterno, head football coach since 1966
- Roger Penrose
- Rene Portland, head women's basketball coach from 1980 – 2007
- C. R. Rao, 2002 National Medal of Science winning statistician
- Theodore Roethke, 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry recipient
- Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Empire Falls, His novel Straight Man was drawn from his experiences teaching at Penn State Altoona
- William Tenn (pen name of Philip Klass), famous science fiction writer
- Alan Walker, paleoanthropologist
- Frank C. Whitmore, pioneering organic chemist who described the mechanism of carbocation reactions.
- Aleksander Wolszczan, discoverer of first extrasolar planets and pulsar planets
- Mark D. Maughmer, Developed first successful winglet designs for gliding competitions, widely known aerodynamicists and author
[edit] References
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