List of Wichita State University people

The following is a list of notable people associated with Wichita State University, located in the American city of Wichita, Kansas.

University presidents

Fairmount College

• Nathan J. Morrison, 1895–1907^[1]
• Henry Thayer, 1907–1914
• Walter Rollins, 1914–1922
• John D. Finlayson, 1922–1927

Municipal University of Wichita

• Harold Foght, 1927–1934
• William M. Jardine, 1934–1949, President of Kansas State University, Secretary of Agriculture, United States Minister to Egypt
• Harry F. Corbin, 1949–1963

Wichita State University

• Emory K. Lindquist, 1963–1968, Rhodes Scholar
• Clark D. Ahlberg, 1968–1983
• Warren B. Armstrong, 1983–1993
• Eugene M. Hughes, 1993–1998
• Donald L. Beggs, 1999–2012, President/Chancellor of Southern Illinois University
• John W. Bardo, 2012–present, Chancellor of Western Carolina University

Faculty and staff

• H. Edward Flentje – professor and former director of Hugo Wall School of Public Affairs; interim president of Emporia State University in 2011
• Albert Goldbarth – only poet to win the National Book Critics Circle award two times (1991 and 2001)
• Bienvenido Santos – fiction, poetry, and nonfiction writer

Academia

• Dale Allison – biblical scholar, professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary^[2]
• M. Lee Pelton – current president of Emerson College
• Earl G. Yarbrough – former president of Savannah State University

Business

• Jim Bede – founder of Bede Aviation
• Gary Burrell – founder and CEO of Garmin
• Dan and Frank Carney – co-founders of Pizza Hut
• Vivek Lall – CEO of Reliance industries
• Dwane Wallace – former CEO and chairman of Cessna Aircraft Company^[3][4]

Government

Garner Shriver

• Valerie Baldwin – Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller), 2004–06
• Rebecca Ediger – retired member of US Secret Service
• Walter Orebaugh – Foreign Service Officer
• Femi Pedro – Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Nigeria
• Riley Pitts, US Army – first African-American commissioned officer to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor
• Tom Sawyer – member of the Kansas House of Representatives, former House Majority Leader, 1998 Kansas Democratic Party nominee for Governor
• Garner Shriver – eight-term US Representative from Kansas
• Justin Smith – sheriff of Larimer County, Colorado, since 2011^[5]

Literature

• Craig Blais – poet
• Paul Dickey – poet
• Michael McClure – poet, playwright, songwriter, and novelist
• Janet Peery – short story author and novelist
• Charles Plymell – poet, novelist, and small press publisher

Media

• Shirley Knight – Oscar-nominated actress
• Lance LeGault – actor
• Bob Peak – painter dubbed the "father of the modern movie poster"
• Kate Snodgrass – theatre director and playwright

Music

• Chris Arpad – solo steel pannist
• James Billings – operatic baritone, opera librettist, and opera director
• Karla Burns – Drama Desk Award and Laurence Olivier Award-winning actress and operatic mezzo-soprano
• Joyce DiDonato – opera star
• Kevin Kastning – modern classical composer and guitarist
• Samuel Ramey – opera star
• Michael Sylvester – opera star

Sports

Baseball

Braden Looper

• Casey Blake – retired Major League Baseball player^[6]
• Joe Carter – retired Major League Baseball player^[7]
• Andy Dirks – Major League Baseball player^[8]
• Darren Dreifort – retired Major League Baseball player with the Los Angeles Dodgers^[9]
• Conor Gillaspie – Major League Baseball player for the Chicago White Sox
• Koyie Hill – Major League Baseball player
• Mike Lansing – retired Major League Baseball player^[10]
• Don Lock – retired Major League Baseball player with the Washington Senators
• Braden Looper – Major League Baseball player for the Milwaukee Brewers and Saint Louis Cardinals
• Pat Meares – retired Major League Baseball player
• Doug Mirabelli – retired Major League Baseball player with the Boston Red Sox
• Michael Pelfrey – Major League Baseball player for the New York Mets
• Nate Robertson – Major League Baseball player for the Florida Marlins
• Eric Wedge – managed Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners

Basketball

Gal Mekel

• Jamie Arnold – American-Israeli professional basketball player
• Ron Baker – NBA player with the New York Knicks
• Nate Bowman – known as "The Snake"; retired/deceased National Basketball Association player
• Cal Bruton – retired American-Australian basketball player, NBL Hall of Famer
• Antoine Carr – retired NBA player^[11]
• John Cooper – head coach at Tennessee State University, assistant coach at Auburn University, University of Oregon, and University of South Carolina
• Cleanthony Early – NBA player most recently with the New York Knicks
• Warren Jabali – retired American Basketball Association player
• Cliff Levingston – retired NBA player
• Xavier McDaniel – retired NBA player
• Gal Mekel – Israeli basketball player formerly in the NBA and now with Maccabi Tel Aviv
• Toure' Murry – NBA player most recently with the Utah Jazz
• Dave Stallworth – retired NBA player
• Fred VanVleet – NBA player with the Toronto Raptors
• Gene Wiley – retired NBA player

Other

• Jessica Hughbanks – cast member on Big Brother 8
• Omar Khalidi – author, Muslim scholar and US State Department sponsored international relations builder^[13][14]
• Dennis Rader – BTK serial killer^[15]
• Sandiaga Uno, Lieutenant Governor of Jakarta, Indonesia

See also

• Lists of people from Kansas

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wichita State University.

• Wichita State University alumni association