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An Incomplete List of Famous Penn Staters
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Famous Living Penn Staters | Famous Penn Staters Now Deceased

Famous Living Penn Staters

Carol Abrams ’63 – Peabody Award-winning producer best known as writer and producer of the movie Regarding Henry

Duane Alexander ’62 – Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health

John Almquist ’47g – Winner of the Wolf Foundation Award (1981) for work in the artificial insemination of dairy cattle

John Amaechi ’94 – Former professional NBA athlete; founder of the ABC Foundation; regular sport and current affairs commentator for BBC, ITV, and SKY

John Aniston ’55 – Actor best known for his role as Victor Kiriakis on the daytime TV series Days of our Lives; father of actress Jennifer Aniston

Jesse Arnelle ’55, ’62g – Retired senior partner of Arnelle, Hastie, McGee, Willis and Greene of San Francisco, one of top 12 African American law firms in America (Black Enterprise magazine)

Horace Ashenfelter III ’49, ’55g – Olympic gold medal winner in the 3,000m steeplechase (track & field) at the 1952 Olympic Games

Brian Baker ’90 – Actor; former on-air spokesperson known as “Trench Coat Guy” for Sprint PCS

John Balaban ’66 – Award-winning author of 12 books of poetry and prose; authority on Vietnamese literature; poet-in-residence and professor of English, North Carolina State University

Cynthia Baldwin ’66, ’74g –Former justice, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; first African American female judge, Allegheny Court of Common Pleas

Paul D. Bell ’82 – Senior vice president and president, Americas, Dell Inc.

Don Bellisario ’61 – Head of Belisarius Productions; producer of such TV series as NAVY NCIS, JAG, Quantum Leap, Magnum PI

Paul Berg ’48, ’52g – Nobel Prize winner in chemistry (1980); professor emeritus, Stanford University School of Medicine; Chairman, National Advisory Committee, Human Genome Project

Charles J. Bierbauer ’66, ’70g – Former CNN senior Washington and White House correspondent; first dean of the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications

Todd Blackledge ’83 – College football analyst with ESPN/ABC; quarterback in the NFL for Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers (1983-1989)

Guion S. Bluford Jr. ’64 – First African American in space; mission specialist on four space shuttle flights

Edward R. Book ’54 – Retired chairman and CEO of Hershey Entertainment and Resort Company; former president of the Travel Industry Association of America

Jim Bradley ’75 – Longtime orthopedic physician for the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers; older brother of Penn State football defensive coordinator Tom Bradley ’78

Roscoe O. Brady Jr. ’43 – One of world’s foremost neuroscientists; Senior Investigator at the National Institutes of Health

Jim Broadhurst ’65 –Chairman and CEO of Eat ’N Park Hospitality Group

Benjay Bronk ’93 – Comedian and head writer for The Howard Stern Show

Dale Brown ’78 – New York Times best-selling author of adventure, military, and aviation novels Act of War, Battle Born, and Plan of Attack

Rhonda Brownstein ’82 – Legal Director for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala.

Ryan Buell ’06 – Producer and director of A&E network's Paranormal State, a show based on a Penn State student club called the Paranormal Research Society

Ty Burrell ’97g – Television and movie actor

Fletcher Byrom ’40 – Retired CEO of Koppers Co.; a civic leader who directed some of the nation’s foremost intellectual organizations including the Institute for Advanced Study, the Hudson Institute, and the Conference Board

John Cappelletti ’74 – Winner of college football’s 1973 Heisman Trophy

Margaret Carlson ’66 – First female columnist for Time magazine; appears regularly on CNN's Inside Politics and The Capital Gang; now a columnist for Bloomberg News

James E. Carnes ’61 – Retired president and CEO of Sarnoff Co.; patented inventor; HDTV pioneer

Robert Cenker ’70, ’73g – Payload Specialist for RCA on the Columbia space shuttle, January 1986

Tien Frank Chang ’74g – Former president, National Taipei University of Technology

T. Ming Chu ’67g – Discovered prostate specific antigen and developed prostate cancer detection test used worldwide; professor emeritus of pathology, SUNY, Buffalo

Rita Ciresi ’88g – Award-winning novelist; author of Blue Italian, Pink Slip, and Remind Me Again Why I Married You

Mary Ellen Clark ’85 – Two-time bronze medal winner in the 10m platform (diving) at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games

Tom Clarke ’80g – Former president and CEO of Nike, Inc.; now President, Nike New Business Development

Jill Cordes ’92 – Host of My First Place on HGTV and host of The Best Of on the Fine Living Network (formerly on the Food Network)

Pedro A. Cortes ’99g, ’00g – Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Barbara Culley McKibbin ’50 – Fashion editor of Vogue magazine

Charlie Dent ’82 – Republican Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (Pennsylvania)

Steven DeSouza ’68 – Screenwriter of Judge Dredd, Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours, Die Hard, and Die Hard 2

Janine Scarpello DiGioacchino ’96 – General manager of Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in New York City

Marion Dougherty ’43 – Casting director for Marion Dougherty Associates and Warner Brothers; cast dozens of notable movies including: Midnight Cowboy, The Sting, and Batman

Mike Doyle ’75 – Democratic Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (Pennsylvania)

Deborah M. Drattell ’79g – Operatic composer with credits that includes Lilith performed by the New York City Opera, The Festival of Regrets, and Nicholas and Alexandra performed by the Los Angeles Opera and featuring Placido Domingo

Ben Feller ’90 – Associated Press reporter covering the White House since 2006

John C. Felmy ’75, ’78g – Chief economist for the American Petroleum Institute

Carmen Finestra ’71 – Emmy Award-winning writer and producer of The Cosby Show, Home Improvement, Soul Man, Thunder Alley, and Where the Heart Is

Neil Flomenberg M.D. ’74 – One of the nation's leaders in bone marrow research and transplants

Gregory S. Forbes ’72 – Severe weather expert for The Weather Channel

Lawrence Foster ’48 – Retired vice president of public relations at Johnson & Johnson; managed the company’s response to the Tylenol poisoning crises of the 1980s

Jonathan Frakes ’74 – Director and star of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as several Star Trek movies

Barbara Franklin ’62 – Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President George H. W. Bush

Dennis Freedman ’74 – Vice Chairman and Creative Director of W magazine

Alan S. Furst ’67g – Novelist and author of historical espionage novels Dark Voyage, The Foreign Correspondent, and The Spies of Warsaw, among others

Bob Garfield ’77 – Columnist, ABC News analyst, and co-host of On the Media on National Public Radio

Jean Craighead George ’41 – Nationally acclaimed children’s book writer; author of numerous children’s books including Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and Newbery Honor Book My Side of the Mountain

Jim Gerlach ’80g – Republican Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (Pennsylvania)

Frederick J. Giorgi ’55g – Chairman of the Board of Giorgio Foods, Giorgi Mushroom Company, and the Can Corporation of America

Gerald Gipp ’71g, ’74g – Executive director of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium

Howard Gordon ’63g, ’65g – One of the founding fathers of modern satellite oceanography

Rosey Grier ’56 – NFL All-Pro defensive tackle with the New York Giants, also played for the Los Angeles Rams; actor in numerous movies and television shows; remembered for his role in subduing Sirhan Sirhan following the assassination of Robert Kennedy

Jack Ham ’71 – Played for 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning four Super Bowl titles; Pro Football Hall of Fame (1988)

Franco Harris ’72 – Played for 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning four Super Bowl titles, and one season with the Seattle Seahawks; Pro Football Hall of Fame (1990); founder of Super Bakery

Dick Hoak ’61 – Retired Pittsburgh Steelers coach (1972-2006), the longest tenured coach in Steelers history; played for the Steelers (1960–1970)

J. Lloyd Huck ’43 – Retired chairman Merck & Co.

Kate Hutton ’71 – Renowned seismologist with California Institute of Technology; scientific contributor to Furious Earth: The Science and Nature of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tsunamis

Jayne Jamison ’78 – Vice President/Publisher of Seventeen magazine; former executive/publisher at Family Circle, Child, and Redbook magazines

James P. Jimirro ’58 – Creator and first president of the Disney Channel; former owner, chairman, and CEO of National Lampoon Media Company

Dave Joyner ’72, ’76g – U.S. Team physician at the 1992 Winter Olympic Games; inducted into the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1991; orthopedic surgeon

Donna Kalajian-Lagani ’75 – Senior vice president and publishing director of Cosmopolitan magazine

Lewis Katz ’66g – Owner of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils

David Keplinger ’90, ’94g – Award-winning poet; author of The Rose Inside (1999), The Clearing (2005), and The Prayers of Others (2006)

Keegan-Michael Key ’96 – Host of Animal Planet’s The Planet’s Funniest Animals; also known for roles on MADtv

Chip Kidd ’86 – Award-winning graphic artist and book designer; author and designer of Batman Collected, Batman Animated, and The Cheese Monkeys

Don King ’69 – Director of Saturday Night Live on NBC and other television shows; two-time Emmy nominee for SNL and Emmy winner for directing The Mike Douglas Show

Peter Klein ’91 – Emmy-winning producer for 60 Minutes; creator and producer of the History Channel series Beyond Top Secret

Albert Kligman M.D. ’39 – Inventor of the anti-wrinkle compound Retin A

Charles Lagola ’82 – Production designer on ER and The Practice; produced music videos for Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, and Barbara Streisand

Kurt Landgraf ’70 – President and CEO, Educational Testing Service (ETS)

Stan Lathan ’67 – Director whose credits include Sesame Street, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, and more

Paul Levine ’69 – Former newspaper reporter, law professor, and trial lawyer; now an award-winning author of the Solomon vs. Lord legal thrillers and the recently released Illegal

Bruce Lloyd M.D. ’68g – Cardiologist for U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.

Albert L. Lord ’67 – Vice chairman and CEO of Sallie Mae Corporation, the nation’s leading source of funding and financial services for higher education

John Lucas ’70g – One of the world’s foremost Olympic historians; author of several Olympic-related books and lecturer at the International Olympic Academy; Penn State Professor Emeritus

Rick Lyon ’85 – Puppet-maker and original cast member of the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q

Mike Marcus ’67 – Former president and COO of MGM Pictures; founder of Cornice Entertainment

Riva Marker ’00 – Editor and associate producer of films such as The Kennedy Mystique-Creating Camelot (2004), Day Night Day Night (2006), and Sundance Film Festival audience pick for best dramatic film, Grace is Gone (2007)

Kathleen Mason ’71 – President and CEO of Tuesday Morning, Inc., discount retailer of upscale home furnishing and gifts

Christine Larson Mason ’78 – Bronze-medal winner in field hockey at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics

Suzie McConnell Serio ’88 – Former head coach and player in the WNBA; two-time Olympian in 1988 (gold medal) and 1992 (bronze medal)

Steve McCurry ’74 – World-renowned photojournalist most famous for the photograph of the “Afghan Girl” in National Geographic magazine

Ellen McDonnell ’76 – Director of Morning Programming, National Public Radio (NPR)

Matt Millen ’80 – NBC sports analyst and former president and CEO of the Detroit Lions

Norman C. Miller ’56 – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist; former chief of the Wall Street Journal’s Washington bureau; author of The Great Salad Oil Swindle

Lenny Moore ’56 – Played for 12 seasons with the Baltimore Colts; Pro Football Hall of Fame (1975)

Char Morett ’79 – Bronze-medal winner in field hockey at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles; head coach of Penn State Field Hockey team

David B. Morrell ’67g, ’70g – Author of numerous best-selling books, including First Blood, the book that inspired the movie character Rambo

Monica Morrow M.D. ’74 – One of the nation's leading breast care specialists, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Ben Mutzabaugh ’97 – USA Today reporter and author of widely read airline industry travel blog, Today in the Sky

Joel N. Myers ’61, ’63g, ’71g – Founder, president, and chairman of the board of AccuWeather, Inc., the world’s largest weather forecasting company

Art Nagle ’67 – Founding partner of Vestar Capital Partners, Inc., a leading private equity firm

Herbert Nipson ’40 – Award-winning journalist and retired Executive Editor of Ebony magazine (1972-1987)

Rod Nordland ’72 – Chief foreign correspondent, Newsweek magazine; Pulitzer Prize winner for Three Mile Island coverage

Stu Ostro ’80 – Senior director of weather communications for The Weather Channel

William "Gus" Pagonis ’64 – Retired lieutenant general; was the Army’s chief logistician during Desert Shield and Desert Storm

Mark Parker ’77 – President and CEO of Nike, Inc.

Amy Wynn Pastor ’99 – Host of Make a Move and co-host of Backyard Stadiums on the DIY (Do It Yourself) Network; previously on-camera carpenter for the popular show Trading Spaces

James A. Pawelczyk ’85g – First Penn State professor in space as a payload specialist on the space shuttle (1998)

Lynne Rae Perkins ’78 – 2006 Newbery Medal winner for the children’s book Criss Cross

William J. Perry ’57g – Former Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton (1994-1997); senior fellow at Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford

John Pielmeier ’78g – Playwright and screenwriter best known for his drama Agnes of God

Valerie Plame Wilson ’85 – Former CIA officer; identified and outed by syndicated columnist Robert Novak in 2003; author of Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House

Heather Rarick ’87 – Flight director, NASA Mission Control

Larry Reibstein ’71 – Senior editor, Forbes magazine

Michael B. Reid ’69 – Grammy-winning musician and composer; NFL All-Pro defensive tackle, Cincinnati Bengals

Thomas Ridge ’72g – Former governor of Pennsylvania and first director of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush

Walter Robb ’48 – Retired Senior Vice President of General Electric's Medical Systems and 1993 recipient of the National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest technology honor

Hugh Rodham ’72 – Brother of Hillary Rodham Clinton

Leah Rozen ’77 – Chief movie critic and associate editor, People magazine

Lisa Salters ’88 – Sports reporter for ESPN

Jerry Sandusky ’66, ’71g – Former defensive coordinator, Penn State Football; founder of The Second Mile

>Rick Santorum ’80, ’86g – Former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, now a Fox News contributor

Jon Saraceno ’79 – USA Today sports columnist

William Schreyer ’48 – Retired Chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch

Jerry Schwartz ’77 – News features editor, Associated Press; wrote the breaking wire stories of 9/11

Richard Schweiker ’50 – Retired Secretary of Health and Human Services under Ronald Reagan (1981-1983); U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvania (1960-1968) and U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania (1969-1981)

Robert C. Shaler ’66g, ’68g – Forensic scientist who supervised the large-scale DNA testing to identify 9/11 World Trade Center victims; Penn State professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Steve Sheetz ’69 – Chairman, Sheetz, Inc.

Michael Shine ’76 – Silver medal winner, 400m hurdles, Montreal Olympics (1976)

Martin J. Smith ’78 – Award-winning journalist; senior editor of the Los Angeles Times Magazine; author of suspense novels and other books

Rick Sokolov ’71 – President and chief operating officer, Simon Property Group, developers of shopping malls and other properties, including Mall of America

Lara Von Seelen Spencer ’91 – Anchor of The Insider, television's half-hour newsmagazine reporting on the world of celebrities

Brenda Stauffer ’92 – Member of the bronze medal field hockey team at the 1984 Olympic Games

James R. Stengel ’83g – Retired global marketing officer, Procter & Gamble

Melissa Stone ’91 – Vice president of marketing and advertising, The Style Network

Linda B. Strumpf ’69 – Vice president and chief investment officer, The Ford Foundation

John P. Surma Jr. ’76 – Chairman and CEO of United States Steel Corporation

Barclay Tagg ’61 – Trainer of 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide

Kevin Tan ’04 – Bronze medalist, 2008 Beijing Olympics; assistant coach, Penn State men’s gymnastics

Greg Taylor ’73 – Wrote the script for the movie Prancer and co-wrote the screenplay for the movie Jumanji

Jigme Thinley ’76g – Prime Minister and Head of the Government of Bhutan

Glenn “GT” Thompson ’81 - U.S Congressman for Pennsylvania, 5th District

D. Robert Vallance ’63 – Thoroughbred horse veterinarian; famous patients include 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Spectacular Bid and 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide

Samuel S. Vaughan ’51 – Editor, writer, former publishing executive for Random House Books; co-author of Buckley: The Right Word

Tom Verducci ’82 – Senior writer for Sports Illustrated magazine

David R. Wagoner ’47 – Former chancellor, Academy of American Poets; award-winning poet, novelist, and editor whose books of poetry include Traveling Light: Collected and New Poems (1999) and Walt Whitman Bathing (1996)

Andrew Kevin Walker ’86 – Screenwriter of numerous films including Seven, and the Academy Award-winning Sleepy Hollow

Warren M. Washington ’64g – Head of the Climate Change Research Station in the Climate and Global Dynamics Division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research

Jessica Weiner ’95 – Author and performer known for social issue plays on eating disorders, school violence, and hate crimes as well as her books A Very Hungry Girl and Do I Look Fat in This?

Paul J. Weitz ’54 – Astronaut who piloted the 28-day Skylab-2 mission and spacecraft commander of a 1983 space shuttle mission

Patricia Woertz ’74 – Chairman, CEO, and president of agricultural processing giant Archer Daniels Midland

Frank Wolf ’61 – Republican Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (Virginia)

Quentin D. Wood ’48 – Retired chairman and CEO of the Quaker State Corp.

Kirby Yung ’78g – Former minister of education, Taiwan

Gerald Zahorchak ’94g – Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Jim Zarroli ’79 – Business correspondent for National Public Radio

Richard A. Zimmerman ’53 – Retired President and CEO of Hershey Foods

(If you think of others, feel free to let us know.)

For an up-to-date list of former Nittany Lions on current 2005 NFL rosters, visit: http://www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=9314.

For an extensive list of outstanding Penn State intercollegiate and professional athletes, please visit the online home of the Penn State All-Sports Museum at:  http://www.gopsusports.com/Museum/museum.cfm.

The All-Sports Museum Web site lists remarkable student athletes in baseball, basketball, fencing, field hockey, football, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and crosscountry, volleyball, and wrestling.