List of Whitman College alumni explained

Whitman College is a private liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. Following are some of its notable alumni.

Academia

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Roland Bainton1914Protestant church historian and professor of ecclesiastical history at Yale Divinity School
Robert Clodius1942Educator and acting President of University of Wisconsin–Madison[1]
Paula England1971Sociology and psychologyAward-winning sociologist, professor at New York University[2]
1955Development economist and academic
Torey Hayden1973Biology and chemistryChild psychologist, special education teacher, university lecturer, and author[3]
Stephen A. Hayner1970English literaturePresident of Columbia Theological Seminary[4]
Dan Fenno Henderson1944 Founder of the University of Washington Asian Law program[5]
Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg2001PoliticsExecutive in Residence at Schmidt Futuresrme and former professor at the University of San Francisco.[6]
Ben Kerkvliet1965Author and educator in comparative politics, Southeast Asia, and Asian studies.[7]
Frances Penrose Owen1919GreekFirst woman Regent of Washington State University[8]
Gordon Wright1933 BAHistory professor at the University of Oregon and Stanford University,
Robert W. Young1955Linguist known for his work on the Navajo language and professor at the University of New Mexico

Art and museums

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Marcus Amerman1981ArtArtist
Douglas Cole1960Art historyHistorian and professor specializing in art and Pacific Northwest cultural history
David Crockett Graham1908BACurator of the Museum of Art, Archaeology, and Ethnology at the West China Union University and field collector for the Smithsonian

Business

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Ralph Cordiner1922 Economics and political scienceCEO and chairman, General Electric, Corp.(1958–1963); President (1950–1958)[9]
Stephanie Dorgan1977EconomicsFounder and owner of Seattle music venue The Crocodile
Ashifi Gogo2005Mathematics and physics
Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg2001PoliticsExecutive in Residence at Schmidt Futures
John W. Stanton1977Political scienceFounder and CEO, Western Wireless, majority owner of the Seattle Mariners
Colleen Willoughby1955Founder of the Washington Women's Foundation and the director of Global Women Partners in Philanthropy[10]

Entertainment

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Anomie Belle2002SociologyProfessional musician and artivist
1967Dramatic artActor known for Battlestar Galactica and The A-Team.
Chastity Belt (band)2010Indie-rock band formed by Whitman students
Otto HarbachMALyricist and librettist of about fifty musical comedies, including The Desert Song
Cullen Hoback2003Filmmaker, Monster Camp Terms and Conditions May Apply, Q Into the Storm
Shane Johnson1998 Actor, Saving Private Ryan, Black Cadillac
Morten Lauridsen1965 Composer and professor emeritus of composition at the USC Thornton School of Music
Lela Loren2002TheatreTelevision actress
John Moe1990 Dramatic artNPR host and author
Lance Norris1985Dramatic artActor known for Mystic River
Patrick Page1985Actor and playwright
Kathryn Shaw1971Dramatic artArtistic director of Studio 58 at Langara College i
Rick Stevenson1977HistoryFilm writer, director, and producer
Adam West1951EnglishActor known for Batman and Family Guy

Government and military

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Alan K. Campbell1947First director of the United States Office of Personnel Management
Alan W. Jones1917 non-degreedU.S. Army Major general[11] [12]
Neil Kornze2000Politicsformer Director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management

Law

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Kenneth Culp Davis1931Legal scholar remembered as "the father of administrative law."
William O. Douglas1920 English and economicsU.S. Supreme Court Justice
James Alger Fee1910Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
W. Michael Gillette1963BAOregon Supreme Court Justice
Meda Chesney-Lind1969Criminologist and advocate for girls and women who come in contact with the criminal justice system in Hawaii.
Lucile Lomen1941First woman to serve as a law clerk for a Supreme Court justice
James L. Robart1969Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
Charles F. Stafford1940

Literature and journalism

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Nate Cohn2010BAJournalist for The New York Times
Craig Lesley1967Novelist who has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize
John Markoff1971SociologyThe New York Times journalist and co-author of Takedown
Edward P. Morgan1932Journalist and writer who reported for newspapers, radio, and television media services including ABC, CBS, and PBS

Politics

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Jack Burtch1951Political scienceWashington State Representative
Ryan Crocker1971EnglishU.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, and Pakistan
Jena Griswold2006PoliticsSecretary of State of Colorado
Hal Holmes1923United States House of Representatives
Walt Minnick1964former Idaho Congressman
Pat Thibaudeau1960Psychologyformer Washington State Senator
Al Ullman1935United States House of Representatives for 24 years
Ben Westlund1971Education and historyformer Oregon State Treasurer

Science and medicine

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Alexander Barnes2003 Chemistrychemist, professor, and recipient of the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award
J. Bruce Beckwith1954Pediatric pathologist known for helping to identify Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
Gerard van Belle1990Physics and astronomyAstronomer.
Bernard Berelson1934EnglishBehavioral scientist known for work on communication and mass media
Walker Bleakney1924PhysicsInventor of mass spectrometer, chair of department of physics at Princeton University
Robert Brattain1931PhysicsPhysicist
Walter Brattain1924PhysicsNobel Prize winner, physicist, and co-inventor of the transistor
Robert Brode1921
Wallace R. Brode1921BAChemist, specializing in the absorption spectra of dyes
William M. Fairbank1939Physicist known in particular for his work on liquid helium
Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger1997GeologyNASA astronaut
Webb Miller1965BAComputational biology pioneer
David R. Nygren1960Particle physicist, inventor of the Time projection chamber.
Edith Quimby1912Mathematics and physicsMedical researcher and physicist
Vladimir Rojansky1924BSPhysicist, one of the earliest researchers of quantum mechanics
E. J. Workman1924BSAtmospheric physicist

Sports

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Mara Abbott2008EconomicsProfessional cyclist[13]
Ingrid Backstrom2000GeologyProfessional skier[14]
Holly Brooks2004Sociology and environmental studiesWinter Olympian in Nordic skiing[15]
Derrike Cope1980NASCAR driver, 1990 Daytona 500 winner[16]
Ben Eisenhardt2014 Professional player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League[17]
Tommy Lloyd1998BiologyHead basketball coach at the University of Arizona[18]

Technology

NameClassMajorNotabilityReferences
Marlin Eller1974MathematicsProgrammer and software developer, co-author of Barbarians Led by Bill Gates[19]
Steve McConnell1985Philosophy, mathematics, and computer scienceSoftware engineer and author of Code Complete[20] [21]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Honorary Degrees . 2023-09-17 . Whitman College . en.
  2. Web site: Paula England . 2023-09-17 . New York University Arts & Sciences.
  3. Web site: Biography . 2023-09-17 . Torey Hayden . en-US.
  4. Web site: Steve Hayner . September 17, 2023 . InterVarsity Press.
  5. Sanders, Eli. "Dan Henderson, UW program founder, dies." Seattle Times. March 18, 2001. Retrieved on May 5, 2012.
  6. News: May 21, 2017 . Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg '01 counsels Whitman graduates to do good . Whitman College . 9 February 2020.
  7. Web site: 2013-04-11 . Ben Kerkvliet . 2023-09-17 . The Department of Political and Social Change . en.
  8. News: Johnson . Tracy . March 17, 2002 . Schools leader Frances Owen dies at 102 . Seattle Post-Intelligences Reporter . September 17, 2023.
  9. http://www.ge.com/company/history/bios/ralph_cordiner.html "Biography: Ralph J. Cordiner"
  10. Web site: Brauhn . David . Trustee emerita Colleen Willoughby '55 urges women students to "step up, step out and engage" in this year's Women in Leadership Symposium. . 29 May 2017 . Whitman Magazine . Whitman College.
  11. News: August 28, 1918 . Alan W. Jones is Promoted . 2 . The Spokesman-Review . Spokane, WA . subscription . . Newspapers.com.
  12. Book: Morelock, J. D. . Generals of the Ardennes: American Leadership in the Battle of the Bulge . 1994 . National Defense University Press . 978-0-16-042069-6 . Washington, DC . 279 . . Internet Archive.
  13. Web site: Weinman . Edward . December 2013 . Easy Rider . 2023-09-17 . Whitman College . en.
  14. Web site: Out of bounds . 2023-09-17 . Whitman College . en.
  15. Web site: Wohlforth . Charles . 2016-08-12 . A Conversation with Holly Brooks . 2023-09-17 . Alaska Public Media . en-US.
  16. Web site: Bonkowski . Jerry . 2015-02-18 . 25 years ago, Derrike Cope pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Daytona 500 history . 2023-09-17 . NBC Sports . en-US.
  17. Web site: Ben Eisenhardt - 2013-2014 - Men's Basketball . 2023-09-17 . Whitman College Athletics . en.
  18. Web site: 2019-01-14 . Basketball Alumnus Assists at Gonzaga . 2023-09-17 . Whitman College . en.
  19. Web site: About Us - Staff - UW Language Learning Center . 2023-09-17 . depts.washington.edu.
  20. Web site: Rich . Whitney . 2020-09-29 . Just the Facts: Alum Creates No-Spin COVID-19 Data Center . 2023-09-17 . Whitman College . en.
  21. Web site: Steve McConnell . 2023-09-17 . Ballotpedia . en.