Illinois Wesleyan University - Notable Alumni

Notable Alumni

  • U.S. Senator Scott W. Lucas of Illinois
  • Governor H. Clarence Baldridge of Idaho
  • Governor Lester Hunt of Wyoming
  • 7 Time NBA All-Star Jack Sikma
  • Author and biologist Sandra Steingraber
  • Grammy Award-winning soprano Dawn Upshaw
  • Ralph C. Smedley, founder of Toastmasters International
  • Chaplain's Medal for Heroism recipient George L. Fox
  • Illinois State Senator Bill Brady, candidate in the 2010 Republican primary for governor
  • Comedian Andy Dick attended but did not graduate
  • American actor Frankie Faison, noted for his appearance in all four Hannibal Lecter films
  • Oscar-nominated actor Richard Jenkins, best known for his roles as disillusioned college professor Walter Vale in The Visitor and the deceased father Nathaniel Fisher in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under (2001–2005)
  • American actor Kevin Dunn, noted for his appearances in the Transformers movie franchise
  • Charles "Buffalo" Jones, Western buffalo hunter who co-founded Garden City, Kansas, attended for two years ca. 1860 but did not graduate.
  • Longtime announcer with the Chicago Cubs and famed singer of the national anthem Wayne Messmer
  • Denny Matthews, Kansas City Royals radio play-by-play announcer since the team's inception in 1969.
  • Dave Kindred, columnist for Sporting News, recently elected to the Sportswriter's Hall of Fame
  • Major League Baseball player and manager Doug Rader
  • Playwright and Actor Larry Shue
  • Mentalist Christopher Carter, Campus Activities Magazine's 2006 Performer of the Year
  • Bill Damaschke, Head of Creative Production and Development, DreamWorks Animation
  • Theater director, musician, and writer Amanda Dehnert; currently Acting Artistic Director for Trinity Rep in Providence, RI
  • American actress Christina Moore
  • Traffic reporter and full-time talk show host Christina Filiaggi on WLS 890 AM
  • Minor League Baseball player and manager and Major League scout Alex Cosmidis
  • Comedian Jake Hurwitz of CollegeHumor
  • Oklahoma Legislator Rep. Bessie S. McColgin, the first woman to serve in the Oklahoma House of Representatives
  • United States Congressman Thomas Sterling, graduated from IWU in 1875; served in Congress from 1913–1925
  • Illinois State Representative and House Republican Leader Tom Cross
  • Illinois State Senator J. Bradley Burzynski
  • First African American man to receive a Ph.D in Biology, Alfred O. Coffin
  • Abraham Akaka, Civil Rights activist, humanitarian, three decades as shepherd of Kawaiahaʻo Church in Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Scott Zeller, MD President of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry
  • Ed Rust, CEO, State Farm Insurance Companies
  • Michael Tipsord, Vice Chairman and COO, State Farm Insurance Companies
  • Akito Mizuno, CEO, Mizuno
  • Michael Mason, assistant director, Chief Security Officer, Verizon
  • NFL player Bob Morrow
  • Brian Udovich, ’98, produced A Necessary Death, which won the Audience Award for best feature film at the American Film Institute's 2008 festival, and co-produced The Wackness, which won the Audience Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
  • John E. Cribbet, well-known legal scholar, Dean of the University of Illinois College of Law, and Chancellor of the University of Illinois
  • Stew Salowitz, Media Section of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee
  • Chris Bisaillon, College Football Hall of Fame inductee.
  • Tony Blazine, College Football Hall of Fame inductee.

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