Notable Alumni
In addition to current university president, Dr. Norman C. Francis, Xavier University distinguished alumni includes:
| Name | Class year | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathaniel Clifton | 1946 | First African American to sign a contract with an NBA team. Attended but did not graduate; left to join the Army during World War II. | |
| Alvin J. Boutte | 1951 | The founder and CEO of Indecorp, the largest Black-owned financial institution in the U.S. Also serves as chair and CEO of the Independence Bank and the Drexel National Bank in Chicago. | |
| Ernest Nathan Morial | 1951 | First African-American mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana. (deceased) He was the father of former New Orleans mayor Marc Morial. | |
| Bernard P. Randolph | 1954 | retired, USAF General; Only the third African-American to reach the rank of four-star general in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, serving as head of the USAF Space and Defense Systems Command. Now an executive with the defense contractor TRW Corporation. | |
| John Stroger | 1955 | Former Cook County Board President (deceased) | |
| Charles Champion | 1955 | A community pharmacist in Memphis, Tennessee, and a specialist in the use of herbal medicines. Named as one of America's 50 most influential pharmacists by American Druggist magazine. | |
| Marino Casem | 1956 | Former Head Football Coach at Alabama State University, Alcorn State University, and Southern University. He is a member of College Football Hall of Fame. | |
| Annabelle Bernard | 1956 | The first Black to perform as a principal player with the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Germany. Thirty-four years later she is still performing in Europe, and has been awarded the highly coveted title of Kammersaengerin by the German government. A soprano, she has performed on five continents. | |
| George McKenna III | 1961 | Currently serving as superintendent of the Inglewood Unified School District in Los Angeles, Calif. While serving as principal at Washington High in Los Angeles, he turned a "bad" urban school in an educational model of excellence, the basis for the TV movie "The George McKenna Story," starring Denzel Washington. | |
| Louis Castenell | 1968 | Dean of the University of Cincinnati's College of Education. Has been heralded in such national publications as the New York Times and the Washington Post for his innovative teacher education programs. | |
| Marie Valentine McDemmond | 1968 | First female president at Norfolk State University (enrollment 8,400). A 25-year veteran in higher education, she previously served as vice president for finance and chief operating officer at Florida Atlantic University. | |
| Dr. Gilbert Rochon | 1968 | 6th President of Tuskegee University | |
| Alexis Herman | 1969 | First African American U.S. Secretary of Labor; former director of the White House office of Public Liaison. | |
| Ivan L. R. Lemelle | 1971 | Judge; Currently serving his second consecutive, eight-year term as U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court in New Orleans. | |
| Dr. Regina Benjamin | 1979 | Current United States Surgeon General; First physician under the age of 40 and First AA woman named to the American Medical Association's Board of Trustees; Former president - Alabama State Medical Association; Recipient of MacArthur Genius Award. | |
| Sherrie Brown Littlejohn | 1979 | Vice President and chief information officer for SBC Messaging in San Ramon, Calif., a telecommunications subsidiary of voice mail service provider SBC Communications. | |
| Todd Stroger | 1985 | Elected Cook County Board President in 2006, succeeding his father. | |
| Rear Admiral Stephen Rochon (U.S. Coast Guard) | 1984 | Director of the Executive Residence and Chief Usher at the White House. | |
| Emmitt Douglas | President of the Louisiana NAACP from 1966 until his death in 1981. |
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Famous quotes containing the word notable:
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—For the State of Florida, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)