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Noteworthy Alumni
We are proud of all alumni who attended and/or graduated from Washburn University. Below are a few names and faces you may recognize or maybe you've heard of the company they work for.
We are also thankful for the generous contributions Washburn alumni and friends have made to the University. Visit the Endowment Association Web site for recognition of these donors.
Greg
Brenneman, bba '84
Chief
Executive Officer of Quizno's. Former president and CEO of Continental
Airlines and Burger King. Awarded the honorary Doctor of Commerce degree
by Washburn in 1999.
Ken
Calwell, bba '84
Executive
Vice President, Build the Brand, Dominos Pizza and former vice president,
new product marketing, research and testing for Wendy’s.
Dick
Davidson, ba '66
President
and Chief Executive Officer, Union Pacific Railroad. Awarded the honorary
Doctor of Commerce degree by Washburn in 1994.
Bob
Dole, ba '52, jd '52
Served
in the Kansas Legislature, U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate where he served
as Republican Leader. He was President Ford's vice presidential runningmate
in 1976 and was the the Republican presidential candidate in 1996. Washburn
awarded Dole the honorary Doctor of Law degree in 1969 and the honorary
Doctor of Civil Law degree in 1985.
Joan
Finney, ba '82
Kansas's
first female governor elected in 1992 and former treasurer for the state
of Kansas. Awarded the honorary Doctor of Public Service degree by Washburn
in 1999. Mrs. Finney passed away July 28, 2001.
Art
Fletcher, ba '50
Chairman
of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, former director of the United
States Commission on Civil Rights and the former executive director
of the United Negro College Fund. Awarded the honorary Doctor of Humane
Letters degree by Washburn in 1990. Mr. Fletcher passed away July 12,
2005.
Linda
Richey Graves, jd '78
Former
First Lady of Kansas married to Governor Bill Graves.
Georgia
Neese Gray, ba '21
First
female U.S. Treasurer appointed by President Harry Truman. Awarded the
honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree by Washburn in 1966.
Mrs. Gray passed away Oct. 26, 1995.
Dan Holt, ba '63
Executive
director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library.
Mark
Hunt, ba '71
Deputy
director and museum curator of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential
Library and former executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential
library.
Bill
Kurtis, jd '66
Producer
of "Investigative Reports" and "American Justice"
for the A&E Network. He is President of Kurtis Productions Limited.
He previously anchored the CBS Morning News. Awarded the honorary Doctor
of Literature degree by Washburn in 1985.
Delano
Lewis, jd '63
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa and former president
of National Public Radio. Awarded the honorary Doctor of Law degree
by Washburn in 2000.
Miriam
Baker Loo, ba '36
Founder
of mail order catalog, Current, Inc. Awarded the honorary Doctor of
Commerce degree by Washburn in 1990. Mrs. Loo passed away Dec. 21, 2000.
Davey Lopes, b ed '69
Former
manager of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team. He had a 16-year baseball
career with Los Angeles, Oakland, Houston and the Chicago Cubs. He spent
11 seasons as a coach with Texas, Baltimore and San Diego.
Harry Middleton, '44
Served
30 years as executive director of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential
Library.
Billie
Jean Moore, b ed '66
1999
inductee to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She is the former head
women's basketball coach at UCLA and 1976 Olympic women's basketball
coach. Awarded the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Washburn
in 1999.
Larry
Niven, ba '62
Award
winning science fiction author. Awarded
the honorary Doctor of Literature degree by Washburn in 1984.
Roger
Noriega, ba '82
Joined the advocacy and government affairs office at Tew Cardenas LLP.
Noriega previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for Western
Hemisphere Affairs. Washburn honored him as an Alumni Fellow in 2004.
Gene
Reardon, bba '67
Inspector
General for the U.S. Department of Defense. Awarded the honorary Doctor
of Commerce degree by Washburn in 2001.
James Reynolds,
'69
Actor
who portrays Capt. Abe Carver on NBC's "Days of Our Lives."
Carl Rowan, '43
Former
director of the U.S. Information Agency and well-known
commentator and syndicated journalist who explored race relations and
championed civil rights.
Awarded the honorary
Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Washburn in 1964. Mr. Rowan passed
away Sept. 23, 2000.
Earl
Sutherland, bs '37
Awarded
the 1971 Nobel Prize in Psychology or Medicine for
his discoveries concerning "the mechanisms of the action of hormones."
Dr. Sutherland passed away March 9, 1974.
Bradbury
Thompson, ba '34
World
renowned graphic artist. Designed several stamps for the U.S. Postal
Service and was previously art director for "Mademoiselle Magazine."
Awarded the honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Washburn in 1965.
Mr. Thompson passed away Nov. 1, 1995.
Ron Thornburgh, ba '85
Secretary
of State for the State of Kansas. He also serves as president of the
National Association of Secretaries of State.
Don Wilson, ba '64
Former
United States archivist appointed by President Reagan, former executive
director of the Gerald Ford Presidential Library and retired executive
director of the George Bush Presidential Library.