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Notable alumni
Arts, Literature & Music
- William Combs, has performed as tenor in chorus at Lyric Opera of Chicago; 1982, music
- Charles Frazier, author; winner of National Book Award for “Cold Mountain” 1986, doctorate, English
- Jim Harrison, artist who has had one-man shows at Hammer Galleries in New York and Conacher Gallery in San Francisco; works have been included in annual shows at the National Academy Gallery in New York; 1958, art and education
- Hootie and the Blowfish (Dean Felber, Mark Bryan, Jim Sonefeld, and Darius Rucker), Grammy award-winning musicians; founders of the philanthropic Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament and Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation
- Larry Lebby, nationally recognized portrait artist and painter in Columbia, whose works hang in galleries from the Smithsonian to the Vatican; 1973, art studio; 1976, master's of fine art, art studio
- Blue Sky, muralist and painter of national renown; 1964, fine arts
- Rin-Jong Yang, music director, Korean Sinfonietta; conductor, Sungshin Women's University Orchestras; internationally renowned conductor; 1986, 1991, doctorate of musical arts, music performance
Athletics
- Mike Dunleavy, coach of NBA's Los Angeles Clippers and former coach of Lakers, Bucks, and Trail Blazers; former player with 76ers, Rockets, Spurs, and Bucks; 1976, psychology
- Alex English, member of Basketball Hall of Fame; seventh-leading scorer in NBA history; former player with Bucks, Pacers, Nuggets, and Mavericks; 1991, interdisciplinary studies
- Zam Federick, led the nation in scoring in basketball in 1980-81 (28.9 points per game); state championship-winning coach at Calhoun County (S.C.) High School; inducted into USC Athletic Hall of Fame, 2002; 1981, BS, business administration
- Tim Hankinson, former soccer coach at Syracuse University and former coach of Major League Soccer's Tampa Bay Mutiny and Colorado Rapids; 1978, interdisciplinary studies
- Alex Hawkins, former NFL running back and receiver with Baltimore Colts and Atlanta Falcons, 1959-1968; ACC Player of the Year in 1958; inducted into USC's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970; 1964; BS in business administration
- Shannon Johnson, second all-time leading scorer in women's basketball history (2,230 points); member of gold medal-winning 2004 U.S. Olympic basketball team; four-time WNBA all-star; 1996, bachelor of science
- Kevin Joyce, first-round NBA draft pick in 1973, but played three seasons in the American Basketball Association; member of 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team; inducted into USC's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998; 1977, general studies
- Ed Lynch, former major league (Cubs) general manager and pitcher (Mets and Cubs); former USC baseball and basketball player; 1977, finance
- George Rogers Jr., 1980 Heisman Trophy winner; former NFL No. 1 draft pick; 1981, associate's, commercial education, and 1989, interdisciplinary studies
- Sterling Sharpe, former ESPN analyst; former NFL standout with Green Bay Packers; 1987, interdisciplinary studies
- Terrence Trammel, two-time Olympic silver medalist in 110-meter hurdles (2000, 2004); 2005, bachelor of science
- Charlie Weis, football coach of Notre Dame; former NFL assistant coach who won three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots and one with the New York Giants; 1989, master of education
- Tonique Williams-Darling, USC's first Olympic gold medalist, as the 400-meter champion for her native Bahamas in the 2004 Games; 1999, BS in business administration
- Brian Winters, coach of WNBA's Indiana Fever; first-round NBA draft pick in 1974; played with Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks; former head coach of Vancouver Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors; 1980, master of education
Business
- James Barrow, investment manager at Barrow, Hanley, Mewhinney & Strauss, Inc., which manages the Vanguard Windsor II Fund and Vanguard Selected Value Fund; 1982, finance
- Paula Harper Bethea, director, Bethea, Jordan & Griffin, Hilton Head, S.C.; former chairwoman of the board, United Way of America; former chairwoman and current board member, S.C. Chamber of Commerce; 1975, English
- Catherine Cameron Cooper, chairwoman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Board of Trustees; former partner with executive search firm Blackshaw, Olmstead, Lynch, & Koenig; former president of the Owners' Association of InterContinental Hotels Group; 1971, business management
- Charles Dallara, international economist and managing director, Institute of International Finance, Washington, D.C.; former assistant secretary, U.S. Treasury for International Affairs; 1970, economics
- John Fain, president of Fain Enterprises in Virginia Beach, Va.; former board of director of Keane Inc.; founder and president of Metro Information Services, which merged with Keane; recently recognized as Distinguished Eagle Scout by Boy Scouts of America; 1970, computer science
- Roosevelt Giles, founder and president, Information Management Systems, Atlanta; 1974, associate's in commercial education, USC Union
- Richard Holcomb, CEO StrikeIron, Web solutions company, Raleigh, N.C.; founder and former chairman, HAHT Commerce, Web applications company; former owner, Q+E Software; 1982, computer science
- W.W. “Hootie” Johnson, chairman of the executive committee of Bank of America Corp.; chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club; 1953, finance
- Larry Kellner, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Continental Airlines; 1981, accounting
- Ellen Knapp, chair and chief information officer for global operations, Pricewaterhouse Coopers; 1974, geography. Details
- David Lanter, group/practice leader for the information management services of Camp Dresser & McKee; former director of research at Rand McNally; 1989, doctorate, geography
- Peter McCausland, chairman and CEO, Airgas Inc., Radnor, Pa., North America's largest distributor of industrial, medical, and specialty gases, and welding equipment; 1971, history. Profile in Spotlight
- Robert McNair, founder, chairman, and CEO of NFL's Houston Texans; chairman of McNair Foundation; founder of McNair Scholar Program; 1958, psychology. Profile in Spotlight
- Darla Moore, financier and partner in Rainwater Inc.; 1975, political science. Profile in Spotlight
- Edna Morris, president of the James Beard Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the culinary arts; former vice president of operations for Red Lobster; 1974, psychology
- Phillip Pearce, former governor, New York Stock Exchange; 1953, business
- Daniel Sanders Sr., former president of ExxonMobil Chemical Co.; 1961, mechanical engineering
- Shigeru Sekine, CEO and president of Nikko Chemicals Co. Ltd., Tokyo; 1977, master's in international business
- Marva Smalls, executive vice president of public affairs and chief of staff, Nickelodeon, New York; founder of USC's first NAACP student chapter; 1977, political science, and 1982, master's public administration
- Don Tomlin, mortgage financing pioneer, real estate developer, and former co-owner of Park Communications; co-chairman of Columbia Chamber of Commerce committee on the city's master-plan development; supports USC Technology Incubator for business development; 1971, business administration
- Glenn Tilton, chairman, president and chief executive officer of UAL Corp. and United Airlines; former senior vice president, Texaco; 1970, international studies
- Charles Way Jr., chair and CEO of Charleston developer the Beach Co.; former South Carolina secretary of commerce; 1959, economics, and 1962, law
- Howard “Humpy” Wheeler Jr., president of Lowe's Motor Speedway, Charlotte, N.C.; 1961, journalism
Communications & Entertainment
- Bernard Addison, actor; Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Broadway debut in 1998 in “Electra”; narrated Emmy-nominated “The Farm: Angola USA,” documentary about death-row inmates; 1985, theatre
- Robert Ariail , nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist, The State, Columbia; two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee; 1984, interdisciplinary studies
- Susan Aude, longtime news anchor, WIS-TV, Columbia; retired February 2006; 1978, master's of mass communication
- Don Belt, writer and editor for National Geographic magazine; 1975, English literature
- Kay Spann Byrd, editor and publisher of Women Ministries, Women of Power magazine; 1982, education
- Mike Colter, actor; played Big Willie in Oscar-winning “Million Dollar Baby” appears in 2005 release “Brooklyn Lobster” with Danny Aiello and Jane Curtin; 1998, theater
- Rita Cosby, former Fox News anchor and MSNBC host; three-time Emmy Award winner; 1989, broadcast journalism and Spanish degrees
- Leeza Gibbons, television celebrity and radio personality; three-time Emmy winner for former talk show “Leeza” created the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation to support victims of Alzheimer's disease and their families; 1978, broadcast journalism
- Jim Hoagland, foreign affairs columnist, The Washington Post; two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize; 1961, journalism
- Cliff Hollingsworth, screenwriter for “Cinderella Man,” starring Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger; 1977, journalism; 1979, master's in education
- Matt Homan, general manager of Iowa Events Center; former assistant general manager of Colonial Center; named in 2005 as one of Billboard magazine's “ 30 Under 30,” which honored entertainers and others in the entertainment industry; 2000, sport and entertainment management. Details
- R. Dean Johnson, author, screenwriter, producer; author of “Life, Be There at Ten 'Til” wrote the screenplay for “Just Pray,” directed by actress Tiffani Thiessen and screened at the prestigious Tribecca Film Festival in 2005; 1985, master's in business administration
- Lanier Laney, television writer and producer; former writer, “Saturday Night Live” and former co-producer, “MadTV” wrote screenplay for movie “Shag” 1977, art history
- Tyron McFarlan, ringmaster for Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus; former performer with Circa 21, a professional troupe in Illinois; 1996, criminal justice
- Gary Parsons, founder XM Satellite Radio; former executive vice president of MCI; 1978, master's in business administration
- Brenda Pressley, actress; appeared in Tim Robbins' “Cradle Will Rock,” TV mini-series “Brewster's Place” with Oprah Winfrey, and guest appearances on various “Law & Order” episodes; cast in Maya Angelou's “And Still I Rise” and a number of off-Broadway productions; 1978, theatre
- Robin Roberts, co-founder and president of National Media Inc., Alexandria, Va..; 1976, advertising/public relations
Education
- Susan Bell, professor of biology, University of South Florida; 1979, doctorate in marine science
- Glenda Curry, rector of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Birmingham, Ala.; former president of Troy State University in Montgomery, Ala.; 1974, nursing
- Bradley Hamm, dean, Indiana University School of Journalism; 1990, master's in journalism
- John Harvey, professor of psychology, University of Iowa; 1968, psychology
- Charles Joyner, associate professor of history and culture, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, S.C.; author of “Shared Traditions, Southern History and Folk Culture” 1959, master's, history; 1968, doctorate, history
- Joab Lesesne Jr., former president of Wofford College, Spartanburg, S.C.; master's and doctorate, history
- Stephen E. Loflin is founder and executive director of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars in Washington, D.C.; 1985, marketing
- Elisabeth Muhlenfeld, president, Sweet Briar College, Virginia; author and Pulitzer Prize nominee; 1978, doctorate in English
- David Oliver, artist-in-residence, college organist, and assistant professor of music, Morehouse College, Atlanta; 1999, doctorate, musical arts in performance
- Patricia Spakes, chancellor of University of Washington, Tacoma; 1973, master's in social work
- Mary Thornley, president, Trident Technical College, Charleston, S.C.; 1986, doctorate of education, curriculum and instruction
- Duan Wei, professor Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwain; former director general, budget accounting and statistics, government of Taiwain; 1975, master's of mathematics; 1977, doctorate of mathematics
Government & Military
- Andrew Card, White House chief of Staff under President George W. Bush, 2001-2006; served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. Bush; former U.S. Secretary of Transportation; former vice president for government relations, General Motors Corp.; 1971, engineering
- Lindsey Graham, U.S. Senator, R-S.C.; colonel, U.S. Air Force Reserves; former U.S. congressman and S.C. legislator; 1976, BA; 1981, law
- Grady Patterson, South Carolina State Treasurer; pilot in Army Air Corps, 1941-45; 1950, law
- James “Spike” Stephenson, veteran of U.S. Agency for International Development; tours of duty in Iraq, Serbia and Montenegro, Egypt, Barbados, Grenada, El Salvador, and Lebanon; 1968, English; 1975, law Thirty-five South Carolina governors hold degrees from Carolina, among them:
- James Hodges, elected 1998; former state legislator; 1979, business administration; 1982, law
- Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, elected governor in 1958; former U.S. Senator (1966-2005); former state legislator; 1947, law
- Dick Riley, two-term govern first elected in 1978; former U.S. Secretary of Education; 1959, law
Law
- Stephen Benjamin, principal, the Benjamin Law Firm; board member, USC Development Foundation; former director, S.C. Department of Probation, Parole, and Pardon Services; 1999 Young Lawyer of the Year, National Bar Association; 1991, political science; 1994, law
- Rigdon Hiett Boykin, international attorney and partner, O'Melveny & Myers LLP, New York; 1967, English; 1973, law
- Judy Clarke, federal public defender; past president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; has represented such high-profile defendants as Eric Rudolph, Ted Kaczynski, Susan Smith, and alleged Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui; 1977, law
- Cameron Currie, U.S. District Judge for the District of South Carolina; former U.S. Magistrate Judge; 1970, political science
- Kaye G. Hearn, first woman elected chief judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals; 1977, law
- Reginald Lloyd, South Carolina U.S. Attorney; former S.C. Circuit Court judge; former South Carolina assistant attorney general; former director of research, chief counsel to S.C. House Judiciary Committee; 1993, law
- Casey Manning, judge, Fifth Circuit Court, Columbia; former USC basketball standout; 1973, political science; 1977, law
- Harriet Smith O'Neill, justice, Texas Supreme Court; 1982, law
- Michael L. Thurmond, commissioner of Georgia Department of Labor; won Carolina's Outstanding Black Alumni Award, 2005; former director of Georgia Department of Family and Children Services and former state legislator; author of two histories on African Americans in Georgia; 1978, law
- Jean Hoefer Toal, chief justice, S.C. Supreme Court; former state legislator; 1968, law
- Karen Williams, first woman judge appointed to U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit; 1980, law
Medicine & Science
- Virginia Eddy, director of undergraduate surgical education general/trauma surgery at Maine Medical Center; former trauma critical-care surgeon and associate professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; 1979, psychology; 1980, chemistry; 1984, medicine
- Cathy Forth, laboratory manager of the advanced communications systems laboratory at GE Global Research, Niskayuna, N.Y.; former vice president of communication networks and infrastructure at Lockheed Martin; 1979, master's in biology
- Sister Carol Keehan, president and chief executive officer of the Catholic Health Association of the United States; former CEO of Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C.; 1980, master's of business administration
- David King, director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.; recipient of Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executives, the highest honor a government employee can receive; former Space Shuttle launch director and director of Shuttle Processing; 1983, mechanical engineering
- Eileen Klimkowski, received Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian award in North Carolina, and the North Carolina Association for Home Care and Hospice Hero Award; founder and former director of EmeraldCare, private home health-care agency; 1994, master's in nursing
- Raphael Lee, professor of plastic surgery and biomedical engineering, University of Chicago; national and international patent holder; MacArthur Prize Fellowship winner; 1971, engineering
- Jacqueline Michel, internationally known expert on oil spills; president of Columbia-based Research Planning Inc.; 1974, 1976, 1980, geology bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees
- Ralph Roe Jr., director of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center in Langley, Va.; recipient of Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executives, the highest honor a government employee can receive; former manager Space Shuttle Vehicle Engineering; 1983, mechanical engineering
- John Swearingen, retired chairman, Standard Oil Company, Indiana; namesake of USC's engineering center; 1938, chemical engineering
- Henrie Monteith Treadwell, senior social scientist and associate director of development at the National Center for Primary Care Medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta; former program director for health at W.K. Kellogg Foundation; first black woman graduate in USC's modern era; 1965, biochemistry. Details
- Jennifer Walker, cardiothoracic surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital; one of the first 100 women in the United States to be certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgeons;1987, biology, USC Aiken
- Gerald A. Wilson, surgeon; chairman of the S.C. Medical Association; chairman of the South Carolina Health Planning Committee; past president of the Columbia Medical Society; 1971, biology
Posted: 11/01/05 @ 02:04 PM | Updated: 04/01/09 @ 09:32 PM | Permalink