Notable alumni

Notable alumni from Oberlin College, Oberlin Theological Seminary, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

(List is based on the ones at Wikipedia (1, 2). It is, therefore, under the GDFL and not Oberwiki's standard license.)

[edit] A

• Greg Allen: founder of Neo-Futurism and The Neo-Futurists Theatre
• Hobart Baumann Amstutz (studied at the Con 1914-15 before graduating from Oberlin High School in 1915): Bishop of the Methodist Church
• Cory Arcangel: computer artist
• Mary Atkins: founder of Mills College

[edit] B

• Peter Baker (1986?): journalist and author for the Washington Post
• Richard Baron (1964): president of McCormack Baron (a firm managing community development across America), collaborator on the East College Street Project
• Bruce Beasley (1980): poet, National Endowment of the Arts Writing Fellow
• Alison Bechdel (1981): cartoonist (Dykes To Watch Out For)
• Jim Blandy (computer science): helped to found Subversion
• Eric Bogosian (1976): novelist/playwright (Ararat)
• Chris Brokaw (1986): rock musician (bands Codeine, Come, Consonant)
• Avery Brooks (1970; 1996: honorary degree): actor (Uncle Tom's Cabin, American History X, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
• Antoinette Brown (1847; 1878: honorary degree; 1908: honorary degree): the first ordained female minister in the U.S. (she studied at the Oberlin Theological Seminary for three years but was refused a degree and ordination because she was female)
• Blanche Bruce: founder of Missouri's first school for African-Americans, second African-American senator from Mississippi (1874-1881), and a register of the Treasury (making him the first African-American whose signature was represented on U.S. currency)
• James Burrows (1962: studied government): producer/creator of Cheers, director (Will and Grace, Frasier, Friends), winner of nine Emmy awards
• Michael Byers (1991): novelist (The Coast of Good Intentions)

[edit] C

• Marc Canter (1980): co-founder of Macromind (later Macromedia), led development of Director software and Flash format
• John Cazale (studied drama): actor (The Godfather, The Deer Hunter)
• Brian Chase: drummer (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
• Tracy Chevalier (1984: English): novelist (Girl with a Pearl Earring)
• Yvette Clarke (1986): New York City councilwoman representing the 40th district
• Rachel Cline: author (What to Keep)
• Henry Roe Cloud: Native American political leader
• Stanley Cohen (1945: master's, zoology): Nobel laureate (Physiology/Medicine, 1986)
• Billy Cohn (1982): inventor of the Cohn Cardiac Stabilizer
• Marc Cohn: singer-songwriter ("Walking in Memphis")
• Kenneth S. "Kacy" Cole: prominent membrane biophysicist
• Fanny Jackson Coppin (1865): influential African-American educator (first African-American woman to become a school prinicpal) and missionary, namesake of Coppin State University, first African-American to be selected to teach in the Preparatory Department
• Richard Cowan (1946): posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during World War II (only known Obie with one)
• Frederick Cross (1942): co-inventor of the Kay-Cross Rotating Disk Oxygenator

[edit] D

• Carl Dennis (did not graduate): Pulitzer-winning poet (Practical Gods)
• Robert Devereaux (1969), novelist and author of Santa Steps Out: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups.
• Michael Dirda (1970): Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reviewer, noted author
• John Langalibalele Dube, first President of the African National Congress

[edit] E

• all members of eighth blackbird: a contemporary sextet and ensemble-in-residence at the University of Richmond
• Chris Eldridge (2004): bluegrass guitarist with the Stringdusters
• John Millott Ellis (1851; seminary degree: 1857; honorary D.D.: 1893): Oberlin professor (1858-1896), mayor of Oberlin (1861-?), acting President of Oberlin College (1871), minister, abolitionist

[edit] F

• Franco Farina: tenor operatic singer
• Adrian Fenty (1991: English and economics): mayor of the District of Columbia
• John Ferguson (1963): organist and composer
• Lee Fisher (1973): former attorney general of Ohio
• Jim Fixx (1957): author (The Complete Book of Running)
• Karl Fogel (computer science): Helped create Subversion
• Kim France (1987): editor of Lucky magazine
• Darcy Frey (1984): nonfiction writer
• Alan Furst (1962): novelist

[edit] G

• Daniel Gaylinn (2001): Executive Director of Transpersonal Psychology
• Myla Goldberg (1993: English): novelist (Bee Season), musician (and has a song by the Decemberists named for her)
• William Goldman (1952): novelist (The Princess Bride), two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men)
• Denyce Graves: mezzo-soprano operatic singer (sang at the 9/11 memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral, 14 Sep 2001)
• Elisha Gray (did not graduate): an inventor of the telephone
• Melissa Fay Greene (1975): non-fiction writer
• Jerry Greenfield (1973: pre-med): co-creator of Ben & Jerry's ice cream
• Linda Gregerson (1971): award-winning poet
• Erwin Griswold (1925: bachelor's, mathematics; master's, political science): lawyer ("argued more cases than any other lawyer in twentieth century before the U.S. Supreme Court" [1]), dean of Harvard Law School (1946-1967), Solicitor General of the United States (1967-1973)

[edit] H

• Richard N. Haass (1973): former Special Assistant to President George H. W. Bush and National Security Council Senior Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs (1989-1993), former Director of Policy Planning for the US Department of State, president of the Council on Foreign Relations (2003-present)
• Al Haig: jazz pianist, called a pioneer of bebop
• Charles Martin Hall (1885): co-discoverer of the electrolytic process of producing aluminum (and contributor to the American spelling of "aluminum")
• David M. Halperin: author (One Hundred Years of Homosexuality)
• Jon Hamilton (bachelor's, English): NPR science correspondent (and editor emeritus of the Review)
• Philip Hanawalt (1954): scientist, discoverer of DNA repair replication, member of the Board of Trustees since 1988 (also got an honorary Doctor of Science in 1997)
• J. George Harrar: father of the Green Revolution
• Ed Helms (1996): correspondent on The Daily Show
• Donald A. Henderson (1950): bioterrorism expert, lead the campaign to eradicate smallpox
• David Hoose: Music Director of Boston's Cantata Singers and Ensemble, conductor, "in 2004, the city of Tallahassee named a week after him for his contributions to the cultural life of the community" [2]
• Paul Horn (studied flute): jazz flutist, leader of the Paul Horn Quintet
• Edward Everett Horton (did not graduate): actor (Pocketful of Miracles, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World), voice actor (Rocky & Bullwinkle)
• Ralf Hotchkiss: wheelchair inventor and designer, MacArthur Foundation Fellow (1989)
• Noelle Howey (1994: double major, English and creative writing): editor, author (Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods—My Mother's, My Father's and Mine), winner of two Lambda Literary Awards (2001). Two of her essays are still required reading for the peer writing tutor training program.
• Jessica Jackson Hutchins-Malkmus: Portland-based artist, wife of Stephen Malkmus of Pavement and the Jicks
• Robert Hutchins (did not graduate): educational philosopher, president (1929-1945) and chancellor (1945-1951) of the University of Chicago

[edit] I

• Bill Irwin (1973: theater arts): clown (Pickle Family Circus), writer/director (Mr. Fox: A Rumination), actor (Northern Exposure, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf)
• Steven Isserlis: cellist

[edit] J

• Lisa Jervis (1993): creator and editor of Bitch Magazine
• Barbara Johnson (1969): literary critic, professor, translator
• Terry Jue (2000): Partner at Strategic Advisory Group, LLC and Financial Advisor at Ameriprise Financial located in Conshohocken, PA.

[edit] K

• Fred Kaplan (1976): journalist, columnist for Slate Magazine
• John Kander (1951): composer, of the musical theater team Kander and Ebb (Cabaret and Chicago, among others)
• Carla Kihlstedt: violinist, singer
• Daniel Kinsey (1935: physical education): Olympic champion and record-setter (110 m hurdles), Oberlin professor and coach until 1959
• Alex Klein (BM, 1987): award-winning oboist
• Jennifer Koh (1997): violinist (1994 International Tchaikovsky Competition winner)
• Robert Krulwich (1969: bachelor's, history): radio and television reporter
• Judy Kuhn (1981): actress (Les Misérables, She Loves Me), singer (Disney's Pocahontas)
• Kung Hsiang Hsi (1905/6?): Chinese banker, politician, Premier of the Republic of China (1938‒1939), brother-in-law of Sun Yat-sen (there's a room named after him in King)
• Lawrence Kutner (1974): psychologist, New York Times "Parent & Child" columnist, co-director of the Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health and Media
• Robert Kuttner (1965): co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect, co-founder of the Economic Policy Institute, editorial columnist with The Boston Globe, author, professor

[edit] L

• John Mercer Langston (1849: bachelor's; 1853?: master's, theology), first African-American lawyer in Ohio, early civil rights activist (helped the Ohio Republican party develop a strong antislavery position, conspired with John Brown on his raid of Harper's Ferry), prominent member in local politics (and namesake of Langston Hall?)
• Martha Lipson Lepow (1948): instrumental in developing vaccines for meningitis A and C
• Romulus Linney: playwright
• Tom Lopez (1989): computer/new media composer, Oberlin professor

[edit] M

• Josh MacPhee (1996): political artist
• Michelle Malkin (1992: English): conservative journalist (Los Angeles Daily News, Seattle Times), author (In Defense of Internment), political commentator
• Emily Manzo: pianist
• David Maslanka (1965): composer
• Rollo May (1930): psychologist, author
• James McBride (1979: composition): journalist (Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone), author (The Color of Water), musician (saxophonist for the Rock Bottom Remainders), composer
• George Herbert Mead (1883): philosopher (leading figure of american pragmatism)
• David Miller (1995): tenor operatic singer, member of the pop operatic quartet Il Divo
• Robert Millikan (1891: bachelor's, classics): Nobel laureate (Physics, 1923) for measuring the charge of the electron (and first to earn a Ph.D. from Columbia University's new department of physics)
• Jason Molina: singer-songwriter with Songs: Ohia / Magnolia Electric Co.
• Eduardo Mondlane (1953: bachelor's, anthropology and sociology): Mozambican political leader, considered by some to be the father of Mozambican independence
• Roger Montgomery (did not graduate: dismissed in 1945): accomplished architect, Dean of the College of Environmental Design at UCal Berkeley (1989-1996), member of the Board of Trustees of the Berkeley Art Museum (1989-2002)
• Adam Moss (1979): editor of New York Magazine
• Thylias Moss (1981): poet, playwright, MacArchur Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, winner of the Witter Bynner Award for poetry, currently professor of English at the University of Michigan

[edit] N

• Amy X. Neuburg (double degree, voice and linguistics): composer, vocalist, and electronic musician
• Thisbe Nissen (1994): novelist (Out of the Girls Room and Into the Night, Osprey Island)
• L. L. Nunn (studied religion, philosophy and law): entrepreneur, educator, founder of the Telluride Association and Deep Springs College

[edit] O

• Karen Orzolek (did not graduate: transferred to NYU's Tisch School): lead vocalist for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

[edit] P

• Liz Phair (1989: art history): singer-songwriter and guitarist
• Sarah Pirtle (1971): children's musician and educator
• John Wesley Powell (did not graduate; studied classics): geologist, Civil War soldier, and explorer of the American West
• Jane Pratt (1984: bachelor's, communications; modern dance minor): creator of Sassy and Jane magazines, named Adweek Magazine's 2002 Editor of the Year

[edit] Q

• Willard V. Quine (1930: bachelor's, mathematics and philosophy; 1955: honorary degree): philosopher and logician

[edit] R

• Daniel Radosh (1991): journalist and blogger
• David Rees (1994): cartoonist (My New Fighting Technique is Unstoppable, Get Your War On)
• Tim (Mikesell) Riley (1983: double degree, piano and English): rock author, free speech activist, pianist
• Josh Ritter (1999: independent major, American history through narrative folk music): folk singer-songwriter
• Ned Rothenberg: woodwind multi-instrumentalist, composer
• Christopher Rouse: Pulitzer-winning composer
• Carl T. Rowan (1947: bachelor's, mathematics): journalist, recipient of Oberlin's Alumni Medal
• Oren Rudavsky (1979): filmmaker (Hiding and Seeking, And Baby Makes Two)
• Seth Rudetksy(1988: piano performance), musician, actor, writer, radio host, and "voice of Broadway"

[edit] S

• Greg Saunier: drummer of Deerhoof and Nervous Cop
• Peter Scheiber (1956): inventor of surround sound
• William F. Schultz (1971): Executive Director of Amnesty International USA
• Wikipedia:Sonia Shah (1993): investigative journalist
• Gary Shteyngart (1995): novelist (Absurdistan, The Russian Debutante's Handbook)
• Lorenzo Snow: Mormon prophet, fifth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Donald J. Sobol: author of the Encyclopedia Brown series (fun fact: in one case, a client of Brown's says he wants to major in juggling when he goes to college. "At what college can you major in juggling?" Encyclopedia asks. Guess where?)
• Robert Spano (studied conducting): music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, associate professor of conducting
• Roger Wolcott Sperry (1935: bachelor's, English; 1937: master's, psychology): neurobiologist and Nobel laureate (Medicine, 1981)
• Larry Squire (1963): Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at UCal San Diego, past President of the Society for Neuroscience, a world expert in the field of memory, author
• William Grant Still: composer, conductor, many "firsts" (first African-American to have a symphony of his performed by a major orchestra, first African-American to conduct a major American orchestra, first African-American to have an opera performed by a major opera company, first African-American to have an opera performed on national television)
• Lucy Stone (1847): feminist and abolitionist
• Anna Louise Strong (1905): activist, author, communist journalist (known for her coverage of and support for communist movements in the USSR and PRC)

[edit] T

• Julie Taymor (1974: mythology and folklore): theatrical and cinematic director (Frida, Titus, Broadway's The Lion King)
• Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1971: history): American Buddhist monk of Thai forest tradition; author
• Jon Theodore: drummer for The Mars Volta
• Jen Trynin (creative writing): rock singer-songwriter

[edit] U

[edit] V

• Guy Van Duser (1970): jazz guitarist, member of an acoustic swing-jazz duo with Billy Novick [3]
• John Vinocur: foreign correspondent (The International Herald Tribune)

[edit] W

• Moses Fleetwood Walker (did not graduate: transferred to University of Michigan's law school): first African-American baseball player in the major leagues
• Martin Weisskopf (1964): cheif scientist at the Chandra X-ray Observatory
• William Drake Westervelt (1871: bachelor of arts; 1874: bachelor of divinity; 1926: honorary doctorate): Hawaiian historical writer
• Thornton Wilder (did not graduate): author (The Bridge of San Luis Rey), playwright (Our Town)
• Harrison "Pete" Williams (1941): senator and congressman from New Jersey, convicted of bribery and conspiracy in the Abscam scandal
• Wikipedia:Warren Wilson: namesake of Warren Wilson College, North Carolina
• Jonah Winter (1984): poet
• Christopher Robin "Kit" Woolsey (1964): bridge internationalist and writer (Matchpoints), backgammon expert
• Franz Wright (1977): Pulitzer-winning poet (Walking to Martha's Vineyard) (he and his father are the only parent/child pair to win a Pulitzer each in the same category)

[edit] X

[edit] Y

[edit] Z

• James Zemaits (1990): head of Sotheby's 20th-century-design department
• David Zinman (did not graduate; studied violin): music director of the Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival and School
• Stephen Zunes (1979): political activist and professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco