Notable Alumni

A University’s Greatest Contribution to the World is the Impact of its Alumni

For more than two centuries, the University of Cincinnati has been producing outstanding alumni in a wide range of fields. This is a list of some of the most prominent and notable Bearcats over the years. Scroll to browse the full list or use the categories below to go directly to a specific section.

Other Notable Alumni

Beyond the notable alumni listed here — and in many cases inclusive of them — are the many Bearcats who have received honorary degrees or outstanding alumni awards from their alma mater. Email us if you notice any notable alumni missing from these lists. 


Champions

Oscar Robertson

Oscar Robertson
BUS ’60, HON ’07

Considered by many the greatest basketball player of all time. Named Player of the Century by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Led UC to two Final Fours before a long NBA career, including a world championship. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 2005.

UC Magazine: Video tributes to and interviews with Oscar Robertson.
Sandy Koufax

Sandy Koufax
att. ’53-54

Hall of Famer and one of baseball’s greatest players with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers. Baseball’s most dominant pitcher of the 1960s — a four-time World Series champion and a member of MLB’s All-Time Team.
Mary Wineberg

Mary Wineberg
CECH ’02

Member of the gold medal-winning U.S. 4 x 400-meter relay team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Became an author and champion in education, personal motivation and leadership development.

UC Magazine: “After the race is won.”
Connor Barwin, ’18
10-year NFL defensive end with the Texans, Eagles, Rams and Giants. A Pro Bowler in 2014. Honorable mention All-American and first-team all-Big East his senior year. Also played varsity basketball two years.

Tim Brown, DAAP ’03
Captain of UC’s soccer team 2001-03 and vice captain of his native New Zealand’s 2010 World Cup team; a shoulder injury kept him off the field. He later started Allbirds, which manufactures his design of wool-based shoes.

UC Magazine: “Allbirds CEO credits UC with success.”

Brent Celek, BUS ’07
11-year tight end with the Philadelphia Eagles, winning the Super Bowl in 2017.

Cris Collinsworth, LAW ’91
Eight-year player with the Cincinnati Bengals before embarking on an award-winning career as a television sportscaster. Owner of football data analysis firm Pro Football Focus.

Greg Cook, CEAS ’68
Record-setting UC quarterback drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals; led the American Football League in passing in 1969. A shoulder injury curtailed his career after just four seasons.

Ted Corbitt, CECH ’42
First Black U.S. marathoner in Olympic history. Completed more than 200 marathons and ultramarathons.

UC Magazine: “How to go the distance — even after 80.”

Rich Franklin, A&S ’97, CECH ’01
Once regarded as the world’s best middleweight mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. Helped found the “Keep It in the Ring Foundation” to advocate non-violence and build character in youth.

UC Magazine: “Former math teacher became world-champion Ultimate Fighter.”

Kevin Huber, BUS ’08
Long-time punter for the Cincinnati Bengals. Two-time All-American at UC and former All-Pro in the NFL.
Miller Huggins, Law (year uncertain)
Managed the powerhouse New York Yankee teams of the 1920s, winning six American League pennants and three World Series championships.

Jason Kelce, BUS ’10
All-Pro and Super Bowl-winning center with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Travis M. Kelce, A&S '22
All-Pro, Super Bowl-winning and record-breaking tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jack Laub, A&S '50
Standout basketball player for UC and later in the NBA. In business, he established the first mail-order pharmacy in New York state, streamlining the purchase of prescription drugs.

UC Magazine: “Yearning for the wall.”

Kenyon Martin, A&S ’00
Consensus National Player of the Year during the 1999-2000 college basketball season, and top pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. 15-year NBA career; an All-Star in 2004. One of the few Bearcats to have his number retired.

Clyde McCoy, A&S ’65, ’67, ’70
President of the Atlantic Coast Conference for 17 years.

Urban Meyer, A&S ’86
Head coach of the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars. Former college head coach at Ohio State, Florida (where he won two national championships), Utah and Bowling Green.

Brig Owens, CECH ’65, HON ’08
All-American football player at UC prior to 13-year NFL career with Dallas and Washington. Dedicated much of post-football career to fundraising for youth development while leading a sports management and real estate development firm.

UC Magazine: “Advocate for at-risk youth.”

David Payne, att. ’04
Became first Bearcat to medal at the Olympic Games in 24 years by winning a silver medal in 2008 in Beijing in the 110-meter hurdles.
Jordan Thompson, CECH ’18, ’20
All-American volleyball player and member of the U.S. National Olympic Team in 2021.

Becky Ruehl, DAAP ’00
Became UC’s first female NCAA champion in any sport, winning the 10-meter diving title in 1996, before finishing fourth in the platform diving competition in the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Tim Royalty, CEAS ’90, ’93
U.S. Olympic gold-medal rower in 1995; coached UC’s women’s rowing club team to win a National Collegiate Rowing Championship in 1994.

Tony Trabert, A&S ’52, HON ’07
Former NCAA tennis singles champion at UC. Winner of three of the four 1955 Grand Slam singles titles — the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open — among 10 Grand Slam titles overall. A member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 1994.

UC News: “Tennis great Tony Trabert to receive honorary doctorate from UC.”

Jack Twyman, CECH ’55
Six-time All-NBA player and member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Had his number retired at UC. Perhaps most well known for his humanitarianism, particularly in his relationship with paralyzed Cincinnati Royals teammate Maurice Stokes.

Nick Van Exel, att. ’91-93
Standout NBA player for six teams over 13 seasons. An All-Star in 1998 with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Derek Wolfe, att. ’08-11
Long-time NFL defensive lineman with the Denver Broncos, where he won a Super Bowl, and Baltimore Ravens. Was Co-Big East Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at UC.

Kevin Youkilis, BUS ’01
Played 10 years of Major League Baseball, most notably with the Boston Red Sox. Three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion.

UC Magazine: “UC alum Kevin Youkilis wins 2007 World Series ring.”

Creators

Michael Graves

Michael Graves
DAAP ’58, HON ’82

Internationally renowned architect and industrial designer. His works range from UC’s Engineering Research Center and Cincinnati’s Riverbend Music Center to DisneyWorld’s Swan and Dolphin Resort. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 1998.
Walt Handelsman

Walt Handelsman
A&S ’79

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist at Newsday in New York, whose work was internationally syndicated to more than 200 newspapers.
Tom Tsuchiya

Tom Tsuchiya
A&S ’95

Acclaimed sculptor specializing in life-sized likenesses, notably those of Cincinnati Reds greats outside Great American Ball Park.

UC Magazine: “Nationally known alumnus sculptor preserves history in 3-D.”
Michael Bierut, DAAP ’80
Prominent graphic designer, design critic and educator. Earned the highest honor from the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

Bruce Blackburn, DAAP ’61
Designed many logos and identity programs, including the NASA logo in 1975 and the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission’s symbol and identity program in 1976.

Richard “Dick” Blinder, DAAP ’59
Best known for his cultural and performing arts projects in the field of historic preservation, including the renovation of New York City’s Grand Central Station and Ellis Island facilities.

Abe Bookman, A&S 1917, CEAS 1921
Inventor of the iconic Magic 8-Ball.

Christopher Harris, CEAS ’87, ’89
Project director for the design and construction of the Burj Khalifa Tower in the United Arab Emirates, the world’s tallest building at 2,717 feet high and more than 160 floors.

David Laughridge, DAAP ’62
Key member of the Parker Brothers design team that invented and named the Nerf ball in 1969.

Gary Piaget, DAAP ’69
Designer/inventor of many health and fitness products, notably the Bowflex TreadClimber, a combination elliptical, treadmill and stair climber.

UC News: “In Taking the Treadmill to Success: Design Alum Doesn’t Break a Sweat”
Stan Herman, DAAP ’50, HON ’08
Award-winning creator of the “designer uniform” for clients such as FedEx, McDonald’s, Amtrak, Avis, TWA, United Airlines and Jet Blue.

UC Magazine: “Stylish and comfortable.”

Ronald Bruce Howes, Sr., att. CEAS ’40s
Invented the Easy-Bake Oven for Kenner Products in the early 1960s. The toy oven was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2006.

UC Magazine: “UC alum Ronald Howes creates Easy-Bake Oven.”

John Lutz, DAAP ’95
Part of the team that created the iconic FedEx logo while a co-op student at UC. The logo ingeniously includes negative space between the E and X that forms an arrow.

Nick Luzietti, DAAP ’71
Member of the Interior Design Hall of Fame and design principal of VOA Associates in Chicago, specializing in architecture, interior design and “ReUse + Preservation” in commercial applications around the world.

Jerry Kathman, DAAP ’76
Leading authority on the role of design in brand-building. President and CEO of independent brand design agency LPK.
Eva Maddox, DAAP ’66, HON ’06
Award-winning interior designer and co-founder of Chicago alternative design school Archeworks.

Jim Mariol, att. DAAP late ’40s
Designed the nation’s best-selling car, the Cozy Coupe toy car, in 1979 for Little Tikes.

UC Magazine: “Jim Mariol driven to design.”

Randy Pagulayan, A&S ’98, ’00
Led the Microsoft Game Studios team that pioneered methods of user-centered design employed in Xbox computer and video games such as Halo 2 and 3.

Erik Sueberkrop, DAAP ’72
Award-winning architect who led the design of UC’s Center for Academic and Research Excellence (CARE)/Crawley Building on the Academic Health Center campus.

Jim Swearingen, DAAP ’72
Lead designer for Kenner’s original Star Wars line of toys when the movie debuted in 1977.

Christopher Wynn, DAAP ’85
Architect who designed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Entertainers

Kathleen Battle

Kathleen Battle
CCM ’70, ’71, HON ’83

Grammy and Emmy Award-winning operatic soprano known for her distinctive vocal range and tone. Time Magazine called her “the best lyric coloratura soprano in the world.”
Suzanne Farrell

Suzanne Farrell
CCM Prep ’50s, HON ’90

One of the 20th century’s most important dancers during a 27-year career with the New York City Ballet. Founded the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Al Hirt

Al Hirt
CCM ’41, HON ’68

Legendary Dixieland, blues, jazz and classical trumpeter often called “King of the Trumpet.” Recorded more than 50 albums, won a Grammy in 1963 and was nominated for 20 more Grammys.
Theda Bara, att. 1906-08
Actress who originated the movie image of a “vamp.” Made more than 40 films.

Matt Berninger, DAAP ’96, and Scott Devendorf, DAAP ’96
Two of the founding members of the Grammy Award-winning alt-rock band The National.

UC Magazine: “Musicians by Design.”

David Canary, A&S ’60
Emmy Award-winning actor best known for his work on “Bonanza” and “All My Children.”

Debbie Denise, CCM ’73
Executive vice president of production infrastructure at Sony Pictures Imageworks. Previously head of production at Industrial Light and Magic.

Randy Edelman, CCM ’69, HON ’04
Prolific, award-winning composer, orchestrator, conductor who wrote more than 100 scores for television and film. Received BMI’s Outstanding Career Achievement Award.

Lehman Engel, CCM ’27, HON ’71
Tony Award-winning composer, arranger, orchestrator, and musical director and supervisor for more than 50 Broadway productions, including the original “Streetcar Named Desire” with Marlon Brando in 1947.

Stephen Flaherty, CCM ’82
Tony-Award winning composer.

Tennessee Ernie Ford, att. CCM ’39-40
Grammy-winning singer, composer and television host. Recorded 83 singles and more than 100 albums of country-western, pop and gospel music. Member of Country Music Hall of Fame and Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Heather Renee French, DAAP ’97, ’01
Became Miss America 2000 while a UC graduate student.
Kirsten Haglund, att. CCM ’08
Became Miss America 2008 while a UC student.

Albert Hague, CCM ’42
Tony Award-winning composer best known for his television compositions and acting. Wrote the music for the famous 1966 TV cartoon version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”

Earl Hamner, CCM ’48
Emmy-winning producer, writer, narrator and author. Creator of TV series including “The Waltons” and “Falcon Crest.”

Dorian Harewood, CCM ’72
Actor with more than 170 TV and film credits.

Vicki Lewis, att. CCM ’80
Actress with more than 70 TV and film credits.

Eli Maiman, CCM ’08
Composer, arranger, songwriter and educator. Guitarist for the indie pop group Walk the Moon.

David Matthews, CCM ’64
Keyboardist, composer and arranger who founded the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra and Quintet. Arranged songs for many singers, including Paul McCartney, Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel and Paul Simon.

Kevin McCollum, CCM ’84, HON ’05
Tony Award-winning producer of many Broadway plays and musicals, including Rent, Avenue Q, and Motown: The Musical.

Cortez Mitchell, CCM ’06
Member of internationally acclaimed and multiple Grammy Award-winning men’s a cappella group Chanticleer.

Hugh O’Brian, att. ’42-43
Popular actor with well over 100 film and television credits. Best known for his portrayal of TV’s Wyatt Earp.

Karen Olivo, CCM ’97
Named “Best Female Dancer on Broadway” in 2008 and earned a Tony Award in 2009.
Sarah Jessica Parker, CCM Prep School
Emmy Award-winning actress with more than 60 film and television credits. Best known for her work in “Sex and the City.”

Michele Pawk, CCM ’85
Tony-winning actress and musician.

Richard Powell, A&S ’41
Writer of many TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s. Served as president of the Television Writers of America and the Television Branch of the Writers Guild of America.

Faith Prince, CCM ’79, HON ’09
Tony Award-winning singer/actress.

Lee Roy Reams, CCM ’64, ’82, HON ’98
Singer/actor hailed by the New York Times as “Broadway’s song and dance man nonpareil.” His stage and screen work spanned from the 1960s to the 2010s.

Diana Maria Riva, CCM ’91, ’95
Actress with more than 75 television credits.

UC News: “‘Dead to Me’ Star Diana Maria Riva honored as CCM Distinguished Alumna.”

Julius “Nipsey” Russell, att. ’36
Comedian and dancer known primarily as a game show panelist from the 1960s through 1990s. His improvisational poetry gained him the reputation as “the poet laureate of television.” Played the Tin Man in the film version of “The Wiz.”

Marie Speziale, CCM ’64
The first woman trumpeter in a major symphony orchestra, performing with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for 32 years.

Cara Hannah Sullivan, Cler ’97, CCM ’02
Emmy Award-winning wig stylist and hairstylist.

Evelyn Venable, A&S ’33
Actress in many starring movie roles in the 1930s and 1940s. Reportedly was the first model for Columbia Pictures’ Statue of Liberty logo in the mid-’30s.

Innovators

Vinod Dham

Vinod Dham
CEAS ’77

Considered the “father of the Pentium chip” based on his contributions to the development of Intel Corporation’s highly successful Pentium processors. 

UC Magazine: “The technology trailblazer.”
George Rieveschl Jr.

George Rieveschl Jr.
A&S ’37, ’39, ’40, HON ’56

Inventor of Benadryl, the first antihistamine, and for many years vice president of Benadryl manufacturer Parke-Davis. A member of the International Science and Engineering Hall of Fame. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 1964.
Joseph Strauss

Joseph Strauss
CEAS 1892, HON 1930

Championed the fundraising and served as chief engineer overseeing the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Developed the worker-safety system of netting to save the lives of workmen who fell from the structure as it was being built.

UC Magazine: “The man with the Golden Gate Bridge.”
Austin Allison, CEAS ’04, LAW ’11
Co-founder and CEO of DotLoop, a software design firm that pioneered a seamless, online solution to effectively automate real estate transactions.

Jerry Berns, A&S ’29
Developed and operated the famous 21 Club in New York City. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 1972.

Jeff Bevis, A&S ’81
Founded FirstLight HomeCare in 2009 to offer customized, non-medical care to recovering and special-needs adult patients.

John Shaw Billings, MED 1860
Civil War surgeon and Army officer who developed the Library of the Surgeon General’s Office, which ultimately became the National Library of Medicine.

Lucy Braun, A&S 1910, ’12, ’14, HON ’64
Named one of the country’s 50 foremost botanists after writing the groundbreaking 1950 book on ecology, The Eastern Deciduous Forest.

Joseph Broderick, MED ’82
Neurologist who led the world’s first trial of TPA, the drug that pioneered emergency treatment for opening clogged arteries in stroke patients. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 2013.

UC Magazine: “UC neurologists change the world’s approach to stroke.”

Doug Cramer, A&S ’53
Founded the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art in 1979.

Powel Crosley, Jr., att. Law 1906-07
Inventor, entrepreneur, owner of Cincinnati Reds who brought night games to Major League Baseball. Owned Crosley Radio Corp., the largest radio manufacturer in the world in 1924, and started WLW Radio.

Thomas Fogarty, MED ’60
Surgeon and developer of medical devices. Best known for the invention of the balloon catheter which revolutionized the treatment of blood clots.

Joe Stitzlein, DAAP ’95
Branding expert known for his groundbreaking work with Apple, Netflix, Nike and Google.
Douglas Dayton, DAAP ’73
Developed the original Apple computer mouse and invented the system enabling a monitor to be positioned for the user’s ergonomic convenience.

UC Magazine: “Architecture alum helped design Apple’s original mouse.”

William Forbriger, CEAS ’53
As leader for Revlon and Tressa companies, developed products for permanents, hair color and dryers, gaining the reputation as “the creator of the best permanent waves in the professional beauty industry.”

John Hall, CEAS ’61
Developed technology that led to the world’s first electronic watch, electronic camera shutter and computerized programmable heart pacemaker. His problem-solving was also credited with saving the U.S. Minuteman nuclear missile project.

Paul Herget, A&S ’31, ’33, ’35, HON ’78
Former UC astronomer who designed Procter & Gamble’s stackable chip shape for the Pringle’s brand. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 1965.

Winston Kock, CEAS ’32, ’33 HON ’52
Invented the first electronic organ as his electrical engineering undergraduate thesis. Founding director of NASA’s Electronics Research Center in Boston.

Theodore “Ted” McCarty, CEAS ’33
Helped develop the electric guitar while president of Gibson Guitar Corp. from 1950-66.

UC Magazine: “Gibson Guitar legend Ted McCarty strums last chord.”

Richard “Nick” Niehoff, A&S ’67
Revolutionized the financial industry by developing the National Securities Trading System, the world’s first fully automated, computerized stock exchange without a trading floor.

John Leonard Riddell, LAW 1826, MED ’36
Scientist, botanist, geologist, medical doctor, chemist, politician and science-fiction author who invented the first microscope to show stereoscopic, three-dimensional images through a single lens.

Margaret “Peg” Valentine, A&S ’71, CECH ’72
Michael Valentine, CEAS ’73
Co-founders of radar technology pioneer Valentine Research, Inc., which develops, manufactures and sells electronic devices directly to consumers. Philanthropists for education and the arts.
Victor Shtrom, CEAS ’90, ’97
Pioneer in wireless and radar technologies deployed in the communications and health and wellness fields.

UC News: “Transformative tech: UC grad Victor Shtrom holds more than 50 patents”

George Sperti, CEAS 1923
Invented Aspercreme for arthritis relief, Preparation H and the sun lamp. Held numerous patents in selective radiation used to create vitamins, kill bacteria, and preserve foods such as orange juice in frozen concentrate. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 1970.

UC Magazine: “Secrets of Sperti ointment revealed: The whole story.”

William Strunk, Jr., A&S 1890
Author of The Elements of Style, revered book that for generations was found on the desks of most writers and editors.

UC Notable Alumnus: William Strunk, Jr., A&S 1890

Richard Wuest, PHARM ’58, ’68, ’71
Developed the warning-label system applied to prescriptions. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 2011.

The News Record: “Mr. Ohio Pharmacy.”

Arnold Spielberg, CEAS ’49
Computer engineering pioneer and an amateur filmmaker who underwrote the first feature film production of his son, Steven, and was the inspiration for Steven’s movie “Saving Private Ryan.”

Bill Wiesmann, A&S ’68, HON ’08
Developed advances that transformed medicine both on the battlefield and in civilian trauma centers, including bandaging that staunched bleeding in seriously wounded soldiers.

UC Magazine: “Scientist, inventor developed revolutionary bandage.”

Donald Wires, CEAS ’75
Developed the first manufacturing plant system featuring electrical design and construction with total programmable control of all process, packing and utility systems, including combustion safeguards.

Leaders

William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft
Law 1880, HON ’25

27th U.S. president, 1909-13; 69th U.S. chief justice, 1921-30; only person to have held each position. U.S. solicitor general, 1890-92.

UC Magazine: “The Taft influence.”
Theodore “Ted” Berry

Theodore “Ted” Berry
A&S ’28, LAW ’31

First African-American mayor of Cincinnati. Influential attorney for the NAACP during the civil rights movement.

UC Magazine: “Honoring alumnus Ted Berry.”
Marian Spencer

Marian Spencer
A&S ’42, HON ’06

Prominent civil rights activist in Cincinnati. Notably led desegregation of Coney Island amusement park and the Cincinnati YMCA. First African-American woman elected to Cincinnati City Council. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 2018.
John Barrett, Bus ’71, HON ’11
Chairman, president and CEO of the Cincinnati-based Western & Southern Financial Group, a Fortune 500 company. Known for his civic leadership and philanthropic efforts.

Eula Bingham, A&S ’54
First female administrator of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. Her workers-right-to-know policies revolutionized health and safety standards in numerous industries.

Barry Bishop, A&S ’54
Member of the first American team to reach the summit of Mt. Everest; official glaciologist and climatologist on Sir Edmund Hillary’s 1960-61 Himalayan exploration. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 1963.

UC Magazine: “Geologist’s career takes him to the top of the world and beyond.”

Winona Lee Hawthorne Buck
The only woman in the University of Cincinnati’s first graduating class of 1878.

Joseph “Uncle Joe” Cannon, att. LAW 1858
40th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1903-11. Cover subject of the first issue of Time magazine in 1923. The Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. is named for him.

James Beauchamp “Champ” Clark, LAW 1875
41st Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1911-19.

Charles Dawes, LAW 1886
30th U.S. vice president, 1925-29. Nobel Peace Prize laureate, 1925.

James William Denver, LAW 1844
Pre-Civil War Commissioner of Indian Affairs and Kansas territorial governor. Denver, Colo., and the Denver omelet were named in his honor.

John “Jack” Gilligan, LAW ’47
Governor of Ohio 1970-75.

Judson Harmon, LAW 1870
U.S. attorney general 1895-97; Ohio governor 1909-13.

Louise McCarren Herring, CEAS ’32
Helped organize more than 500 nonprofit credit unions in the U.S.

UC Magazine: “Alumna Louise McCarren Herring ‘mother of credit unions.’”

Salmon P. Chase, att. 1820s
One of the few people to ever have served in all three branches of the federal government. During the mid-19th century, he was a U.S. senator and governor of Ohio, served as Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury, and became the nation’s sixth Chief Justice.

Victor W. Hall, CAHS ’79
Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy.

Jack L. Davis, A&S, ’77
UC Classics Department head who has profoundly impacted the field of archaeological and classical studies through his research into ancient Greece civilization.

UC News: “Greece honors two UC Classics researchers with ‘Order of Phoenix’”

Henry Malachi Griffin, 1886
The first African American to earn an undergraduate degree from UC who later became a prominent teacher, school administrator and physician.

UC News: “Henry Malachi Griffin: The first African American to earn a UC undergraduate degree”
Carl Lindner, BUS ’75, HON ’16
S. Craig Lindner, BUS ’77, HON ’16
Co-presidents, co-CEOs and directors of Cincinnati-based American Financial Group, a Fortune 500 insurance holding company. Known for their civic leadership and philanthropic efforts.

Recipients of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 2019.

Nicholas Longworth IV, LAW 1894
43rd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1925-31.

John McCullough, CEAS ’89
NASA’s director, exploration integration and science directorate at the Johnson Space Center. Formerly NASA’s chief flight director.

UC Magazine: “Mission complete, Houston.”

Wendell Mettey, A&S ’68
Founder of the nationally recognized Matthew 25 Ministries, a Cincinnati-based, faith-based not-for-profit that gathers food and supplies for worldwide aid and relief.

UC Magazine: “Waste not, want not: UC economics grad creates Matthew 25: Ministries, one of nation’s top charities, from corporate castoffs.”

Edward Noyes, LAW 1858
Governor of Ohio, 1872-74; U.S. ambassador to France, 1877-81.

Robert Nugent, BUS ’64
Former CEO of Jack in the Box, a 2,200-restaurant fast-food chain.

Paul Polman, A&S ’79, BUS ’79, HON ’09
Former Procter & Gamble president for Western Europe, vice president for the Americas for Nestle, and CEO of Unilever. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 2022.

Jennie Davis Porter, CECH ’23, ’24, ’28
First African-American woman at UC to earn a PhD and the fourth in the nation to do so. Later became first African-American woman principal of a Cincinnati school.

Sally Priesand, A&S ’68
America’s first female rabbi in 1972, and only the second in the world, when ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati.

Clarice Reid, MED ’59
Led important advances in sickle cell disease research and hematology. Cincinnati’s only African-American pediatrician during the mid-1960s.

UC Magazine: “Pediatrician helped transform sickle-cell treatment.”

Jerry Rubin, A&S ’61
Yippie leader, social and anti-war activist, counterculture icon during the 1960s and ’70s.

Paul Tibbetts, att. 1930s
Pilot of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress airplane that dropped the first of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima, Japan, leading to the end of World War II.

Beverly Malone, NUR ’70, A&S ’82, HON ’15
CEO of the National League for Nursing and former deputy assistant secretary for health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

UC News: “UC to Bestow Highest Honor Upon Dedicated Leader in Nationwide Nursing”
Jean Robert-Cadet, A&S ’94
Advocate for the exposure and cessation of slavery and human trafficking in Haiti.

UC Magazine: “From enslavement to enlightenment.”

Charles Sawyer, 1911 (degree unknown)
U.S. ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, 1944-45. U.S. Secretary of Commerce, 1948-53.

Caleb Blood Smith, att. 1820s
U.S. Secretary of the Interior under Abraham Lincoln, 1861; influential in securing Lincoln’s nomination for the president at Chicago Republican National Convention in 1860.

Donald Spencer, A&S ’36, CECH ’37, ’40, HON ’06
Instrumental in eradicating racial barriers in Cincinnati for nearly 70 years. First African-American broker to join the Cincinnati Association of Real Estate Brokers in 1986, later elected president of the organization.

Robert Taft II, LAW ’76, HON ’00
Governor of Ohio, 1999-2007.

Richard Thornburgh, BUS ’74
Leader within the investment banking industry. Former vice chairman for the executive board from Credit Suisse First Boston.

Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 2016.

Darwin T. Turner, A&S ’47, ’49, HON ’83
UC's youngest graduate, earning his first degree at age 16, having been admitted at age 13. Later author of 20 books.

Myron “Mike” Ullman III, BUS ’69, HON ’06
Former chairman and CEO of J.C. Penney; former chairman of the board for Starbucks Corp.; former chairman of Mercy Ships. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 1993.

UC Magazine: “Floating hospital’s admiral of mercy.”

Amanda Wait, BUS ’00
One of the premier female antitrust attorneys in the U.S.

Lindner College of Business: “Amanda Wait creates pipeline of opportunity for women in economics.”

Peter Woo, A&S ’70, HON ’94
Former chairman of Wheelock and Co., which owns landmarks like Hong Kong’s Times Square and Harbour City, and chairman of the Wharf (Holdings) Ltd. Recipient of William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement, 2001.

UC Magazine: “UC alumnus Peter Woo a world leader.”

Robert J. Herbold, A&S ’64, HON ’14
Former executive vice president and chief operating officer of Microsoft.

William Parham, Law 1874
Became UC’s first African American graduate, earning a law degree from Cincinnati College, one of UC’s predecessor institutions.