Founder, Qwest Communications whose portfolio includes telecom, sports and entertainment ventures, including San Francisco Examiner, LA's Staples Center, stakes in NBA's LA Lakers, soccer's LA Galaxy and hockey's Kings. Film company Walden Media produced Holes, Because of Winn-Dixie and the Narnia series. Cited on Business Week's 50 Most Generous Philanthropists List.
Sheila Bair
chairwoman, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Named second most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine in 2008.
Etta Moten Barnett
actress and singer (first African-American woman to entertain at the White House)
William E. Borah
Influential U.S. senator from Idaho (1906-1940); 1889 graduate sponsored bills establishing labor department, Children's Bureau
George Brown
First African-American elected lieutenant governor in the U.S, (1974) and first African-American elected to statewide office in Colorado
Peter Brown
president, CEO and chairman of AMC Entertainment Inc., North America's second-largest theater chain
Sen. Sam Brownback
Current member of the United States Congress and former candidate for Republican presidential nomination
Cynthia Carroll
CEO of Anglo-American, one of the world's largest mining conglomerates; in 2008 named most powerful woman in the world by Fortune magazine; 7th most powerful woman by Forbes magazine.
Wilt Chamberlain
NBA superstar
John E. Christensen
Chancellor, University of Nebraska-Omaha
Linda Zarda Cook
executive director of Shell Gas & Power and former CEO of Shell Canada; named 3rd most powerful woman in the world by Fortune magazine 2008.
Dale R. Corson
president, Cornell University (1969-1977), physicist who discovered basic element Astatine (AT)
Jack Del Rio Jr.
head football coach, Jacksonville Jaguars
David Dillon
Chairman and CEO, Kroger Co.
Bob Dole
former U.S. Senate majority leader, presidential and vice-presidential nominee
actor ("Yentl," "The Princess Bride"; TV's "Chicago Hope")
Artur Pizarro
concert pianist
Dr. William Plested III
president of the American Medical Association
Malcolm S. Robinson
president, National Bar Association
Charles "Buddy" Rogers
Silent screen star whose 1927 movie "Wings" was first to win “best picture” Oscar; married Mary Pickford
Paul Rudd
actor ("Clueless," "Cider House Rules," TV's "Friends")
Roseann Runte
first woman president of Carleton University (Canada). Past president of Old Dominion University.
Adolph Rupp
third winningest men's basketball coach after KU graduate Dean Smith, winning 876 games and four national championships in 41 years at University of Kentucky (His coach at KU was James Naismith)
Jim Ryun
three-time U.S. track Olympian and world-record miler, former member of U.S. House of Representatives
Mathana Santiwat
President, Bangkok University in Thailand
Gale Sayers
Famous football player and youngest player in NFL history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Kathleen Sebelius
governor of Kansas (KU and Harvard are the only universities with 2 women alumni elected governors; see also Jane Dee Hull)
Gerald Seib
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist (see also Kevin Helliker, William Allen White)
Douglas Shane
director of flight operations for SpaceShipOne, first private manned space program
Bruce Smith
CEO of major oil refiner Tesoro ($16.6 billion in revenues in 2005)
Dean Smith
NCAA's all-time winningest coach (at University of North Carolina) with 879 games until 2006 when surpassed by Bobby Knight; was member of 1952 KU national championship men's basketball team
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