48 Notable alumni of
Drew University
Updated:
Drew University is 1371st in the world, 482nd in North America, and 452nd in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 48 notable alumni from Drew University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. 1 individual affiliated with Drew University won Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine.
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Soon-Yi Previn
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- film actor
- Biography
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Soon-Yi Previn is the adopted daughter of actress Mia Farrow and musician André Previn. She is married to filmmaker Woody Allen, and the couple have two adopted children.
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James Van Der Beek
- Occupations
- actorfilm actorscreenwriterstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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James David Van Der Beek is an American actor. Known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery on The WB's Dawson's Creek (1998–2003), he also played a fictionalized version of himself on the cult ABC sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (2012–2013), starred on CSI: Cyber as FBI Agent Elijah Mundo (2015–2016), and appeared as Matt Bromley on the first season of the FX drama Pose (2018).
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Aileen Quinn
- Occupations
- voice actordanceractorsinger
- Biography
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Aileen Marie Quinn is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is best known for her role as the title character in the 1982 film Annie, which earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations.
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William Barber II
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Doctor of Ministry in public policy and pastoral care
- Occupations
- priestpolitician
- Biography
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William J. Barber II is an American Protestant minister, social activist, professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and founding director of the Center for Public Theology & Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. He is the president and senior lecturer at Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for a Moral Revival. He also serves as a member of the national board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and is the chair of its legislative political action committee. From 2006 to 2017, Barber served as president of the NAACP's North Carolina state chapter, the largest in the Southern United States and the second-largest in the United States. He pastored Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Goldsboro, North Carolina, from 1993 to 2023.
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Peter Deunov
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Studied in 1888-1892
- Occupations
- composerspiritual teachermysticphilosopheresotericist
- Biography
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Peter Dunov, also known by his spiritual name Beinsa Douno (Bulgarian: Беинса Дуно [bɛinˈsа duˈnɔ]), and often titled Uchitelyat ("the Teacher") by his followers, was a Bulgarian philosopher and spiritual teacher who developed a form of Esoteric Christianity known as the Universal White Brotherhood. He is widely known in Bulgaria, where he was voted second by the public in the Great Bulgarians TV show on Bulgarian National Television (2006–2007). Dunov is also featured in Pantev and Gavrilov's The 100 Most Influential Bulgarians in Our History (ranked in 37th place). According to Petrov, Peter Dunov is “the most published Bulgarian author to this day.”
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Jeff Smith
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Studied in 1965
- Occupations
- writercookbook writerchef
- Biography
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Jeffrey L. Smith was the author of several cookbooks and the host of The Frugal Gourmet, a popular American cooking show. The show began in Tacoma, Washington, as Cooking Fish Creatively on local PBS station KTPS (now KBTC-TV), where it aired from 1973 to 1977. It then moved to WTTW in Chicago, and finally to KQED in San Francisco where it aired from 1984 to 1997. From 1972 to 1983, Smith was the owner and operator of the Chaplain's Pantry Restaurant and Gourmet Shop.
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William C. Campbell
- Occupations
- physiologistchemistbiologistuniversity teacherbiochemist
- Biography
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William Cecil Campbell FRS is an Irish-American microbiologist known for his work in discovering a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworms, for which he was jointly awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He helped to discover a class of drugs called avermectins, whose derivatives have been shown to have "extraordinary efficacy" in treating River blindness and Lymphatic filariasis, among other parasitic diseases affecting animals and humans. Campbell worked at the Merck Institute for Therapeutic Research 1957–1990, and has become a research fellow emeritus at Drew University.
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Robert M. Price
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament
- Occupations
- literary criticessayisttheologianpodcasterillustrator
- Biography
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Robert McNair Price is an American New Testament scholar who argues in favor of the Christ myth theory – the claim that a historical Jesus did not exist. Price is the author of a number of books on biblical studies and the historicity of Jesus.
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Ed Ferrara
- Occupations
- professional wrestleramateur wrestlerscreenwriter
- Biography
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Edward Ferrara is an American retired professional wrestler, writer and agent for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), often co-working alongside Vince Russo. He is most known for, in WCW, portraying the character "Oklahoma", a mockery of WWF's commentator Jim Ross, and was the heaviest WCW Cruiserweight Champion, although he was forced to vacate the title for exceeding the 220 lb weight limit. Ed Ferrara began his work in television production and writing, contributing to shows such as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show and Weird Science on the USA Network. Ferrara was also a wrestler in Slammers Wrestling Federation known as Bruce Beaudine. He was most recently working on the creative team for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
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Clint Bolick
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with bachelor's degree
- Occupations
- lawyerjudge
- Biography
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Clint Bolick is a justice of the Arizona Supreme Court. Previously, he served as Vice President of Litigation at the conservative/libertarian Goldwater Institute. He co-founded the libertarian Institute for Justice, where he was the Vice President and Director of Litigation from 1991 until 2004. He led two cases that went before the Supreme Court of the United States. He has also defended state-based school choice programs in the Supreme Courts of Wisconsin and Ohio.
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Henry Appenzeller
- Occupations
- preacherBible translatortranslatormissionary
- Biography
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Rev. Henry Gerhard Appenzeller was an American Methodist missionary. He and four other missionaries, including Horace N. Allen, Horace G. Underwood, William B. Scranton, and Mary F. Scranton introduced Protestant Christianity to Korea from 1885 to 1902. He was known for his three major contributions to Korea: the Paichai College Hall, the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Seoul, and the translated New Testament.
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Dale Peck
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with bachelor's degree
- Occupations
- writerliterary criticnovelistjournalist
- Biography
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Dale Peck is an American novelist, literary critic, and columnist. His 2009 novel, Sprout, won the Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, and was a finalist for the Stonewall Book Award in the Children's and Young Adult Literature category.
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Deedee Corradini
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Margaret "Deedee" McMullen Corradini was an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 32nd mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, from 1992 to 2000. Corradini was the first woman to serve as mayor of Salt Lake City.
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George Selgin
- Years
- 1957-.. (age 68)
- Occupations
- economist
- Biography
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George Selgin is an American economist. He is Senior Fellow and Director Emeritus of the Cato Institute's Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, where he is editor-in-chief of the center's blog, Alt-M, Professor Emeritus of economics at the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, and an associate editor of Econ Journal Watch. Selgin formerly taught at George Mason University, the University of Hong Kong, and West Virginia University.
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Robin Meyers
- Years
- 1952-.. (age 73)
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Robin Rex Meyers is an American Christian minister, peace activist, philosopher and author of seven books on Liberal and Progressive Christian theology in Western society and the Christian left. He has been a syndicated columnist and a commentator for National Public Radio and was the Senior Minister of the Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ in Oklahoma City from 1985 to 2020. He is a Distinguished Professor of Social Justice in the Philosophy Department at Oklahoma City University, where he has taught since 1991. Meyers is currently the Teaching Pastor of First Congregational Church of Norman UCC in Norman, Oklahoma, and Distinguished Professor of Social Justice Tenured at Oklahoma City University.
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James E. Cheek
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- educatortheologian
- Biography
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James Edward Cheek was president of Howard University from 1968 to 1989. He was born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.
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Arturo Valenzuela
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in religion and political science
- Occupations
- politicianuniversity teacherpolitical scientist
- Biography
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Arturo A. Valenzuela is a Chilean-American academic who was the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs from November 5, 2009, until August 2011. His confirmation had been blocked by Senator Jim DeMint (R, SC) due to a dispute over President Barack Obama's approach to the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis. He previously served as Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Latin American Studies in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He was previously Professor of Political Science and Director of the Council on Latin American Studies at Duke University. In May 2011 it was reported that Valenzuela would be leaving his government post later that summer to return to his academic activities. He officially left office at the end of August 2011.
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Karen Oliveto
- Occupations
- theologian
- Biography
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Karen Oliveto is an American bishop. She is the first openly lesbian bishop to be elected in the United Methodist Church. She was elected bishop on July 15, 2016, at the Western Jurisdictional conference. Her four-year term of service began September 1, 2016 and she currently serves as the bishop of the UMC's Mountain Sky Conference (created in 2018 when the UMC's Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone Conferences merged during Oliveto's tenure as bishop in both conferences); she was officially installed on September 24. At the time of her election, she was the senior pastor of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. Oliveto is married to Robin Ridenour, who is a deaconess in the United Methodist Church's California-Nevada Conference.
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Channing E. Phillips
- Occupations
- university teacherpoliticianChristian ministercivil rights advocate
- Biography
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Channing Emery Phillips was an American minister, civil rights leader, and social activist based in Washington, D.C. In 1968, he was the first African American in history to be placed in nomination for president of the United States by a major political party.
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Deolinda Rodríguez de Almeida
- Occupations
- translatorpoetteacherpartisanwriter
- Biography
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Deolinda Rodrigues Francisco de Almeida was an Angolan revolutionary, writer, and poet. She was a member of the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA, transl. 'People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola') and, in addition to seeing combat, worked for the organisation as a translator, educator, and radio host.
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Charlie Zeleny
- Years
- 1981-.. (age 44)
- Occupations
- drummer
- Biography
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Charlie Zeleny, also known as Charlie Z, is an American session drummer, music director and solo artist. He was also a member of the progressive metal bands Blotted Science and Behold the Arctopus, has played in a duo with keyboardist Jordan Rudess, and has performed drum duets with Terry Bozzio for The Drum Channel. His 2011 video project, Drumageddon Brooklyn, was a one-take, continuously shot 8-minute drum solo with Zeleny performing through an entire building in Brooklyn and ending on the building's rooftop. Zeleny is also known by his solo artist persona "DRMAGDN: Cyborg/Drummer DJ".
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J. B. Matthews
- Occupations
- peace activist
- Biography
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Joseph Brown "Doc" Matthews Sr., best known as J. B. Matthews, was an American linguist, educator, writer, and political activist. A committed pacifist, he became a self-described "fellow traveler" of the Communist Party USA in the mid-1930s, achieving national prominence as a leader of a number of the party's so-called "mass organizations". Disillusionment with communism led to anti-communist testimony before the Dies Committee in 1938. He then served as chief investigator for the House Committee on Un-American Activities, headed by Martin Dies Jr., consultant on Communist affairs for the Hearst Corporation, and by June 1953 research director for Joseph McCarthy's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the United States Senate. When Matthews published claims that the Protestant clergy comprised a base of support of the American Communist movement, he was forced to resign. This was regarded as McCarthy's first big defeat, signaling that his position was starting to weaken among his colleagues.
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Nathaniel Raymond
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in religious studies
- Occupations
- human rights activist
- Biography
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Nathaniel A. Raymond is an American human rights investigator, specializing in the investigation of war crimes, including mass killings and torture. Raymond directed the anti-torture campaign at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), and the utilization of satellite surveillance by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI). Raymond advocates the use of intelligence by human rights groups and other non-governmental organizations.
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Richard L. Walker
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Richard Louis "Dixie" Walker was an American scholar, author, and former ambassador to South Korea.
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Shamila Kohestani
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Shamila Kohestani is an Afghan footballer, and the former captain of the Afghanistan women's national football team. She attended boarding school in the United States at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. In 2007, she scored six goals at the women's team's first tournament. In 2006, she won the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
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Neil Greenberg
- Years
- 1941-.. (age 84)
- Enrolled in Drew University
- 1959-1963 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- university teacherethologistpsychiatristzoologist
- Biography
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Neil Greenberg is an academic psychiatrist, who is a specialist in the understanding and management of psychological trauma, occupational mental ill-health and post traumatic stress disorder. Greenberg works with King's College London and served as the President of the UK Psychological Trauma Society from 2014 to 2017. He also runs the psychological health consultancy March on Stress. During the 2020 COVID pandemic, Greenberg was part of the NHS England and Improvement Wellbeing Team and contributed to the national response to protect the mental health of NHS workers.
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Stephen Stetler
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with bachelor's degree
- Graduated with Master of Divinity
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Stephen Hays Stetler is a Democratic politician from Pennsylvania who served as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue from March 2009 until his resignation in December of that year.
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Maria Mazziotti Gillan
- Occupations
- poetscholar of Englishuniversity teacherwriterliterary historian
- Biography
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Maria Mazziotti Gillan is an American poet.
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Dena Tauriello
- Occupations
- musicianguitarist
- Biography
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Dena Tauriello is a New Jersey–based drummer, educator, and author.
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Damon DiMarco
- Occupations
- biographerwriterhistorianactor
- Biography
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Damon DiMarco, is a New York City author, actor, playwright, and historian. His oral history work has been compared to that of Studs Terkel. He was born on Princeton, New Jersey.
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Frederick Brown Harris
- Years
- 1883-1970 (aged 87)
- Biography
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Frederick Brown Harris, a Methodist clergyman has the distinction of the longest service record as Chaplain of the Senate (24 years), in a term of service interrupted by the chaplaincy of Peter Marshall.
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John W. Gowdy
- Occupations
- teacherpriest
- Biography
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John W. Gowdy was a Scottish American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church and The Methodist Church, elected in 1930. He also distinguished himself as a missionary, an educator, and as a college and university president.
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Christine Downing
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- university teacher
- Biography
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Christine Downing is a scholar, educator, and author in the fields of mythology, religion, depth psychology, and feminist studies.
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Phillip Carter
- Years
- 1959-.. (age 66)
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Phillip Carter III is a Senior Foreign Service American diplomat and was United States Ambassador to Ivory Coast from 2010 to 2013. Carter holds the diplomatic rank of Minister Counselor. As of November, 2013 he is Deputy to the Commander for Civil Military Engagements, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) in Stuttgart, Germany.
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Olive Winchester
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Doctor of Theology
- Occupations
- Christian minister
- Biography
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Olive May Winchester was an American ordained minister and a pioneer biblical scholar and theologian in the Church of the Nazarene, who was in 1912 the first woman ordained by any trinitarian Christian denomination in the United Kingdom, the first woman admitted into and graduated from the Bachelor of Divinity course at the University of Glasgow, and the first woman to complete a Doctor of Theology degree from the divinity school of Drew University.
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Gregg A. Mast
- Years
- 1952-.. (age 73)
- Occupations
- civil servant
- Biography
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Gregg Alan Mast was a Reformed clergyman, scholar, and seminary president. Mast was the author of six books on Christian practice and theology, and the editor of a collection of sermons by Reformed minister and theologian Howard G. Hageman
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John Gardner Murray
- Occupations
- priest
- Biography
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John Gardner Murray was the sixteenth presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He was the first person elected to the position rather than succeeding to it automatically as the oldest bishop when his predecessor died.
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Charles I. Carpenter
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Divinity
- Occupations
- military officerChristian minister
- Biography
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Rev. Charles Irving Carpenter was an American pastor and the first Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force.
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Robert W. Edgar
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Robert William Edgar was an American politician, administrator, and religious leader. A native of the Philadelphia area, he began his career as a Methodist pastor and chaplain. He served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1987, representing the 7th district of Pennsylvania. He was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for United States Senate in Pennsylvania in 1986.
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Virginia V. Lyons
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Virginia "Ginny" V. Lyons is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Vermont State Senate, representing the Chittenden senate district.
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Debra L. Ness
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology
- Occupations
- business executive
- Biography
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Debra L. Ness is the former president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. She has previously worked for the Service Employees International Union and National Abortion Rights Action League.
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Fred Pierce Corson
- Years
- 1896-1985 (aged 89)
- Occupations
- priest
- Biography
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Fred Pierce Corson was an American bishop of The Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church, elected in 1944. He also distinguished himself as a Methodist pastor and district superintendent; as the twentieth president of Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; and as an ecumenical Christian leader.
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Mary E. Rice
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- zoologistinvertebrate zoologist
- Biography
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Mary Esther Rice was an American invertebrate zoologist specializing in systematics, evolution and the development of marine invertebrates. She worked at the Smithsonian Institution as a curator, educator, research advisor, and administrator from 1966 until her retirement in 2002. She is known for her work on the life histories of Sipuncula, as well as for serving as the first director of the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.
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Edith Diehl
- Years
- 1876-1953 (aged 77)
- Occupations
- bookbinder
- Biography
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Edith Diehl was an American bookbinder and author of Bookbinding, its Background and Technique (Rinehart and Co., 1946), a classic text and manual on the history and craft of bookbinding in two volumes (republished in editions by Kennicat Press, 1965; Hacker Art Books, 1979; Dover, 1980). In 1947, in recognition of her accomplishments, Diehl was made an Honorary Life Member of the Guild of Book Workers.
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Don Thorsen
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Don Thorsen is an American scholar and writer. Thorsen has served at Azusa Pacific Seminary since 1988. In addition to being widely published, Thorsen travels internationally, presenting on various theological topics. He has been a contributing editor to Christianity Today, Light and Life, and Christian Scholar's Review. Thorsen teaches master's and doctoral classes and holds membership in such societies as the American Academy of Religion, Wesleyan Theological Society, and Oxford Institute.
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Thomas J. Aquilino, Jr
- Occupations
- judge
- Biography
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Thomas Joseph Aquilino Jr. is a Senior United States Judge of the United States Court of International Trade.
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Bertrand M. Tipple
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Divinity
- Occupations
- religious figure
- Biography
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Bertrand Martin Tipple was a Methodist writer, lecturer, and the founder and president of Methodist International College in Rome, Italy.
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James Simester
- Enrolled in Drew University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Divinity
- Occupations
- missionary
- Biography
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James Simester was an American Methodist missionary and educator to Fuzhou, China.
