54 Notable alumni of
La Salle University
Updated:
La Salle University is 1010th in the world, 366th in North America, and 344th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 54 notable alumni from La Salle University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Peter Boyle
- Occupations
- television actorfilm editorfilm actormilitary officervoice actor
- Biography
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Peter Richard Boyle was an American actor. He is known for his work as a character actor on film and television and received several awards including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
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Joe Bryant
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Joseph Washington "Jellybean" Bryant was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers, and Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played for several teams in Italy and one in France. Bryant was the head coach of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks from 2005 to 2007 and returned to that position for the remainder of the 2011 WNBA season. Bryant also coached in Japan and Thailand. He was the father of the late basketball player Kobe Bryant.
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William J. Burns
- Occupations
- diplomatambassadorpolitician
- Biography
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William Joseph Burns is an American diplomat who served as the 8th director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the Biden administration from March 19, 2021 to January 20, 2025. He previously served as U.S. deputy secretary of state from 2011 to 2014; in 2009 he served as acting secretary of state for a day, prior to the confirmation of Hillary Clinton. Burns retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2014 after a 32-year career. From 2014 to 2021, he served as president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
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Jessica Barth
- Occupations
- actortelevision actorfilm actorvoice actorstage actor
- Biography
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Jessica Barth is an American actress, known for portraying Tami-Lynn McCafferty in the film Ted and its sequel.
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Rasual Butler
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Rasual Butler was an American professional basketball player. In his 14-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career, he played for the Miami Heat, New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs. Butler was born in Philadelphia, and raised in the Point Breeze area of South Philadelphia. After playing college basketball with the La Salle Explorers, he was drafted in the second round of the 2002 NBA draft by the Heat. On January 31, 2018, Butler was behind the wheel when he and his girlfriend, Leah LaBelle, died in a single vehicle car crash in Los Angeles.
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Brian Fitzpatrick
- Enrolled in La Salle University
- In 1996 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- accountantlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Brian Kevin Fitzpatrick is an American politician, attorney, and former FBI agent who has served as a U.S. representative from Pennsylvania since 2017. His district, which was numbered the 8th district during his first term and the 1st district since 2019, includes all of Bucks County, a mostly suburban county north of Philadelphia, as well as a sliver of Montgomery County.
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Jim Kenney
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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James Francis Kenney is an American politician who served as the 99th mayor of Philadelphia from 2016 to 2024. Kenney was first elected on November 3, 2015, defeating his Republican rival Melissa Murray Bailey after winning the crowded Democratic primary contest by a landslide on May 19.
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Ralph Garman
- Occupations
- radio personalityfilm actorpodcasterjournalisttelevision actor
- Biography
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Ralph Garman is an American actor and journalist best known as the host of The Joe Schmo Show, for his voice work on the Fox animated series Family Guy, former entertainment reporter and impressionist for the Kevin and Bean morning show on Los Angeles radio station KROQ-FM, and his podcast with co-host Kevin Smith, Hollywood Babble-On. Garman can currently be heard on his daily podcast, "The Ralph Report" on the Patreon platform.
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Madeleine Dean
- Enrolled in La Salle University
- In 1981 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- columnistlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Madeleine Dean Cunnane is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district since 2019. The district includes almost all of Montgomery County, a suburban county north of Philadelphia, as well as a northeastern portion of Berks County. Before being elected to Congress, Dean was a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, representing the 153rd district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
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Bill Raftery
- Enrolled in La Salle University
- Studied history
- Occupations
- head coachsports commentatorbasketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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William Joseph Raftery is an American basketball analyst and former college basketball coach.
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Meredith Marakovits
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Meredith Marakovits is an Emmy Award-winning American sports reporter. As of April 2025, she is the YES Network's clubhouse reporter for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, where she covers the network's Yankees game broadcasts, pre-game and post-game shows, and contributes to the Yankees Batting Practice Today and Yankees Hot Stove programs.
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Gary Neal
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Gary Neal is an American former basketball professional player and coach. He played college basketball for the La Salle Explorers and Towson Tigers. Neal began his professional career abroad with teams in Turkey, Spain and Italy before signing with the San Antonio Spurs in 2010. He mostly played the shooting guard position.
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Matthew Quick
- Occupations
- writernovelist
- Biography
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Matthew Quick is an American writer of adult and young adult fiction. His 2008 debut novel, The Silver Linings Playbook, became a New York Times bestseller and was adapted as a 2012 movie of the same name starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.
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Fran Dunphy
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Francis Joseph Dunphy is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania for 17 seasons, Temple University for 13 seasons, and La Salle University for three seasons. Originally starting at Penn in 1989, Dunphy led the school to ten Ivy League championships. He was hired at Temple to succeed John Chaney in 2006, spending 13 seasons with the program and making eight NCAA tournament appearances. After a brief stint as Temple's interim athletic director, in 2022, Dunphy was named head coach of the La Salle Explorers, his alma mater, where he coached for three seasons until his retirement in 2025.
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Dwight E. Evans
- Enrolled in La Salle University
- In 1975 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- teacherpoliticianemployment counsellor
- Biography
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Dwight E. Evans is an American politician and former educator serving as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district since 2016. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 203rd district from 1981 to 2016.
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Tom Gola
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coachpolitician
- Biography
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Thomas Joseph Gola was an American basketball player and politician. He is widely considered one of the greatest NCAA basketball players of all time. Gola was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976. He led his high school team to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship, his college team to the National Invitation Tournament championship and the NCAA championship, and was on the Philadelphia Warriors 1956 championship team, all in the space of six years.
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Michael J. Stack III
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Michael Joseph Stack III is an American attorney and former politician who served as the 33rd lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 5th district from 2001 to 2015. Stack is the first lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania to be denied renomination, being defeated by then-Mayor John Fetterman.
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John McCarthy
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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John Joseph McCarthy III is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club New York Red Bulls.
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Larry Miller
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- athlete
- Biography
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Larry G. Miller is an American business executive for Nike, Inc. He spent five years as the team president of the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. In his memoir, Jump: My Secret Journey From the Streets to the Boardroom, Miller writes that he was involved in a gang when he was 16, committing the murder of another teenager.
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Michael Brooks
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Michael Anthony Brooks was an American professional basketball player. He also held French nationality. At 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m), he played as a forward.
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B.J. Johnson
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Robert "B. J." Johnson Jr. is an American professional basketball for Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for La Salle and Syracuse.
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Bob Brinker
- Occupations
- radio personality
- Biography
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Robert John Brinker was an American financial advisor and radio host. From 1986 to 2018, Brinker hosted the syndicated financial radio show Moneytalk. He previously had a show on local New York radio on WMCA. Prior to that Brinker hosted talk radio programs on WCAU (now WPHT) and WWDB in Philadelphia.
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Kevin J. Boyle
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Kevin J. Boyle is an American politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 172nd district from 2011 to 2024.
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Larry Foust
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Laurence Michael Foust was an American basketball player who spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Fort Wayne Pistons and Minneapolis Lakers. In a twelve-year career, he was a two-time All-NBA Team member and an eight-time All-Star while reaching the NBA Finals five times. His eight All-Star selections (which occurred in his first nine years as a player) is the most in NBA history for an eligible player who has not been selected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Joanna McClinton
- Years
- 1982-.. (age 44)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Joanna E. McClinton is an American politician from Pennsylvania currently serving as the 141st Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since February 28, 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman to serve as Speaker.
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Jim Phelan
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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James Joseph Phelan was an American college basketball coach. He is best known for his 49-year coaching career at Mount Saint Mary's University. Phelan was a 1951 graduate of La Salle University and played one season for the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA. He was famous for wearing a bow tie on the sidelines.
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Steven Smith
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Steven Alexander Smith is an American former professional basketball player. Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he played both forward positions. He played college basketball for the La Salle Explorers.
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Joe Mihalich
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Joseph Anthony Mihalich is an American former college basketball coach and current Special Assistant to the Head Coach at La Salle University.
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Gary Smith
- Years
- 1953-.. (age 73)
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Gary Smith is an American sportswriter. He is best known for his lengthy human interest stories in Sports Illustrated, where he worked from 1983 to 2013.
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Sarah Wescot-Williams
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Sarah A. Wescot-Williams is the leader of the Democratic Party of Sint Maarten and was the first Prime Minister of Sint Maarten. Wescot-Williams is the current President of Parliament, the parliament's presiding officer, a role she has occupied on five separate occasions.
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Larry Cannon
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Lawrence T. Cannon was an American basketball player. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Cannon was selected in the first round of the 1969 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls with the fifth overall pick, but he instead elected to go with the American Basketball Association (ABA) where he was selected in the first round of the ABA draft by the Miami Floridians. In his second ABA season he was selected All-ABA second-team, averaging 26.6 points per game. Over his shortened career he averaged 16.6 points per game in his ABA/NBA career after his All-American career at La Salle University. Cannon was forced to retire from basketball due to a chronic medical condition, phlebitis in his legs.
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Derrick Pitts
- Occupations
- astronomer
- Biography
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Derrick Pitts is an American astronomer and science communicator. Pitts studied at St. Lawrence University and has been employed at the Franklin Institute since 1978 where he is chief astronomer and director of the institute's Fels Planetarium. Pitts is a frequent guest on radio and television to explain the science of astronomy and share his enthusiasm for science in general.
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Tom Curley
- Occupations
- media proprietorpublisherjournalist
- Biography
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Thomas Curley is an American businessman and journalist who served as president of Associated Press, the world's largest news organization. He retired in 2012.
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Michael William Brescia
- Years
- 1972-.. (age 54)
- Biography
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Michael William Brescia is an American convicted bank robber who has also been alleged to have been involved in the Oklahoma City bombing.
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Mark Squilla
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Mark F. Squilla is a Democratic politician and member of the City Council of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Dennis M. O'Brien
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Dennis Michael O'Brien is an American Republican Party politician who served as the 137th Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2007 to 2008. First elected in 1976, he represented the 169th Legislative District in the state House for the most part of four decades. He served as a member of the Philadelphia City Council for one term, from 2012 to 2016.
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Ryan Richter
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Ryan Richter is an American former professional soccer player and current head coach of Philadelphia Union II in MLS Next Pro.
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Al Cantello
- Occupations
- javelin throwercoach
- Biography
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Albert Anthony Cantello was an American javelin thrower as a member of the United States Marine Corps. He was the coach of the men's distance running program at the United States Naval Academy from 1963 to 2018.
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Tom Murt
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Thomas P. Murt is a Republican former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 152nd legislative district. He was first elected in 2006.
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William F. Harrity
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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William Francis Harrity was an American politician and lawyer. Harrity is best known as chairperson of the Democratic National Committee from 1892 to 1896. He also served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania between 1891 through 1895.
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Roland Taylor
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Roland Morris "Fatty" Taylor was an American professional basketball player. A 6’0" guard born in Washington, D.C., and an alum of La Salle University, Taylor joined the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1969. After one year playing for the Washington Capitals, he moved on to the Virginia Squires, with whom he spent the prime of his career, tallying 3,495 points, 1,737 assists, and 1,715 rebounds in five seasons. Taylor became known as one of the few outstanding defensive players in a league known primarily for a "run-and-gun" style. On the Squires Taylor played with former or later NBA stars including Adrian Smith, "Jumbo" Jim Eakins and Julius "Doctor J" Erving. For one-and-a-half seasons Taylor was a teammate of George Gervin, and Taylor has been credited with coining Gervin's nickname "The Iceman" (he first called Gervin "Iceberg Slim", which gradually developed into the more familiar nickname). Taylor spent one season in the NBA (1976–77) as a member of the Denver Nuggets, and he retired in 1977 with combined ABA/NBA totals of 5,098 points, 2,563 assists, and 2,524 rebounds.
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Michael Driscoll
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Michael Joseph Driscoll is an American politician who serves as a Democratic member of the Philadelphia City Council, representing the 6th district since 2022. Prior to that, he served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives representing the 173rd district.
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Kurt Kanaskie
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Kurt Michael Kanaskie is an American college basketball coach who is currently the associate head coach for men's basketball at UNC Wilmington. Previously, Kanaskie was head coach positions at Lock Haven, IUP, and Drake.
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Joe Verdeur
- Occupations
- swimmer
- Biography
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Joseph Thomas Verdeur was an American competition swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder.
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Kate M. Harper
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Catherine M. "Kate" Harper is an American politician of the Republican Party who formerly represented the 61st Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Harper was the Chair of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Local Government Committee and sat on the Transportation Committee.
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Tom Houghton
- Born in
- United States
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Thomas D. Houghton is a Democratic politician and former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He represented the 13th district from 2009 through 2010.
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John Uelses
- Occupations
- pole vaulterassociation football player
- Biography
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John Hans Uelses was an American pole vaulter. He made history by becoming the first man to vault over 16 feet – on February 2, 1962, at the Millrose Games in New York's Madison Square Garden, before a sold-out crowd, Uelses soared over the bar at 16' 1/4", making headlines around the world.
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Tom Filer
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Thomas Carson Filer is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher between 1982 and 1992 for the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and the New York Mets.
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Carol A. DiBattiste
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Carol Ann DiBattiste is an American lawyer who served as United States Under Secretary of the Air Force from 1999 to 2001.
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Joseph C. Strasser
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Joseph Charles Strasser was a rear admiral of the United States Navy. His career included service in destroyers during the Cold War, two tours as executive assistant to senior military leaders, and a tour as President of the Naval War College.
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William F. Keller
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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William F. "Bill" Keller is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
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Francis L. Bodine
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Francis L. "Fran" Bodine was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1994 to 2008, where he represented the 8th Legislative District. He switched to the Democratic Party in 2007 after local Republicans dropped support for his reelection campaign to the Assembly and unsuccessfully ran for the New Jersey Senate.
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Peter Terpeluk, Jr
- Years
- 1948-2011 (aged 63)
- Occupations
- diplomatbusinesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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J. Peter Terpeluk Jr. was an American diplomat and Republican politician from Pennsylvania who was the United States Ambassador to Luxembourg for part of the tenure of President George W. Bush.
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James Washington Logue
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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James Washington Logue was an American lawyer and Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania for one term from 1913 to 1915.
