28 Notable alumni of
Northeastern State University
Updated:
Northeastern State University is 1809th in the world, 630th in North America, and 593rd in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 28 notable alumni from Northeastern State 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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Carrie Underwood
- Occupations
- recording artistsinger-songwriterfilm actorpianisttelevision actor
- Biography
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Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005, returning as a judge beginning with the twenty-third season. Underwood's single "Inside Your Heaven" (2005) made her the first country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Bolstered by further crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), became the best-selling debut album of all time by a solo female country artist, was ranked by Billboard the top country album of the 2000s, and earned Underwood three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist. She followed it with Carnival Ride (2007), which sold over half a million copies in its first week and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Play On (2009), yielded the chart-topping single "Cowboy Casanova", which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100.
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Bill Bright
- Occupations
- writertheologian
- Biography
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William R. Bright was an American evangelist. In 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles, he founded Campus Crusade for Christ as a ministry for university students. In 1952 he wrote The Four Spiritual Laws. In 1979 he produced the film Jesus.
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Bill John Baker
- Enrolled in Northeastern State University
- In 1972 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in political science
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Bill John Baker is a Cherokee politician who served as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. First elected in October 2011, Baker defeated three-term incumbent Chief Chad "Corntassel" Smith. Prior to his election as Chief, Baker served 12 years on the Cherokee Tribal Council. In 1999, Baker unsuccessfully ran for Deputy Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
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Drew Edmondson
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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William Andrew Edmondson is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011. Prior to his election as state attorney general, he served as district attorney for Muskogee County, Oklahoma, from 1983 to 1992. He was defeated twice in campaigns for U.S. Congress in Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district, where his father Ed Edmondson served from 1953 to 1973.
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Kimberly Teehee
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Kimberly Teehee is a Cherokee attorney, politician, and activist on Native American issues. She is a Delegate-designate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Cherokee Nation. She served as senior policy advisor for Native American affairs in the administration of President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2012. In February 2020, she was named by Time as one of 16 activists fighting for a "More Equal America."
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Grace Thorpe
- Enrolled in Northeastern State University
- Graduated with Master of Business Administration
- Occupations
- paralegalenvironmentalist
- Biography
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Grace Frances Thorpe was an American environmentalist and Native rights activist. She served with the Women's Army Corps and received a Bronze Star Medal for her service as a Corporal in the New Guinea campaign. She attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the Antioch School of Law, and went on to become a tribal district court judge. In 1999, she received a Nuclear-Free Future Award for her opposition to storing toxic and radioactive waste on indigenous land.
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Shawntel Smith
- Occupations
- modelbeauty pageant contestant
- Biography
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Shawntel Smith Wuerch is an American beauty pageant contestant, who was Miss America in 1996. She was born in Muldrow, Oklahoma. She attended Oklahoma City University.
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Mary Golda Ross
- Enrolled in Northeastern State University
- Graduated with licentiate
- Occupations
- mathematicianmilitary flight engineer
- Biography
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Mary Golda Ross was the first Native American female engineer. She was also the first female engineer in the history of the Lockheed Corporation. She worked at Lockheed from 1942 until her retirement in 1973, where she was best remembered for her work on aerospace design. She was one of the 40 founding engineers of the renowned and highly secretive Skunk Works project while at Lockheed Corporation. Throughout her life, Ross was dedicated to the advancement of young women and Native Americans in STEM fields. Ten years after her death, in 2018, Ross was chosen to be depicted on the 2019 Native American $1 Coin by the U.S. Mint celebrating Native Americans in the space program.
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Chuck Hoskin
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Chuck Hoskin Sr. is a Cherokee and American politician and former member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 6th district, which includes parts of Craig, Mayes, and Rogers counties. He served as a whip for the Democratic caucus. After leaving the House he served for four years as the Mayor of Vinita, Oklahoma. He is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and he served from 1995 to 2007 as a member of the Tribal Council, and in 2011 became Chief of Staff for the Principal Chief, Baker. In 2019 his son, Chuck Hoskin Jr., was elected Principal Chief of Cherokee Nation.
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Lisa Johnson Billy
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Lisa Johnson Billy is a Chickasaw and American politician who has served in the legislatures of Oklahoma and the Chickasaw Nation. She has served as a tribal councillor for the Chickasaw Nation since 2016 and previously served on the council between 1996 and 2002. She represented Oklahoma House of Representatives district 42 from 2004 to 2016 and was appointed by President of the United States Donald Trump to the board of trustees of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation in 2017.
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Glenn Coffee
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Virgil Glenn Coffee is an American lawyer and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Coffee was the 30th Oklahoma Secretary of State, having been appointed by Governor Mary Fallin. He served from January 10, 2011, until he resigned effective February 1, 2013. He was the first Republican President Pro Tempore, having previously served as a Co-President Pro Tempore during the previous legislature.
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Joan Hill
- Occupations
- painter
- Biography
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Joan Hill, also known as Che-se-quah, was a Muscogee Creek artist of Cherokee ancestry. She was one of the most awarded Native American women artists in the 20th century.
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Steve Crawford
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Steven Ray Crawford is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for two teams from 1980 through 1991. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm), 225 pounds (102 kg) he batted and threw right-handed. Crawford started his professional career with Winston-Salem in the Class-A Carolina League. He pitched in 19 games, started 14, and sported a 9–5 record with a 3.44 ERA. One of his teammates, Michael Moore, called Crawford “Shag” because of his bushy long hair and mustache, and the nickname stuck.
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Ruthe Blalock Jones
- Occupations
- teacherpainter
- Biography
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Ruthe Blalock Jones is a Delaware-Shawnee-Peoria painter and printmaker from Oklahoma.
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Joe A. Rector
- Occupations
- painter
- Biography
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Joe A. Rector was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He is a part of the Cherokee ancestry. He lived in Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma for most of his life, until his retirement. Afterwards, he moved to Destin, Florida, to live near his children until the time of his death in 2012.
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Ardina Moore
- Occupations
- fashion designer
- Biography
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Ardina Moore was a Quapaw/Osage Native American from Miami, Oklahoma. A Quapaw language speaker, she taught the language to some tribal members.
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John Sullivan
- Enrolled in Northeastern State University
- In 1992 graduated with Bachelor in Business Administration
- Occupations
- real estate agentpolitician
- Biography
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John Alfred Sullivan is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district (based in the Tulsa area) from 2002 to 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party.
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Elizabeth Ann Nalley
- Enrolled in Northeastern State University
- In 1965 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- chemist
- Biography
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Elizabeth Ann Nalley is an American chemist and professor of chemistry at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma.
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William Grady Stigler
- Enrolled in Northeastern State University
- Studied in 1912
- Occupations
- politiciancity attorneylawyer
- Biography
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William Grady Stigler was an American lawyer, World War I veteran, and politician who served four terms as and a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma from 1944 to 1952.
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Ted Risenhoover
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Theodore Marshall Risenhoover was a community newspaper publisher and American politician representing northeastern Oklahoma in the United States House of Representatives for two terms during 1975–1979.
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Jim Barker
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Jim L. Barker was an Oklahoma politician. During his tenure he was the only state representative to be elected four times as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
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Bob Davis
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Robert John Eugene Davis is a retired professional baseball player who played eight seasons for the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, and California Angels of Major League Baseball.
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Bill Brown
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Bill Brown is a Republican politician from Oklahoma who was a member of the Oklahoma Senate. A native of Henryetta, Oklahoma, he lives in Broken Arrow and represented District 36. He cannot run for reelection in 2018 because of state term limits law.
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Jane Osti
- Occupations
- artistpotter
- Biography
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Jane Osti is a native Cherokee artist. She specializes in traditional Cherokee pottery with unique embellishments and designs. In 2005, Osti was one of the youngest Cherokee artists to be appointed as a Living Treasure by Cherokee Nation. Currently, Osti teaches and creates her own pottery in her studio in downtown Tahlequah.
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James R. Floyd
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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James R. Floyd was the chief executive of the Muscogee Nation located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Floyd won 2,964 votes constituting 62% of the votes in the 2015 general elections, which took place on November 2, 2015, to beat incumbent Chief George Tiger. On January 2, 2016, Floyd was sworn in as Muscogee (Creek) Nation principal chief by MCN Supreme Court Chief Justice Andrew Adams III during an inauguration ceremony at the Mvskoke Dome in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. His term officially began on January 4, 2016.
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Sandy Fife Wilson
- Occupations
- artistfashion designerteacher
- Biography
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Sandy Fife Wilson is a Muscogee (Creek) art educator, fashion designer and artist. After graduating from the Institute of American Indian Arts and Northeastern Oklahoma State University, she became an art teacher, first working in the public schools of Dewey, Oklahoma. When Josephine Wapp retired as the textile instructor at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Wilson was hired to teach the design courses. After three years, in 1979, she returned to Oklahoma and taught at Chilocco Indian School until it closed and then worked in the Morris Public School system until her retirement in 2009.
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Barbara Staggs
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Barbara Masterson Staggs was a longtime educator in Muskogee, Oklahoma and a legislator in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. During her time in the legislature, Staggs assisted as a member of the Common Education Committee and was integral in passing many bills, such as one that lead to the creation of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in Muskogee.
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Ron Tarver
- Enrolled in Northeastern State University
- Graduated with bachelor's degree in graphic arts and journalism
- Occupations
- visual artistphotographerphotojournalistuniversity teacherjournalist
- Biography
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Ronald Tarver (born 1957) is an American artist and educator. He was the first Black photographer at the Muskogee Phoenix and also worked at the Springfield News-Leader in Missouri (1980-1983), before joining The Philadelphia Inquirer. His career at the Inquirer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, spans more than three decades (1983–2014). Tarver currently serves as Associate Professor of Art specializing in photography at Swarthmore College.
