74 Notable alumni of
Western Kentucky University
Updated:
Western Kentucky University is 710th in the world, 264th in North America, and 244th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 74 notable alumni from Western Kentucky 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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John Carpenter
- Occupations
- composerwriteractordirectorfilm director
- Biography
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John Howard Carpenter is an American filmmaker and composer. Most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is generally recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre. At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, the French Directors' Guild gave him the Golden Coach Award, lauding him as "a creative genius of raw, fantastic, and spectacular emotions".
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Michael Rosenbaum
- Occupations
- voice actorwriteractorfilm directortelevision actor
- Biography
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Michael Rosenbaum is an American actor and podcaster. He is known for portraying Lex Luthor on the television series Smallville, a role that TV Guide included in their 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time".
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Matt Long
- Occupations
- film actorstage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Matthew Long is an American actor. He is best known for playing Ezekiel Landon in the NBC/Netflix sci fi drama Manifest (2019–2023), and his roles in the television series Jack & Bobby (2004–2005), and the films Ghost Rider (2007) and Sydney White (2007).
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Charles Napier
- Occupations
- television actorvoice actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Charles Lewis Napier was an American character actor known for playing supporting and occasional leading roles in television and films. He was frequently cast as police officers, soldiers, or authority figures, many of them villainous or corrupt. After leaving his Kentucky hometown to serve in the Army, he graduated from college and worked as a sports coach and art teacher before settling on acting as a career. His first prominent role in a film was in Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1969), which featured frontal nudity from Napier; it was the first of four films he would do with director Russ Meyer. Napier established himself in character roles and worked steadily for the next 35 years. He made numerous collaborations with director Jonathan Demme, including roles in Something Wild (1986), Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Beloved (1998), and The Manchurian Candidate (2004).
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Sue Grafton
- Occupations
- writernovelistscreenwriterauthorjournalist
- Biography
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Sue Taylor Grafton was an American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the "alphabet series" ("A" Is for Alibi, etc.) featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. The daughter of detective novelist C. W. Grafton, she said the strongest influence on her crime novels was author Ross Macdonald. Before her success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies.
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Jack Keane
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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John M. "Jack" Keane is a former American general who served as vice chief of staff of the United States Army from 1999 to 2003. He is a national security analyst, primarily on Fox News, and serves as chairman of the Institute for the Study of War and as chairman of AM General.
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Courtney Lee
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Courtney Lee is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Western Kentucky University.
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A. J. Slaughter
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Anthony Darrell "A. J." Slaughter is an American-born naturalized Polish professional basketball player for Gran Canaria of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroCup. He played college basketball for Western Kentucky.
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Jeremy Evans
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jeremy Deshawn Evans is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers before being drafted by the Utah Jazz in 2010. During his career, Evans has spent time with the Utah Jazz, the Dallas Mavericks, the Atlanta Hawks, and Khimki Moscow in Russia. In 2012, he was named the NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion.
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James Comer
- Enrolled in Western Kentucky University
- In 1993 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- farmerpoliticianbusinessperson
- Biography
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James Richardson Comer Jr. is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky who represents the state's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he has served in the Congress of the United States of America since 2016, during the 114th United States Congress. He previously served in the Kentucky House of Representatives and also served as the Agriculture Commissioner of Kentucky.
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Hal Rogers
- Enrolled in Western Kentucky University
- Studied in 1956-1957
- Occupations
- prosecutorpoliticianlawyer
- Biography
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Harold Dallas Rogers is an American lawyer and politician serving his 22nd term as the U.S. representative for Kentucky's 5th congressional district, having served since 1981. He is a member of the Republican Party. Upon Don Young's death in 2022, Rogers became the dean of the House of Representatives.
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Japeth Aguilar
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Japeth Paul Cabrera Aguilar is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He first played college basketball for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), but after two seasons, he moved to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers in the Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States.
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Kevin Willard
- Enrolled in Western Kentucky University
- Studied in 1992-1993
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Kevin Schreiber Willard is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at the University of Maryland. Willard played basketball at Western Kentucky during the 1992–93 season (his freshman year) before transferring to Pittsburgh to finish his playing career.
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Jack Doyle
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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John Glenn Doyle is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, and played in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts for nine seasons.
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Billy Vaughn
- Occupations
- singermusicianbandleadermulti-instrumentalistmusic executive
- Biography
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William Vaughn, popularly known as Billy Vaughn was an American musician, singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and A&R man for Dot Records.
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Steve Gorman
- Occupations
- drummer
- Biography
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Steve Gorman is an American musician and radio host. Gorman is best known as the former drummer of the American rock and roll band The Black Crowes He spent time as the drummer for British rock band Stereophonics. He also hosted his own radio show Steve Gorman Sports! on Fox Sports Radio. He is now the host of Steve Gorman Rocks! on Westwood One radio station affiliates and the morning-show co-host at KQRS-FM in Minneapolis. Also co-host 101.5 WQUT ( TENNESSEE )
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Dalano Banton
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Dalano Banton is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Banton's selection with the 46th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors made him the first Canadian player to be drafted by the Canadian franchise.
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George Fant
- Occupations
- player of American footballbasketball player
- Biography
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George Fant is an American football offensive tackle for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college basketball and football at Western Kentucky, and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Starting in 2018, Fant was used as a hybrid tight end on tackle-eligible plays for Seattle.
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Kenny Perry
- Occupations
- golfer
- Biography
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James Kenneth Perry is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He won 14 PGA Tour events and has won nine PGA Tour Champions events including four senior major championships: the 2013 Constellation Senior Players Championship, the 2013 U.S. Senior Open, the 2014 Regions Tradition, and the 2017 U.S. Senior Open.
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Charles Bassey
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Charles A. Bassey is a Nigerian basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2021 NBA draft.
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Michael Card
- Years
- 1957-.. (age 67)
- Occupations
- songwritersinger
- Biography
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Michael Card is an American, Christian singer-songwriter, musician, author, and radio host from Franklin, Tennessee. He is best known for his contributions in contemporary Christian music, which combine folk-style melodies and instrumentation with an in-depth study of the Bible. Since his debut in 1981, Card has sold more than 4 million albums and has written 19 No. 1 singles. He has also authored several books, including the Gold Medallion Book Award winner, A Sacred Sorrow.
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Larnelle Harris
- Occupations
- songwriter
- Biography
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Larnelle Steward Harris is an American gospel singer and songwriter. During his 40-plus years of ministry, Harris has recorded 18 albums, won five Grammy Awards and 11 Dove Awards, and has had several number one songs on the inspirational music charts.
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Will Hoge
- Occupations
- singercomposersongwriter
- Biography
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Will Hoge is an American Americana country music singer, songwriter, and musician from Nashville, Tennessee, United States.
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Derrick Gordon
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Derrick Robert Gordon is an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, Gordon attended and played for three universities, originally the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, where in 2014, Gordon became the first men's basketball player in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I to come out as gay and play in a game. On March 24, 2015, Gordon announced his intention to transfer to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and continue to play college basketball, after a single season at WKU.
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Clem Haskins
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Clem Smith Haskins is an American former college and professional basketball player and college basketball coach. In the fall of 1963, he and fellow star player Dwight Smith became the first black athletes to integrate the Western Kentucky University (WKU) basketball program. This put Western Kentucky at the forefront to integrate college basketball in the South.
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David L. Grange
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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David L. Grange is a retired United States Army major general. He served with the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam War. He was later assigned to Delta Force, commanding a squadron during the invasion of Grenada and was deputy commander during the Gulf War. His last command was of 1st Infantry Division before he retired in 1999.
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Joe Bugel
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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Joseph John Bugel was an American professional football coach in the National Football League (NFL). For many years, he was acknowledged as the greatest offensive line coach in the league, particularly with the Washington Redskins under head coach Joe Gibbs in the 1980s. He was the architect behind "The Hogs", the Redskins' dominant offensive line that helped lead them to three Super Bowl wins.
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Darrin Horn
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Darrin McKinley Horn is an American college basketball head coach at Northern Kentucky, having previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Texas and a head coach for the Division I (NCAA) programs at Western Kentucky University and at the University of South Carolina.
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Larry Elmore
- Occupations
- paintercomics artisttelevision producer
- Biography
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Larry Elmore is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines, and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and his own comic strip series SnarfQuest. He is author of the book Reflections of Myth.
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Harry B. Gray
- Enrolled in Western Kentucky University
- In 1957 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- chemistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Harry Barkus Gray is the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry at California Institute of Technology.
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Andrew Stahl
- Occupations
- television actorsongwritermusicianactor
- Biography
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Andrew Stahl is an American actor, best known for appearing as Tom McHone in the Christy series and General Armand Stassi in seaQuest 2032.
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Antonio Andrews
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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Antonio Tramaine Andrews is an American football running back who currently plays for the Cabo Marlins of the Mexican Professional Football League (Futbol Americano de Mexico). He played college football at Western Kentucky and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was also a member of the Memphis Express of the AAF before their season began.
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Saeed Jones
- Occupations
- writerpoet
- Biography
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Saeed Jones is an American writer and poet. His debut collection Prelude to Bruise was named a 2014 finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for poetry. His second book, a memoir, How We Fight for Our Lives won the Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction in 2019.
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Jim McDaniels
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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James Ronald McDaniels was an American professional basketball player. McDaniels played collegiately for Western Kentucky University and was the number one overall pick in the 1971 American Basketball Association Draft. McDaniels was an ABA All-Star.
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Rupert Onslow, 8th Earl of Onslow
- Years
- 1967-.. (age 57)
- Occupations
- aristocrat
- Biography
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Rupert Charles William Bullard Onslow, 8th Earl of Onslow, known as Viscount Cranley from 1971 to 2011, is a British noble and hereditary peer.
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Orlando Mendez-Valdez
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Orlando Homer Méndez-Valdez is an American-born Mexican former professional basketball player who is currently the Assistant general manager of the Capitanes de Ciudad de México of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
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Terrence W. Wilcutt
- Occupations
- astronautaircraft pilotmilitary officerteacher
- Biography
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Terrence Wade Wilcutt is a United States Marine Corps officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. Wilcutt was NASA's Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance, until his retirement from NASA in December 2020.
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Jonathan Dowling
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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Jonathan Dowling is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Western Kentucky.
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Filip Videnov
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Filip Aleksandrov Videnov is a Bulgarian retired professional basketball player who last played for Beroe of the NBL. He was also a longtime member of the Bulgarian men's national team.
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Jordan Swing
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jordan Tyler Swing is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Western Kentucky and UAB before playing professionally in the NBA G League, Australia, Spain, Belgium, Israel, and Ukraine.
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Shadrack Kipchirchir
- Occupations
- athletics competitor
- Biography
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Shadrack Kipchirchir is a Kenyan-born American distance track and field Olympian specializing in the 10,000 m. Following in his brothers footsteps, Kipchirchir enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 2014 and joined the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program after his enlistment.
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Clint Ford
- Occupations
- actorvoice actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Clint Ford is an American screenwriter, actor, voice-over artist, and novelist. He is best known for his portrayal as the Klingon M'ven, of the Great House of Martok, in the video game, Star Trek Online. He is also known for his work in the American dubs of Japanese anime cartoon series, such as Yû yû hakusho, Blue Gender, and Dragon Ball Z.
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William Huston Natcher
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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William Huston Natcher was a Democratic congressman, serving in the United States House of Representatives from 1953 until his death from heart failure in Bethesda, Maryland in 1994. He is the second longest-serving member ever of the United States House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
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Gavin Smellie
- Occupations
- athletics competitor
- Biography
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Gavin Ramon Smellie is a Jamaican-born Canadian sprinter.
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Justin Johnson
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Justin Blake Johnson is an American professional basketball player for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). He played college basketball for Western Kentucky.
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Tim Lee Carter
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Tim Lee Carter was an American politician serving as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 1965 until 1981.
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Stephen Cochran
- Years
- 1979-.. (age 45)
- Occupations
- singersinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Stephen Cochran is an American country music singer and songwriter. In 2009 Stephen was named as a spokesman for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Research and Development. The VA and Cochran collaborated to produce a music video for veterans who need help.
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Bill Sanders
- Years
- 1930-2021 (aged 91)
- Occupations
- cartoonist
- Biography
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William Willard Sanders was an American political cartoonist and author known for his cartoons and commentary on civil liberties and civil rights.
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Russell E. Dougherty
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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General Russell Elliott Dougherty was commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command and director of strategic target planning (Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff), at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
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Billy Wilson
- Biography
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William Marion Wilson is the president of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was previously the vice chairman for ORU board of trustees.
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Wayne Chapman
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Wayne G. Chapman is an American former professional basketball player.
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Sergio Kerusch
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Sergio Kerusch is an American-German professional basketball player who currently plays for Mitteldeutscher BC of the Basketball Bundesliga. He is a 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall shooting guard-small forward. He also holds a German passport due to his German father.
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Matilda Mossman
- Occupations
- basketball coach
- Biography
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Matilda Mossman is an American college basketball coach and the former head coach of the Tulsa women's basketball team.
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Libby Stout
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Elizabeth Stout is an American retired professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. She is currently a coach with the Southern Illinois Salukis.
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Steven L. Basham
- Years
- 1965-.. (age 59)
- Occupations
- military leader
- Biography
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Steven L. Basham is a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force who serves as the deputy commander of the United States European Command. He previously served as deputy commander of United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa from 2019 to 2022.
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Benjamin Lawson
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Benjamin Ethan Lawson is a British professional basketball player who plays for the Fukui Blowinds of the B.League in Japan. He played college basketball for Western Kentucky. Standing at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m), Lawson plays the power forward / center positions.
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Barry A. Vann
- Occupations
- geographer
- Biography
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Barry Aron Vann is an American author, speaker and retired Dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Colorado Christian University. A prolific writer, Vann has published on a wide range of geographic topics. He is most noted for his work in environmental perceptions and religious geography, in particular themes in which religious beliefs are associated with forming environmental perceptions and politicized regions such as Northern Ireland and the American Bible Belt. Vann's work along the interface between religion and geography stresses the role of faith leaders in shaping the behaviours of others who in turn impact the cultural landscape. An excellent description of how Vann conjoins geotheology and leadership, or the lack thereof, is expressed by Andrew Nicholls in The Journal of British Studies: “Vann acknowledges that the early Stuart policy of plantation facilitated the emigration of Scots to Ireland, and for those who feared and loathed the religious policies of the regime, early seventeenth century Ulster [nine northern counties in Ireland] could stand as a land of refuge. But only for some. Scotland featured numerous socioeconomic challenges, and for some dissenters, rising rents, unproductive lands, and failed crops were evidence of punishment from an angry God. Therefore, migration became an opportunity to atone for one's sins as well, although individuals leaving Scotland owing to poverty could expect little sympathy from their religious leaders." His book Puritan Islam: The Geoexpansion of the Muslim World was chosen as a Top 25 Outstanding Academic Title for 2012 by Choice, a division of the American Library Association (ALA). A review in the April 2012 issue of Choice referred to Puritan Islam as "perhaps the best geographical text produced on this subject since 2000" and of "utmost significance in finally taking the topic away from the emotional to where it needs to be—rational and explanatory discussion." On her show Spirited Debate, Lauren Green of Fox News called Puritan Islam a "fascinating book."
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Edwin L. Norris
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Edwin Lee Norris was a Democratic politician from Montana. He served as the fifth Governor of Montana.
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Art Spoelstra
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Arthur Cornelius Spoelstra was an American basketball player. A 6'9" center from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Spoelstra played college basketball at Western Kentucky. After graduating from WKU, he was drafted by the Rochester Royals in the 1954 NBA draft (fourth round, 34th pick overall). He played four seasons in the NBA for the Royals, Minneapolis Lakers and New York Knicks. He averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for his career.
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Garrett Withers
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Garrett Lee Withers was an American politician and lawyer. As a Democrat, he represented Kentucky in the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives.
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Don Ray
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Donald L. Ray was a National Basketball Association (NBA) player. As a senior at Western Kentucky University, Ray was selected to the All-American second team by the Helms Foundation. Ray was drafted with the eleventh overall pick in the 1948 BAA Draft by the Philadelphia Warriors. He made his NBA debut in the 1949-50 NBA season for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks. In sixty-one games for the Blackhawks, Ray averaged 6.0 points and 1.0 assist per game.
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C. B. Embry
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Carlos Brogdon Embry Jr. was an American politician and a Republican member of the Kentucky Senate representing District 6 from January 1, 2015, until September 26, 2022, when he resigned due to cancer. He previously served in the Kentucky House of Representatives starting on January 1, 2003, and leaving office on January 1, 2015, to serve in the Kentucky Senate. Embry was a mayor of Beaver Dam, Kentucky from 1970 until 1973. Embry died three days after his resignation from the senate for health reasons at a hospice in Bowling Green, at the age of 81.
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Jim Rose
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jim Rose was an American professional basketball player. After playing college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (1968–1971), Rose was the eleventh overall pick (2nd round) of the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association in the 1971 NBA draft.
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Bob Daniels
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Robert Eugene Daniels was an American basketball player and coach.
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Chris Knight
- Occupations
- singersinger-songwriterguitarist
- Biography
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Chris Knight is an American singer-songwriter from Slaughters, Kentucky. In addition to releasing solo records of his own material, Knight has had a successful career writing songs that have been recorded by Confederate Railroad, John Anderson, and Randy Travis among others.
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Frank Drew
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Frank Morehead Drew was an American brigadier general. He retired on July 1, 1979.
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David Hayes Kincheloe
- Occupations
- politicianjudgelawyer
- Biography
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David Hayes Kincheloe was a United States representative from Kentucky and a judge of the United States Customs Court.
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Patrick T. Henry
- Enrolled in Western Kentucky University
- Graduated with master's degree in public service
- Biography
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Patrick Timothy Henry was United States Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) from 1998 to 2001.
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Cap R. Carden
- Years
- 1866-1935 (aged 69)
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Cap Robert Carden was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky.
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Anthony Winchester
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Anthony David Winchester is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. Winchester is currently an assistant coach at Kansas State. He played college basketball at Western Kentucky.
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Jeff Peterek
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Jeffrey Allen Peterek was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in part of one season in the major leagues in 1989 for the Milwaukee Brewers, playing seven games. Peterek died in Niles, Michigan, October 8, 2023, at the age of 60.
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Walker Hines
- Occupations
- railway executivelawyer
- Biography
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Walker Downer Hines was an American railroad executive and second Director General of the United States Railroad Administration.
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Dwight Butler
- Years
- 1963-.. (age 61)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Dwight D. Butler is an American politician and was a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing District 18 until January 2015.
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Fred Iltis
- Occupations
- zoologistphotographerentomologist
- Biography
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Fred Iltis was an American entomologist. His research focused on the biosystematics and life cycle of mosquitoes.
