100 Notable alumni of
Western Michigan University
Updated:
Western Michigan University is 492nd in the world, 187th in North America, and 173rd in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from Western Michigan 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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Terry Crews
- Occupations
- television actorartistactorvoice actorAmerican football player
- Biography
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Terry Alan Crews is an American actor, television host, and former professional football player. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/CW sitcom Everybody Hates Chris, which aired from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Terry Jeffords in the Fox and NBC sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021). Crews starred in the BET reality series The Family Crews (2010–2011) and hosted the American version of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire from 2014 to 2015. He has appeared in films, including Friday After Next (2002), White Chicks (2004), Idiocracy (2006), Blended (2014), The Expendables film series (2010–2014), and Rumble (2021). Crews began hosting America's Got Talent in 2019, following his involvement in the same role for the program's spin-off series America's Got Talent: The Champions.
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Tim Allen
- Occupations
- television presenterfilm actorcomedianfilm directortelevision actor
- Biography
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Timothy Alan Dick, known professionally as Tim Allen, is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Tim "The Toolman" Taylor on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement (1991–1999) for which he won a Golden Globe Award and Mike Baxter on the ABC/Fox sitcom Last Man Standing (2011–2021). He voices Buzz Lightyear for the Toy Story franchise (1995–present) for which he won an Annie Award and played Scott Calvin and Santa Claus in The Santa Clause franchise (1994–2023).
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Bruce Campbell
- Occupations
- voice actorcamera operatoractortelevision actorwriter
- Biography
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Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his role as Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead horror series, beginning with the short movie Within the Woods (1978). He has also featured in many low-budget cult movies, such as Crimewave (1985), Maniac Cop (1988), Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989), and Bubba Ho-Tep (2002).
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Luther Vandross
- Occupations
- singersinger-songwritercomposeractorrecord producer
- Biography
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Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. was an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA-certified platinum albums and sold over 40 million records worldwide. Vandross was recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the 200 greatest singers of all time (2023) and was named one of the greatest R&B artists by Billboard. NPR also included him among its 50 Great Voices. He won eight Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year in 2004 for "Dance with My Father". He has been inducted into both the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame.
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Michael Cohen
- Occupations
- advocatejuristlawyerbusinessperson
- Biography
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Michael Dean Cohen is an American former lawyer who served as an attorney for Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, from 2006 to 2018. Cohen served as vice president of the Trump Organization and personal counsel to Trump, often being described as his fixer. Cohen served as co-president of Trump Entertainment and was a board member of the Eric Trump Foundation, a children's health charity. From 2017 to 2018, Cohen was deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee.
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Oracene Price
- Occupations
- tennis coach
- Biography
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Oracene Price is an American tennis coach. She is best known for being both the mother and coach of Venus and Serena Williams, both of whom are widely regarded as among the best tennis players of all time. She is the former wife of Richard Williams, whom she divorced in 2002.
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Brooke Elliott
- Occupations
- stage actorfilm directortelevision actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
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Brooke Elliott is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in musical theatre, including the US tours of Beauty and the Beast and Wicked, and the Broadway productions of Taboo and The Pirate Queen. She is known for her roles as Jane Bingum on the Lifetime series Drop Dead Diva (2009–2014) and as Dana Sue Sullivan in the Netflix romantic drama Sweet Magnolias (2020–present).
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Curtis Armstrong
- Occupations
- actortelevision actorscreenwriterfilm actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Curtis Johnathan Armstrong is an American actor. He is best known for playing the role of Booger in the Revenge of the Nerds films, Herbert Viola on the TV series Moonlighting, Miles Dalby in the film Risky Business, and record producer Ahmet Ertegun in the film Ray as well as for playing the role of Metatron on the TV series Supernatural.
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Colt Cabana
- Occupations
- television producerpodcasterprofessional wrestler
- Biography
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Scott Colton, better known by the ring name Colt Cabana, is an American professional wrestler, color commentator, and podcaster. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and as a coach, and he performs the same duties for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH). He is a two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, two-time NWA National Heavyweight Championship, one-time RevPro British Heavyweight Champion, and one-time JCW World Heavyweight Champion. He worked in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Scotty Goldman and wrestled as old-school masked wrestler Matt Classic in Wrestling Society X and Chikara.
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Page Kennedy
- Occupations
- television actorrapperactorfilm actor
- Biography
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Page Kennedy is an American actor and rapper. In television, he is known for portraying Radon Randell in the Spike sports comedy series Blue Mountain State and "U-Turn" in the Showtime series Weeds. He has also appeared in film, with roles in S.W.A.T. and The Meg. Outside of acting, Kennedy is active on social media, best known for being a popular Viner. On March 10, 2017, he released his first full length rap album titled Torn Pages featuring Royce da 5'9", Crooked I, Trick Trick and more.
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Maverick Carter
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- businesspersontelevision producer
- Biography
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Maverick Carter is an American sports marketing businessman and executive who is the chief executive officer (CEO) of SpringHill Company, Uninterrupted, and the Robot Company, all part of the holding company LRMR Ventures, which he co-founded with LeBron James.
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David Wayne
- Occupations
- television actorstage actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
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David Wayne was an American actor and singer, with a stage and screen career spanning over 50 years. He was a recipient of two Tony Awards, Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Finian's Rainbow and Best Actor in a Play for The Teahouse of the August Moon, with a third nomination for The Happy Time.
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Greg Jennings
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Gregory Jennings Jr. is an American sports television personality and former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football for the Western Michigan Broncos and was selected by Green Bay in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. Jennings was named to two Pro Bowls during his seven seasons with the Packers and was part of the team that won a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XLV. In his final three seasons, he was a member of the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins. He was inducted into Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2022.
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Richelle Mead
- Occupations
- children's writernovelistwriter
- Biography
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Richelle Mead is an American fantasy author who is known for the Georgina Kincaid series, Vampire Academy, Bloodlines and the Dark Swan series.
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Dave Dombrowski
- Occupations
- baseball manager
- Biography
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David Dombrowski is an American baseball executive who serves as the president of baseball operations for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). Dombrowski also previously served as the general manager of the Montreal Expos, the general manager and president of the Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers, and president of baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox. He has helped build four different franchises (Marlins, Tigers, Red Sox, Phillies) into pennant-winning teams, and he has won the World Series twice — with the Marlins in 1997 and the Red Sox in 2018.
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Skyy Moore
- Enrolled in Western Michigan University
- Studied business studies
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Skyy Moore is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Michigan Broncos and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.
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Epico Colón
- Occupations
- professional wrestler
- Biography
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Orlando Tito Colón Nieves is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he performs as Orlando Colón and is in a tag team with his cousin Eddie Colón. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Epico Colón.
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Stephen Lynch
- Occupations
- radio personalitycomposerguitaristcomedianstage actor
- Biography
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Stephen Andrew Lynch is an American comedian, musician and actor who is known for his satirical songs mocking daily life and popular culture. Lynch has released four studio albums and four live albums along with a live DVD. This 2004 DVD, Live at the El Rey, was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
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LZ Granderson
- Occupations
- columnistjournalist
- Biography
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Elzie Lee "LZ" Granderson is an American journalist and former actor, currently writing for the Los Angeles Times as a sports and culture columnist. He was a senior writer and columnist for ESPN The Magazine, a co-host of SportsNation on ESPN, afternoon co-host at ESPN LA 710 and a columnist for CNN. Granderson was named the Los Angeles Times Sports and Culture Columnist in January 2019.
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Marin Mazzie
- Occupations
- singerstage actortelevision actorvoice actoractor
- Biography
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Marin Joy Mazzie was an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre.
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Keith Jones
- Occupations
- journalistice hockey player
- Biography
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Keith Jones is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current executive. He was a hockey studio analyst for NBC/NBCSN from 2005–2021 and TNT from 2021–2023. He currently works as the President of Hockey Operations for the Philadelphia Flyers. In 491 NHL games, Jones produced a total of 258 points between 1992 and 2000.
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Lenda Murray
- Occupations
- bodybuilder
- Biography
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Lenda Murray is an American professional female bodybuilding champion.
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Frankie Ballard
- Occupations
- singer-songwritersinger
- Biography
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Frank Robert Ballard IV is an American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist. He has released two albums each for Reprise Records and Warner Bros. Records, and has charted eight singles on the Hot Country Songs charts.
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John Morton
- Occupations
- American football coachcoachCanadian football playerAmerican football player
- Biography
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John Morton is an American professional football coach and former wide receiver. He has previously served as the passing game coordinator for the Denver Broncos from 2023 to 2024, and was the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator in 2025.
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Josh Gracin
- Occupations
- singersongwriter
- Biography
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Joshua Mario Gracin is an American country music singer. He first gained public attention as the fourth-place finalist on the second season of American Idol. His self-titled debut album was released in 2004. It produced a number one hit, "Nothin' to Lose", and two more top five hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, and was certified gold. His second album, We Weren't Crazy, followed in 2008. This album produced five more chart singles.
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Dennis Archer
- Occupations
- lawyerjudgepolitician
- Biography
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Dennis Wayne Archer is an American lawyer, jurist and politician from Michigan. A Democrat, Archer served as Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court and as mayor of Detroit. He later served as president of the American Bar Association, becoming the first black president of the organization, which, until 1943, had barred African-American lawyers from membership.
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Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick
- Enrolled in Western Michigan University
- In 1972 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Carolyn Jean Cheeks Kilpatrick was an American politician who was a U.S. representative from 1997 to 2011, first for Michigan's 15th congressional district and then for Michigan's 13th congressional district. She was a member of the Democratic Party. In August 2010 she lost the Democratic primary election to Hansen Clarke, who replaced her in January 2011 after winning the 2010 general election. Kilpatrick was also the mother of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
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D'Wayne Eskridge
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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D'Wayne "Dee" Eskridge is an American professional football wide receiver and kickoff returner for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Michigan Broncos.
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Tom Barrett
- Enrolled in Western Michigan University
- In 2007 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Thomas More Barrett is an American politician, financial analyst, and former U.S. Army officer serving as the U.S. representative for Michigan's 7th congressional district since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Michigan Senate from 2019 to 2023 and in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. His congressional district covers a seven-county area that includes Lansing.
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Robert P. Burke
- Years
- 1962-.. (age 64)
- Biography
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Robert Peter Burke is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the commander of United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Force Command Naples from 17 July 2020 to 27 June 2022. He was the 58th Chief of Naval Personnel from 27 May 2016 to 23 May 2019 and Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 10 June 2019 until 29 May 2020.
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Jamal Mayers
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Jamal David Mayers is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent time playing for the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks and won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013. He is currently an analyst for Sportsnet.
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Iqra Khalid
- Occupations
- juristlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Iqra Khalid MP is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election.
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Ed Gordon
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Edward Lansing Gordon III is an American television journalist known for his association with BET over four different decades. A native of Detroit, Ed Gordon is the son of an Olympic athlete also named Ed Gordon. The younger Gordon was BET's main news anchor from 1988 to 1996 and again from 2000 to 2001 before hosting the interview show BET Tonight from 2001 to 2002 and another interview show, Weekly with Ed Gordon, from 2010 to 2011.
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Danny DeKeyser
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Daniel Christopher DeKeyser is an American former professional hockey defenseman and current Detroit Red Wings studio analyst. He played as an alternate captain for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL).
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Mark Letestu
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Mark Letestu is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward and current head coach of the American Hockey League’s Colorado Eagles. He played in eleven seasons of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets.
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Ruby Sahota
- Born in
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Canada - Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Ruby Sahota PC MP is a Canadian lawyer and politician. A member of the Liberal Party, she is currently serving as Secretary of State (Combatting Crime). She previously served as the Minister of Democratic Institutions from 2024 to 2025 and has represented the federal riding of Brampton North and its successor riding Brampton North—Caledon in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015. She also previously served as the Chief Government Whip from January to December 2024.
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Mark Schauer
- Enrolled in Western Michigan University
- In 1986 graduated with Master in Public Administration
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Mark Hamilton Schauer is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for Michigan's 7th congressional district from 2009 to 2011.
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Frederik Tiffels
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Frederik Tiffels is a German professional ice hockey forward for the Eisbären Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He was drafted 167th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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Luke Witkowski
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Luke Witkowski is an American professional ice hockey player who is a defenseman for Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He has previously played in the NHL for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Detroit Red Wings. Witkowski was selected by the Lightning, 160th overall, in the 2008 NHL entry draft.
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Joel R. Beeke
- Years
- 1952-.. (age 74)
- Occupations
- university teachertheologian
- Biography
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Joel Robert Beeke is an American Reformed theologian who serves as a pastor in the Heritage Reformed Congregations and as chancellor of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He helped found Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in 1995 under the oversight of the Heritage Reformed Congregations, serving as its president until assuming the chancellorship in 2023. He teaches homiletics, systematic theology, and practical theology at the seminary.
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Shayne Whittington
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Shayne Mitchell Whittington is an American-Macedonian former professional basketball player who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Western Michigan Broncos. He also represents North Macedonia in the international competitions. He played college basketball for Western Michigan University.
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Kyōko Matsuoka
- Occupations
- translatorchildren's writerliterary scholarlibrarian
- Biography
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Kyoko Matsuoka was a Japanese librarian, translator, and expert in children's literature. She is known for her own children's books, of which she wrote more than 200 in her lifetime, as well as translations of works for young readers, particularly her translation of the classic Paddington Bear series.
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Mattias Samuelsson
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Mattias Samuelsson is a Swedish–American professional ice hockey player who is a defenseman and alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college ice hockey with Western Michigan University.
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James McCloughan
- Occupations
- combat medic
- Biography
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James C. McCloughan is a former United States Army soldier and a Vietnam War veteran. For his actions during the war, McCloughan was approved for the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama and Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning in December 2016. McCloughan was presented the Medal of Honor on 31 July 2017 by President Donald Trump, the first such award of Trump's administration.
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Jordan Oesterle
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Jordan Oesterle is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Milwaukee Admirals in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL).
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Charlie Maxwell
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Charles Richard Maxwell, sometimes known as "Sunday Charlie", "The Sabbath Slugger", and "Ol' Paw Paw", was an American left-handed professional baseball left fielder. A native of Michigan, he played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Boston Red Sox (1950–52, 1954), Baltimore Orioles (1955), Detroit Tigers (1955–62), and Chicago White Sox (1962–64).
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Frank Thomas
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
Frank William Thomas was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Chattanooga from 1925 to 1928 and at the University of Alabama from 1931 to 1946, compiling a career college football record of 141–33–9. During his tenure at Alabama, Thomas amassed a record of 115–24–7 and won four Southeastern Conference titles while his teams allowed an average of just 6.3 points per game. Thomas's 1934 Alabama team completed a 10–0 season with a victory over Stanford in the Rose Bowl and was named national champion by a number of selectors.
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Matt Giraud
- Occupations
- singersinger-songwriterpianistmulti-instrumentalistsongwriter
- Biography
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Matthew Scott "Matt" Giraud is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and the fifth place finalist of the eighth season of the reality television series American Idol. He was the first recipient of the "judge' save", wherein the judges veto a contestant's elimination.
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Luke Winslow-King
- Occupations
- singerguitaristlyricistcomposermusician
- Biography
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Luke Winslow-King Balzuweit is an American guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer, and lyricist based out of Calatayud, Aragon, Spain. Winslow-King plays vintage blues and jazz music and is known for his slide guitar work. He is a music traditionalist, playing a mixture of "people's music" and improvisational jazz based in collective improvisation. He has been influenced by the music of New Orleans, where he was based for 15 years. These influences include jazz, Delta blues, ragtime, pre-war American folk, Béla Bartók and Antonín Dvořák's String Quartet No. 12 (American String Quartet), and Woody Guthrie.
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Wayne Terwilliger
- Occupations
- basketball playerbaseball player
- Biography
-
Willard Wayne Terwilliger, nicknamed "Twig", was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1949 and 1960 for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Senators, New York Giants, and Kansas City Athletics.
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Mark D. Siljander
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Mark Deli Siljander is an American author and politician who served as a Republican U.S. Representative from the state of Michigan. He authored the book A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide.
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Kevin Connauton
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
-
Kevin Connauton is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 83rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2009 NHL entry draft. Connauton has also played for the Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, and Philadelphia Flyers.
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Mike Nahan
- Occupations
- politicianeconomist
- Biography
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Michael Dennis Nahan is an Australian politician who served as the leader of the Western Australian Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition from the 2017 state election until his resignation in June 2019. He served as Treasurer of Western Australia under the Barnett ministry from March 2014 until the government's election defeat in March 2017. Nahan was also the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Riverton from 2008 until 2021, when he was succeeded by Labor's Jags Krishnan.
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Joe Corvo
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Joseph Edward Corvo is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, Washington Capitals, and Boston Bruins.
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Brad Wardell
- Occupations
- entrepreneurnovelist
- Biography
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Bradley R. Wardell is an American businessman, programmer, author and AI engineer. He is the founder, president, and CEO of Stardock, a software development and computer games company.
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Gary DeMar
- Enrolled in Western Michigan University
- Studied in 1973
- Occupations
- researcherradio personalitywriter
- Biography
-
Gary DeMar is an American writer and lecturer. A former student of Greg Bahnsen, and protégé of Gary North, he has written several books on Christian reconstructionism, apologetics, and eschatology, as well as books targeting the homeschool movement.
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Keegan Akin
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Keegan Lee Akin is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2020.
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David Gove
- Occupations
- ice hockey playerice hockey coach
- Biography
-
David Thomas Gove was an American ice hockey player and head coach of the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL. He last played with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 2008–09 season. Though he primarily played in the minor leagues, Gove did appear in two games with the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 2005 and 2007.
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Matt Tennyson
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
-
Matthew Thomas Tennyson is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played for 8 seasons in the National Hockey League for the San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, and Nashville Predators.
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Joe Reitz
- Occupations
- basketball playerAmerican football player
- Biography
-
Joseph David Reitz is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He attended Western Michigan University where he played college basketball and not football.
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M. Peter McPherson
- Biography
-
Melville Peter McPherson is president emeritus of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. He previously served as a special assistant to President Gerald Ford, administrator of USAID under President Ronald Reagan, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Treasury, President of Michigan State University from 1993 to 2004, and Chairman of Dow Jones.
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Scott Boman
- Occupations
- peace activist
- Biography
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Scott Avery Boman is an American Libertarian politician from Michigan. He has consistently earned among the top votes of any third-party candidate in every Michigan election from 2000 through 2018. He was chair of the Libertarian Party of Michigan in 2006. Described by MIRS as a Libertarian Party standard-bearer, he has been a candidate in every state-wide partisan election since 1994, until successfully running for the Detroit office of Community Advisory Council (district 4) in 2020.
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Pat Misch
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Patrick Theodore Joseph Misch is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.
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Richard Allen Griffin
- Occupations
- lawyerjudge
- Biography
-
Richard Allen Griffin is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Previously, he was a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals.
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Akhil Gupta
- Years
- 1959-.. (age 67)
- Enrolled in Western Michigan University
- 1975-1977 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- anthropologistuniversity teacher
- Biography
-
Akhil Gupta is an Indian-American anthropologist whose research focuses on the anthropology of the state, development, as well as on postcolonialism. He is a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a former president of the American Anthropological Association.
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Paul Szczechura
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
-
Paul Szczechura is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. He is currently an unrestricted free agent who most recently played for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
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Howard Norman
- Occupations
- translatorwriter
- Biography
-
Howard Alan Norman, is an American writer and educator. Most of his short stories and novels are set in Canada's Maritime Provinces. He has written several translations of Algonquin, Cree, and Inuit folklore. His books have been translated into 12 languages.
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Bill Welke
- Occupations
- baseball playerbaseball umpire
- Biography
-
William Anthony Welke is an American former Major League Baseball umpire. He joined the major league staff in 1999 and worked the World Series in 2015. Welke was promoted to crew chief for the 2022 season, and retired following that season.
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Saddi Washington
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
-
Saddi Washington is an American college basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a men's basketball assistant coach for the Michigan State basketball team. He played college basketball at Western Michigan. Before becoming a collegiate assistant coach, he was a volunteer coach at Romulus Senior High School under current Alabama head coach Nate Oats.
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Bonnie Jo Campbell
- Occupations
- writernovelist
- Biography
-
Bonnie Jo Campbell is an American novelist and short story writer. Her most recent work is The Waters, published with W. W. Norton and Company.
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Frank Quilici
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Francis Ralph Quilici was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager who spent his entire Major League Baseball career with the Minnesota Twins. Quilici served the team for all or part of five years as an infielder, 1 1⁄2 years as a coach, and 3 1⁄2 years as manager, then spent six more years as a broadcaster for them. He threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 170 pounds (77 kg).
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Patrick Dwyer
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
-
Patrick "Pat" Dwyer is an American former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League with the Carolina Hurricanes. He was originally selected by the Atlanta Thrashers in the fourth round, 116th overall, of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
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Gardner Ackley
- Occupations
- writereconomistdiplomatuniversity teacher
- Biography
-
Hugh Gardner Ackley was an American economist and diplomat.
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Gershwin A. Drain
- Occupations
- lawyerjudgejournalist
- Biography
-
Gershwin Allen Drain is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
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Merze Tate
- Enrolled in Western Michigan University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- historianacademicjournalist
- Biography
-
Vernie Merze Tate was a professor, scholar and expert on United States diplomacy. She was the first African-American graduate of Western Michigan Teachers College, first African-American woman to attend the University of Oxford, first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in government and international relations from Harvard University (then Radcliffe College), as well as one of the first two female members to join the Department of History at Howard University.
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Sheryl Sculley
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Sheryl Lee Sculley is an American politician and the former city manager of San Antonio, Texas, a position which she filled from November 2005 until March 2019. Her unusually long tenure was highly controversial because of her lucrative compensation, doubling from $250,000 in 2005 to upwards of $500,000 as of 2015.
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John J. Bursch
- Years
- 1972-.. (age 54)
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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John J. Bursch is an American attorney who served as the 10th Michigan Solicitor General. He was appointed by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette on February 28, 2011. Prior to being Michigan Solicitor General, Bursch served as chair of the Appellate Practice and Public-Affairs Litigation Groups at Warner Norcross & Judd. Bursch argued in more than 6% of all the cases the U.S. Supreme Court heard during his tenure as solicitor general. Bursch returned to private practice at Warner Norcross & Judd in December 2013, and founded his own law firm in 2016, Bursch Law.
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Sheldon Dries
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Sheldon Stephen Dries is an American professional ice hockey forward for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).
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Nick Sousanis
- Enrolled in Western Michigan University
- Graduated with bachelor's degree
- Occupations
- draftspersoncaricaturisttennis playeruniversity teacherart critic
- Biography
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Walter Nickell "Nick" Sousanis is an American scholar, art critic, and cartoonist; a co-founder of the TheDetroiter.com, he is also the first person at Columbia University to write a dissertation entirely in a comic book format.
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Zaire Barnes
- Enrolled in Western Michigan University
- Studied computer systems
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Zaire Barnes is an American professional football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Michigan Broncos.
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John Binkley
- Occupations
- businesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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John Emerson "Johne" Binkley is a riverboat pilot, businessman and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. Binkley served for one term apiece in the Alaska House of Representatives and the Alaska Senate during the mid and late 1980s, but is perhaps better known for his candidacy for governor of Alaska in the 2006 primary election. In that election, he finished far behind Sarah Palin (who would go on to win the governorship), but also far ahead of one-term incumbent governor Frank Murkowski, by then deeply unpopular amongst Alaskans.
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Lucy Lameck
- Occupations
- politiciannurse
- Biography
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Lucy Lameck was a Tanzanian politician, who was the first woman to hold a Ministerial post in the government. Born to a farming family, she trained as a nurse before becoming involved in politics and attending Ruskin College, Oxford, through a scholarship. She first entered the Tanganyika National Assembly in 1960, before being elected to the Tanzania National Assembly in 1965. With the exception of 1975 to 1980, she continued to hold a seat there until her death in 1993. She is seen as a role model, having worked throughout her life to improve conditions within the country for women.
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Frank Serratore
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Frank Serratore is an American ice hockey coach, currently with the Air Force Falcons men's ice hockey team. He formerly coached professional hockey in the International Hockey League with the Minnesota Moose from 1994 to 1996.
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Russell Cicerone
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Russell Cicerone is an American soccer player who plays for Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship.
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Freddie Bishop III
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Freddie George Bishop III is an American former professional football defensive lineman. He played college football at Western Michigan University. He was a member of the Detroit Lions, Calgary Stampeders, New York Jets, Memphis Express, Toronto Argonauts, and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
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Jase Bolger
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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James "Jase" Bolger served as the 71st Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives from January 12, 2011 to the end of 2014 session. Bolger is a member of the Republican Party, and represented Michigan's 63rd house district from 2009 to 2014. After being term limited out, he founded a consulting firm, Tusker Strategies. Bolger was also appointed by former Governor Rick Snyder on December 29, 2016 to the Michigan Civil Service Commission and was elected chair on April 27, 2023.
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Jeff LoVecchio
- Occupations
- ice hockey player
- Biography
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Jeff LoVecchio is an American professional ice hockey Left wing who last played for the Nippon Paper Cranes of the Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH).
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David Kool
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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David Anderson Kool is a former collegiate basketball player for the Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball team. Kool is WMU's all-time leading scorer and was named Mid-American Conference (MAC) Player of the Year in his senior season. Kool was the boys' basketball coach at Jenison High School in Jenison, Michigan and at Holland Christian High School, in Holland, Michigan. Kool previously served as assistant coach for the WMU men's basketball team from 2011–13. Kool was named athletic director at South Christian High School on April 15, 2020.
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William Porter
- Occupations
- athletics competitorscreenwriter
- Biography
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William "Bill" Franklin Porter III was an American track and field athlete, gold medal winner of the 110-meter hurdles at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
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Susan Williams Gifford
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Susan Williams Gifford was an American politician who was a Republican member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She represented the Second Plymouth from 2003 until her death in 2024.
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Kitty Piercy
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Catherine "Kitty" Piercy is an American politician. She was elected mayor of Eugene, Oregon in 2004, and was re-elected in 2008, and again in 2012, serving three full terms until January 2017. During the 1990s she served as Minority Leader of the Oregon House of Representatives.
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Bob Anderson
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Robert Carl Anderson was an American professional baseball player and right-handed pitcher who appeared in 246 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1957 and 1963 for the Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers. Born in East Chicago, Indiana, he graduated from Hammond High School and attended both Michigan State University and Western Michigan University. He stood 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighed 210 pounds (95 kg) during his active career.
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Don Boven
- Occupations
- basketball playerAmerican football playerbaseball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Donald Edwin Boven was an American basketball player, coach, and university instructor. He was a World War II veteran who was a standout athlete at Western Michigan University. After playing professional basketball, he served as an instructor at the university for more than 30 years. In the 1980s, Boven retired from his teaching duties but remained active in sporting circles and became involved in public service in his Michigan township.
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Frank Secory
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Frank Edward Secory was an American left fielder and umpire in Major League Baseball who played 186 games from 1940 to 1946 with the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Cubs. His best season was 1944, when he batted.321 in 22 games for the Cubs, the team with which he played nearly his entire career. In Game 6 of the 1945 World Series against the Tigers, with the game tied 7–7, he had a pinch-hit single with one out in the 12th inning; a pinch runner, Bill Schuster, later scored on a walk-off double off the bat of Stan Hack to give the Cubs an 8–7 win, sending the Series to a seventh game.
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Thomas Wilder
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Thomas Javaine Wilder is an American professional basketball player who last played for Nürnberg Falcons BC of the German ProA league.
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Suzy Lake
- Occupations
- video artistperformance artistphotographer
- Biography
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Suzy Lake RCA is an American-Canadian artist based in Toronto, Canada, who is known for her work as a photographer, performance artist and video producer. Using a range of media, Lake explores topics including identity, beauty, gender and aging. She is regarded as a pioneering feminist artist and a staunch political activist.
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Jack B. Olson
- Occupations
- diplomatbusinesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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Jack Benjamin Olson was an American businessman, diplomat, politician, and Republican from the U.S. state of Wisconsin.
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Rod Brown
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Lelton Gerard "Rod" Brown is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Dallas, Texas, he holds dual British-American citizenship.
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Traci Brimhall
- Born in
- United States
- Enrolled in Western Michigan University
- Graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- poetwriter
- Biography
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Traci Brimhall is an American poet and professor. She teaches creative writing at Kansas State University. She is the poet laureate of Kansas.
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Ray Bray
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Raymond Robert Bray was an American professional football player who was an offensive guard and defensive lineman for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945.
