10 Notable alumni of
Wiley College
Updated:
Wiley College is 3030th in the world, 1049th in North America, and 995th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 10 notable alumni from Wiley College sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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James L. Farmer, Jr
- Occupations
- human rights activistpoliticianuniversity teacheractivism
- Biography
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James Leonard Farmer Jr. was an American civil rights activist and leader in the Civil Rights Movement "who pushed for nonviolent protest to dismantle segregation, and served alongside Martin Luther King Jr." He was the initiator and organizer of the first Freedom Ride in 1961, which eventually led to the desegregation of interstate transportation in the United States.
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Henrietta Bell Wells
- Occupations
- social worker
- Biography
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Henrietta Bell Wells was the first female member of the debate team at historically black Wiley College in Texas. She was born Henrietta Pauline Bell on the banks of Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas to a West Indian single mother.
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Al Jackson
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Alvin Neill Jackson, affectionately referred to as "Little" Al Jackson, was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1959 to 1969. His 43 wins with the New York Mets were the franchise record until Tom Seaver eased past the mark in 1969. In July 2021, he was posthumously honored with the New York Mets Hall of Fame Achievement Award for his 50 years of service to the franchise.
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Heman Marion Sweatt
- Occupations
- civil rights advocate
- Biography
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Heman Marion Sweatt was an African-American civil rights activist who confronted Jim Crow laws. He is best known for the Sweatt v. Painter lawsuit, which challenged the "separate but equal" doctrine and was one of the earliest of the events that led to the desegregation of American higher education.
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Walter McAfee
- Enrolled in Wiley College
- Studied in 1930-1934
- Occupations
- astronomer
- Biography
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Walter Samuel McAfee was an American scientist and astronomer, notable for participating in the world's first lunar radar echo experiments with Project Diana.
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Bill Spiller
- Occupations
- golfer
- Biography
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Bill Spiller was an American professional golfer who helped break the color barrier in the sport.
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David Abner Jr
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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David Abner Jr. was an American educator. He was the first president of Guadalupe College and then of Conroe College.
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Maxine Horner
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Maxine Edwyna Cissel Horner was one of the first African American women to serve in the Oklahoma Senate, serving from 1986 to 2004, along with Vicki Miles-LaGrange. Horner held the position of Democratic Caucus Chair, as well as Chair of Business and Labor and Government Operations, and Vice-Chair of Adult Literacy.
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Lois Towles
- Occupations
- modelactivistclassical pianistteacher
- Biography
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Lois Towles was an American classical pianist, music educator, and community activist. Born in Texarkana, Arkansas, she grew up in the town straddling the Arkansas and Texas line. From an early age, she was interested in music and began piano lessons at age 9. After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class, she obtained a bachelor's degree from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, and worked as a high school teacher from 1936 to 1941. In 1942, Towles enrolled in the University of Iowa and earned two master's degrees in 1943. She went on to further her education at Juilliard, the University of California, Berkeley, the Conservatoire de Paris, and the American Conservatory at Fountainebleau.
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Ernest Lyon
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
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Ernest A. Lyon was an African-American minister, educator and diplomat.
