Notable Alumni of the University of the South
The University of the South, also known as Sewanee, has a rich history of producing accomplished individuals across various fields. This article highlights some of the most notable alumni who have made significant contributions to society. According to EduRank's aggregated alumni prominence rankings, The University of the South is ranked 1165th in the world, 418th in North America, and 391st in the United States.
Arts and Entertainment
Sewanee has fostered a vibrant community of artists and performers. Several alumni have achieved recognition in film, television, and theatre.
Anson Mount: Anson Adams Mount IV is an American actor known for his roles in television series such as Hell on Wheels, Conviction, and Star Trek: Discovery and Strange New Worlds, where he plays Captain Christopher "Chris" Pike. He also portrayed the Marvel Comics superhero Black Bolt in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Additionally, he starred in the film Crossroads opposite Britney Spears. Mount is also a member of the board of directors of METI International.
Raymond McAnally: McAnally is a professional actor with television credits including guest appearances on Black Mirror: San Junipero, Better Call Saul, Modern Family, Chicago Fire, and 30 Rock. His film credits include Size Matters, The Revival, Compliance, and Ghost Town. He has also performed in theatre productions such as God’s Ear (Off-Broadway) and One Man, Two Guvnors at the Repertory Theatre of St Louis.
Nick Sullivan: Sullivan has appeared on Broadway in Footloose, Black Comedy, and Moliere Comedies, and Off-Broadway in Lone Star Love. He has also performed at various regional theatres and has television credits including 30 Rock, The Good Wife, Spin City, and Law & Order.
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Jana Mestecky: Mestecky is an actress known for her role as Lucinda in New Guy. She has studied at The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, Théâtre des Cinquantes in Paris, France, and The Actors Studio in New York City.
John Wiegand: Wiegand is known for his portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt. He has performed at the White House and was the model for a Theodore Roosevelt sculpture commissioned by the American Museum of Natural History.
Sewanee alumni have also made their mark behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.
J. Theresa Bush: Bush is a costume designer and technologist who has worked on several on and off-Broadway productions, including The Elephant Man, Far From Heaven, Amazing Grace, and Come From Away. She has also worked for the Williamstown Theatre Festival and served as Dolly Parton’s stage and streetwear alterationist. Bush is the recipient of the Richmond Critic’s Circle Award for Excellence in Costume Design.
Megan Jackson Sukys: Sukys is the Executive Producer of the public radio program "KUOW Presents" at KUOW in Seattle, where she hosts and produces in-depth interviews, personal documentary stories, and cultural programming.
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Ruth Isabel Guerra: Guerra is an interdisciplinary artist whose works have been published in various platforms. She is currently a communications coordinator at Center Theatre Group.
Amanda Blair MacDonald (Mandy Ellis): MacDonald is an actor, choreographer, and teacher who has performed in productions such as 42nd Street, A Chorus Line, and Damn Yankees. She taught at The American Academy of Dramatic Art (AADA), The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), and The Ailey School.
Literature and Journalism
The University of the South has a strong tradition of producing talented writers, editors, and journalists.
Jon Meacham: Meacham is a writer, reviewer, historian, and presidential biographer who serves as the Canon Historian of the Washington National Cathedral. He is a contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review, a contributing editor to Time magazine, and a former editor-in-chief of Newsweek. He won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House.
John Jeremiah Sullivan: Sullivan is a writer, musician, teacher, and editor. He is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, a contributing editor of Harper's Magazine, and the southern editor of The Paris Review.
Read also: Excellence at Hofstra University
William Alexander Percy: Percy was a lawyer, planter, and poet from Greenville, Mississippi. His autobiography Lanterns on the Levee became a bestseller.
Samuel F. Pickering, Jr.: Pickering is a writer and professor emeritus of English at the University of Connecticut. His unconventional teaching style was an inspiration for the character of Mr. Keating in the film Dead Poets Society.
Smith Hempstone: Hempstone was a journalist, author, and the United States ambassador to Kenya. He was a vocal proponent of democracy, advocating free elections for Kenya.
Roger Hodge: Hodge is a journalist and magazine editor.
Charles “LC” Fiore: Fiore is the author of Green Gospel. His short fiction has appeared in various literary journals and anthologies.
Politics and Government
Several Sewanee alumni have distinguished themselves in the fields of politics and government.
Howard Baker: Baker was a United States Senator from Tennessee, serving from 1967 to 1985. He rose to the rank of Senate Minority Leader and then Senate Majority Leader.
Luke Lea: Lea was an attorney, politician, and newspaper publisher. He served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1911 to 1917.
Harry P. Cain: Cain was a United States Senator from Washington, serving from 1946 to 1953.
Tucker Eskew: Eskew is a political and communications strategist who served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Media Affairs and Global Communications under President George W. Bush.
Marcel Lettre: Lettre is a former United States federal government official who served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence.
Stuart W. Bowen Jr.: Bowen is an American lawyer who served as the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR).
Lee M. Thomas: Thomas was Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency under President Ronald Reagan.
John Jay Hooker, Jr.: Hooker was an attorney, entrepreneur, and perennial candidate from Nashville, Tennessee, who was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Tennessee in 1970 and 1998.
Chris Farrar: Farrar currently serves as a Professional Staff Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Minority Staff, where he is the senior policy staffer for issues related to appropriations, non-proliferation, nuclear energy, global health, and the United Nations.
Military Service
The University of the South has a long-standing connection with the military, and many alumni have served with distinction.
Edmund Kirby Smith: Smith was a Confederate States Army general who oversaw the Trans-Mississippi Department during the American Civil War.
Archibald Butt: Butt was an American Army officer and aide to presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. He died in the sinking of the British liner Titanic.
William Crawford Gorgas: Gorgas was a United States Army physician who was instrumental in abating the transmission of yellow fever and malaria by controlling mosquitoes.
Frank Benton Kelso II: Kelso was an admiral of the United States Navy, who served as Chief of Naval Operations from 1990 to 1994.
William Oliver Studeman: Studeman is a retired admiral of the United States Navy and former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Cary Travers Grayson: Grayson was a surgeon in the United States Navy who served as personal aide to President Woodrow Wilson and chairman of the American Red Cross.
Stuart W. Bowen Jr.: Bowen is an American lawyer who served as the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) and previously served as the Inspector General for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA-IG).
Religion
Sewanee, with its strong ties to the Episcopal Church, has produced numerous religious leaders.
Gene Robinson: Robinson is a retired bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.
Foley Beach: Beach is an American Anglican bishop who was the second primate and archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America.
Hudson Stuck: Stuck was a British native who became an Episcopal priest, social reformer, and mountain climber in the United States.
Athletics
Sewanee alumni have also achieved success in the world of athletics.
Joe B. Hall: Hall was a college basketball coach, serving as the head coach at the University of Kentucky from 1972 to 1985, leading the Wildcats to a national championship in 1978.
Jim Fleming: Fleming is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at the University of Rhode Island (URI).
Other Fields
Sewanee alumni have also made significant contributions in various other fields.
Brian Reynolds: Reynolds is an American videogame designer who has designed a number of multi-million selling games including Civilization II, Rise of Nations, and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
Douglas Porch: Porch is an American military historian and academic who serves as a Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School.
Radney Foster: Foster is an American country music singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer.
Mallory Ervin: Ervin is an American YouTube personality, former entertainer, and former beauty pageant titleholder who held the title of Miss Kentucky 2009.
tags: #notable #Sewanee #alumni
