Trinity University: A Legacy of Notable Alumni
Trinity University, a private liberal arts college in San Antonio, Texas, has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1869. Originally established by Cumberland Presbyterians as a merger of three schools, Trinity has evolved into a nationally recognized institution known for its academic rigor and commitment to fostering future leaders. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1 and a diverse student body representing numerous states and countries, Trinity provides a dynamic learning environment that encourages intellectual curiosity and personal growth. Its alumni have made significant contributions across various fields, reflecting the university's dedication to developing well-rounded individuals who excel in their chosen professions.
Academics and Campus Life
Trinity University offers 47 majors and 59 minors in the liberal arts, business, sciences, fine arts, and engineering. Graduate programs are available in accounting, teaching, school psychology, school administration, and health care administration. Trinity is the only university in San Antonio to offer a minor in creative writing. The university has a strong focus on providing a comprehensive education, with 98% of the full-time faculty holding a Ph.D.
The campus, designed by O'Neil Ford, is a National Historic Landmark District. Key landmarks include the 166-foot Murchison Tower, Laurie Auditorium (seating 2,865), and the Elizabeth Huth Coates Library, which houses over 1 million books. The Center for Sciences and Innovation (CSI), completed in 2014, modernized the university's science facilities. The Margarite B. Parker Chapel is known for its large pipe organ. In the fall 2022, Trinity opened Dicke Hall, housing the Humanities Collective, the English Department, and the Religion Department.
Notable Alumni in Politics and Law
Trinity University has produced a number of distinguished alumni who have made significant contributions to the fields of politics and law.
- John Cornyn III: Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1973. He is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the senior United States senator from Texas since 2002. He previously served on the Texas Supreme Court from 1991 to 1997 and as the attorney general of Texas from 1999 to 2002.
- Michael McCaul: Graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1984. He is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas's 10th congressional district and chaired the House Committee on Homeland Security during the 113th, 114th, and 115th Congresses.
- Matt Mead: He is a Wyoming attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 32nd governor of Wyoming from 2011 to 2019. He was also the United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming from 2001 to 2007.
- Dabney L. Friedrich: An American attorney and jurist serving as a United States district court judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She previously served as a member of the United States Sentencing Commission.
- Charles R. Eskridge III: A United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
- William F. Ramsey: An American attorney, banker, and justice of the Texas Supreme Court from January 1911 to April 1912.
- William K. Suter: Served as the 19th Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States for twenty-two years. Prior to this, he was a major general in the United States Army.
- Scott W. Stucky: A Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. His term as a judge began on December 20, 2006, and expired on July 31, 2021.
- Joe M. Kilgore: Served as a U.S. Representative from Texas's 15th congressional district from 1955 to 1965.
- Thomas Mitchell Campbell: Served as the 24th Governor of Texas, serving two terms from 1907 to 1911. He was an attorney and businessman, working as a manager for the International-Great Northern Railroad before entering politics from Palestine, Texas.
- Kathleen Passidomo: Was a Republican member of the Florida Senate and the President-designate of the Florida Senate for the 2022-24 legislative term.
- Brandon Todd: Earned his MBA from Trinity in 2009, is director of corporate policy at Washington Gas. For six years, he served as a D.C. Council Member representing Ward 4. He was Muriel Bowser’s…
- Jeanette Jackson Clark: Is currently senior associate judge at the District of Columbia Superior Court where she was appointed to the court in 2002 by President George W. Bush.
Notable Alumni in Arts and Media
Trinity University has also nurtured talented individuals who have achieved recognition in the arts and media.
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- Jaclyn Smith: Best known for her role as Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels (1976-1981). She was the only original female lead to remain with the series for its complete run and reprised the role in the films Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) and Charlie's Angels (2019).
- Naomi Shihab Nye: An Arab American poet, editor, songwriter, and novelist. She was designated the Young People's Poet Laureate for the 2019-21 term by the Poetry Foundation.
- Uma Pemmaraju: An Indian-American journalist and television anchor, and one of the original hosts on the Fox News cable network at their 1996 premiere.
- Gibby Haynes: The lead singer of the band Butthole Surfers, and is also a painter, radio personality, and author.
- Josh Wolf: An American comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his regular appearances on the round table of E!'s late-night talk show Chelsea Lately.
- Bob West: Best known as the original voice of Barney in the PBS children's television series Barney & Friends.
- Robert McCollum: An American voice actor, television host, and producer who provides voices for a number of English-language versions of Japanese anime.
- Octavio Solis: An American playwright and director whose plays have been produced at theaters and small companies across the United States.
- Aisha Sultan: A nationally syndicated columnist and award-winning filmmaker and features writer. Her work has run in more than 100 publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and The Atlantic.
- Stacia Brown: Is a producer at North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC. She earned her Trinity bachelor’s degree with a major in English. She was formerly a producer on Joshua Johnson’s 1A on NPR.
Notable Alumni in Business and Entrepreneurship
Trinity University alumni have also made their mark in the world of business and entrepreneurship.
- Alice Walton: An heiress to the fortune of Walmart as daughter of founder Sam Walton. As of February 2025, Walton has a net worth of $121 billion, making her the 13th richest person and the second-richest woman in the world according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, after Françoise Bettencourt Meyers.
- Daniel Lubetzky: A Mexican and American billionaire businessman, philanthropist, author, and founder and executive chairman of snack company Kind LLC.
- Brad Parscale: An American digital consultant, media executive, and political advisor. He served as the senior adviser for data and digital operations for Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign.
- Michael F. Neidorff: Was an American business executive and was CEO of Centene Corporation from 1996 to 2022.
- Richard Yoo: An American entrepreneur, the co-founder and former CEO of the web hosting company Rackspace, and the founder and former CEO of web hosting company ServerBeach.
- Robert S. Munger: And his wife Mary Collett Munger (1857-1924) invented the "system cotton gin". After that achievement, Munger started and ran some of the largest gin manufacturing companies in the United States. He also developed real estate in Dallas, Texas.
- Amy Costello: Amy Costello is the founder of Tiny Spark, a nonprofit, independent podcast news program that investigates nonprofits, philanthropy, international development and social enterprise. Tiny Spark was acquired by The Nonprofit Quarterly in 2018. She graduated…
Notable Alumni in Sports
Trinity University's athletic programs have also produced notable alumni who have excelled in their respective sports.
- David N. Davey Johnson (B.A., mathematics, 1964) - former Major League Baseball player and manager. As a player (2nd baseman) from 1965 to 1978 (Orioles, Braves, Phillies, Cubs), he was a 3x Golden Glove winner, 4x All-Star, and 2x World Series Champion.
- Gretchen Magers (B.S., physical education, 1986) - former professional tennis player who reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 16.
- Dick Stockton (B.A., sociology, 1972) - former professional tennis player, ranked as high as No. 8 in the world.
- Marvin Upshaw (B.S., physical education, 1970) - former NFL defensive lineman, who played for the Cleveland Browns (1968-1969) and Kansas City Chiefs (1970-1975).
- Anne Smith: Is an educational psychologist and a former professional tennis player from the United States.
- Rick Mahler: Was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves (1979-1988, 1991), Cincinnati Reds (1989-1990) and Montreal Expos (1991).
- Darrell Hogan: Was an American professional football player who played five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Baylor University and Trinity University. He earned All-Pro honors as an undrafted rookie in 1949.
- Tex Jeanes: Was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for five seasons. He played for the Cleveland Indians (1921-1922), the Washington Senators (1925-1926), and the New York Giants in 1927.
Other Notable Alumni
- Froyla Tzalam: Is a Belizean Mopan Maya anthropologist and community leader, who has served as the third governor-general of Belize since 27 May 2021.
- Oscar K. Allen: Also known as O. K. Allen, was the 42nd Governor of Louisiana from 1932 to 1936.
- Lisette M. Mondello: Is an American political advisor who served as Assistant United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs from 2006 to 2009.
- Keith Szarabajka: Is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Mickey Kostmayer on The Equalizer, Daniel Holtz on Angel, Gerard Stephens in The Dark Knight and Adam Engell in Argo.
Recent Alumni Award Winners
Trinity University recognizes its alumni through various awards, celebrating their achievements and contributions.
- Aisha Sultan: Winner of the Distinguished Alumni Award, is a nationally syndicated columnist and award-winning filmmaker and features writer.
- Bené Eaton: Winner of the Distinguished Alumni Award, is the head of marketing at Nike in New York City.
- Philip A. (Phil) Wetz: Winner of the Spirit of Trinity Award, has engaged in a wide range of volunteer activities following his retirement from ExxonMobil.
- Karla Hagen Phillips: Winner of the Fraternity and Sorority Life Alumni Advisor of the Year, is a graduate of the Class of 1992 and a proud member of Gamma Chi Delta.
- John Burnam: Winner of the Tower 5 Award, is the co-founder and principal of Burnam | Gray, a nonprofit and social impact consulting firm based in San Antonio.
- Sarah Causer: Winner of the Tower 5 Award, is an international education specialist committed to helping institutions internationalize their campuses.
- Libby Day: Winner of the Tower 5 Award, works to integrate environmental resilience with dynamic, accessible programming and entertainment, uniting communities in their outdoor spaces as director of communications for the San Antonio Parks Foundation.
- Ender Ergun: Winner of the Tower 5 Award, currently serves as the manager of enterprise applications for Information Technology Services at Trinity University.
- Mitchell Hagney: Winner of the Tower 5 Award, helped start Trinity's community garden and studied abroad in Costa Rica. After graduating, Hagney started LocalSprout, a hydroponic farming company.
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