Western Michigan University: A Legacy of Notable Alumni

Western Michigan University (WMU), a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has a rich history dating back to its establishment as Western State Normal School in 1903. Over the years, WMU has grown into a comprehensive university with a diverse range of academic programs and a strong tradition of producing accomplished graduates. Its alumni have made significant contributions across various fields, including entertainment, sports, business, and public service.

This article celebrates some of the most notable alumni of Western Michigan University, highlighting their achievements and the impact they have had on the world. The list includes individuals from film and theater, music, sports, media, and other domains.

Notable Alumni in Arts and Entertainment

Tim Allen: Actor and Comedian

Birthdate: June 13, 1953
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Denver, Colorado, United States

Tim Allen, born Timothy Alan Dick, is an actor and comedian renowned for his roles in the sitcoms "Home Improvement" (1991-1999) and "Last Man Standing" (2011-2021). He also voices Buzz Lightyear in the "Toy Story" franchise, for which he earned an Annie Award, and played Scott Calvin/Santa Claus in "The Santa Clause" franchise (1994-present). Allen's work has left a lasting impression on audiences of all ages, and he was named a Disney Legend in 1999. His comedic style often explores social awkwardness, politics, gender differences, and everyday life.

Bruce Campbell: Actor, Filmmaker, and Writer

Birthdate: June 22, 1958
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Royal Oak, Michigan, United States

Bruce Campbell is an American actor, filmmaker, and writer best known for his portrayal of Ash Williams in the "Evil Dead" franchise. Campbell has also appeared in several cult films, including "Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat," "Maniac Cop," "Crimewave," and "Bubba Ho-Tep."

Terry Crews: Actor, Comedian, and Former Football Player

Birthdate: July 30, 1968
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Flint, Michigan, United States

Terry Crews is an actor, comedian, activist, bodybuilder, and former professional football player. He starred as Julius Rock in the UPN/CW sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris" (2005-2009) and as Terry Jeffords in the Fox/NBC sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (2013-2021). Crews has also appeared in films such as "Friday After Next," "White Chicks," "Idiocracy," "Blended," and "The Expendables" series. He began hosting "America's Got Talent" in 2019 and is a vocal advocate for women's rights, having spoken out about his own experience with sexual assault.

Brooke Elliott: Actress and Singer

Brooke Elliott is an American actress and singer with a background in musical theatre. She has toured with "Beauty and the Beast" and "Wicked" and appeared in the Broadway productions of "Taboo" and "The Pirate Queen." Elliott is best 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).

Page Kennedy: Actor and Rapper

Page Kennedy is an American actor and rapper known for his roles as Radon Randell in the Spike sports comedy series "Blue Mountain State" and "U-Turn" in the Showtime series "Weeds." He has also appeared in films such as "S.W.A.T." and "The Meg." Kennedy is active on social media and released his first full-length rap album, "Torn Pages," in 2017.

David Wayne: Actor

David Wayne was an American stage and screen actor with a career spanning over 50 years.

Notable Alumni in Music

Luther Vandross: Singer-Songwriter and Record Producer

Birthdate: April 20, 1951
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: New York City
Died: July 1, 2005

Luther Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Vandross contributed to the success of songs recorded by artists like David Bowie, Diana Ross, and Judy Collins. Vandross' works have influenced artists like D'Angelo, Jaheim, Ne-Yo, John Legend, and Usher.

Frankie Ballard: Singer-Songwriter

Frankie Ballard 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.

Read also: CWRU Tuition and Fees

Josh Gracin: Singer-Songwriter

Joshua Mario Gracin is an American country music singer. While serving in the US Marine Corps, he gained public attention as a finalist on the second season of "American Idol."

Stephen Lynch: Comedian, Musician, and Actor

Stephen Andrew Lynch is an American comedian, musician, and actor known for his songs mocking daily life and popular culture. Lynch has released four studio albums, four live albums, and a live DVD. He has appeared in two "Comedy Central Presents" specials and starred in the Broadway adaptation of "The Wedding Singer."

Notable Alumni in Sports

Greg Jennings: American Football Player

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.

Skyy Moore: American Football Player

Skyy Moore is an American professional football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Michigan and was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. Moore studied business at WMU.

D'Wayne Eskridge: American Football Player

D'Wayne "Dee" Eskridge is an American professional football wide receiver and kick returner for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Michigan.

Read also: Growth and Community at WOU

Oracene Price: Tennis Coach

Oracene Price is an American tennis coach best known as the mother and coach of Venus and Serena Williams.

Jamal Mayers: Ice Hockey Player

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.

Danny DeKeyser: Ice Hockey Player

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).

Luke Witkowski: Ice Hockey Player

Luke Witkowski is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for Skellefteå AIK in the 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.

Frederik Tiffels: Ice Hockey Player

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.

Mark Letestu: Ice Hockey Player

Mark Letestu is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played in eleven seasons of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets.

Keith Jones: Ice Hockey Player

Keith Jones is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. 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.

Notable Alumni in Other Fields

Dennis Archer: Politician and Lawyer

Dennis Wayne Archer is an American lawyer, jurist, and former 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.

Michael Cohen: Lawyer

Michael Dean Cohen is an American lawyer who served as an attorney for Donald Trump from 2006 to 2018. Cohen served as vice president of the Trump Organization and personal counsel to Trump.

Ed Gordon: Journalist

Edward Lansing Gordon III is an American television journalist known for his association with BET over four different decades.

Iqra Khalid: Politician

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.

Robert P. Burke: Military

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.

Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick: Politician

Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick served as a U.S. Representative for Michigan's 15th and 13th congressional districts from 1997 to 2011.

Tom Barrett: Politician

Thomas More Barrett is an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan's 7th congressional district since 2025.

Dave Dombrowski: Baseball Executive

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.

Maverick Carter: Business Executive

Maverick Carter is an American sports marketing businessman and executive who is the chief executive officer of SpringHill Company, Uninterrupted, and the Robot Company, all part of the holding company LRMR Ventures, which he co-founded with LeBron James.

Lenda Murray: Bodybuilder

Lenda Murray is an American professional female bodybuilding champion.

Richelle Mead: Author

Richelle Mead is an American fantasy author known for the Georgina Kincaid series, Vampire Academy, Bloodlines, and the Dark Swan series.

Epico Colón: Professional Wrestler

Orlando Tito Colón Nieves is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Epico Colón, or simply Epico.

LZ Granderson: Journalist

Elzie Lee "LZ" Granderson is an American journalist and former actor, currently writing for the Los Angeles Times as a sports and culture columnist.

Alumni Excellence in Engineering and Applied Sciences

Western Michigan University's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences has produced numerous accomplished alumni who have made significant contributions to their respective fields. Here are a few examples:

Paul A. Albanelli (B.S.): Joined his family's concrete contracting company and led the American Society of Concrete Contractors.
Jack Bray (B.S.E.’81): Held leadership positions in the pulp and paper industry for over 40 years.
William J. Denton (B.S.’67): Retired chairman of Knape & Vogt Manufacturing Company, with a career spanning leadership roles at Newell Rubbermaid and Fiskars Brands.
Priya Devnath (M.S.'00): Senior director of product management at Dell Technologies.
Bernie Iversen (B.S.E.’82): Retired from TransDigm Group, where he served as executive vice president of business development and mergers and acquisitions.
Alicia Smith (B.S.’98, M.A.’13): Global design manager for Eaton Corporation.
Bahman Hoveida (B.S.E.’79): President of Accurant International and the Hoveida Family Foundation, and founder/CEO of Open Systems International (OSI).
Ganesh Kirti (M.S.’93): Founder and CEO of TrustLogix, a data security platform.
Richard Helbling (B.S.’67): Spent 50 years in the metal casting industry, holding management, engineering, and executive roles.
Thomas David (B.S.E.’00): Technical sourcing leader at Smurfit Westrock and president of the WMU Paper Technology Foundation.
Gary Dembs (B.S.’78): Successful and rewarding career.
Margean Gladysz (B.S.E.’75): Owner and principal consultant of MAG Net II, a nonprofit consulting practice.
Matthew Baird, (B.S.E.’16, Ph.D.’20): Research Engineer at NASA Glenn Research Center.
Dr. Kamlesh Suthar, (M.S.’04, Ph.D.’09): Principal mechanical engineer in the APS Engineering Support Division at Argonne National Laboratory.

Alumni Success in Theatre and Dance

The WMU School of Theatre and Dance has a tradition of producing successful alumni who have made their mark on Broadway, in Hollywood, and beyond. Here are a few examples of recent alumni accomplishments:

Victoria Blade (BFA, Acting): Actress and musician, recent credits include HBO's "The Outsider," "Watchmen," and "Dynasty."
Cory Blevins (BFA, Acting): Actor, performs as FBI Agent Buchholz on the EPIX show, "Get Shorty."
Tiffany Frances (BFA, Music Theatre Performance): Performer in the Broadway production of "Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations."
Dayna Jarae Dantzler (BFA, Acting): Has performed in "Waitress" and "The Book of Mormon" on Broadway.
Hannah Elless (BFA, Music Theatre Performance): Has been seen on Broadway in "Godspell," "Bright Star," and "A Christmas Carol."
Crystal Lucas-Perry (BFA, Acting): Starred in the Off-Broadway production of the Public Theatre's "Ain't No Mo'," for which she won a 2019 Lucille Lortel Award.
Brian Martin (BFA, Music Theatre Performance): Is performing in the Broadway production of "Mrs. Doubtfire."
Marcus Shane (BFA, Music Theatre Performance): Is on the first national tour of "Mean Girls the Musical."
Mikey Winslow (BFA, Music Theatre Performance): Has performed in several Broadway productions, including "Hamilton," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," and "American Idiot."
Lauren Zakrin (BFA, Music Theatre Performance): Is performing in the San Francisco cast of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."

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