Some went to school at Penn State for several years during the Sandusky/ Paterno/Curley/Schultz years of domination. I think each one, regardless may add other pieces to the puzzle in terms of their opinions back then re any shred of rumor they may have heard, and their current opinions now re how/ why/ who/when /where these crimes against innocent children took place on campus and in proximity to the campus.
There are several famous Alums who are in children’s programming for television, quite a few Senators and Congress-people, mostly Republicans, many moguls of large institutions whose names are recognizable to most USA populations, and significant numbers in well known sports media, and many coaches of sports and sports athletes who have excelled.
Since we have heard rather ad infinitum from the blogosphere, it would be useful and edifying to hear from people who actually know the ‘sub-cultures’ at Penn State, from having been there for many years.
In light of what has occurred at Penn State, it almost brings one to tears to hear one of their esteemed alums, Repub Senator, Congressman and VP running mate of Ronald Reagan, Richard Schweiker ’50 in an interview from “Penn State Skull House Psi Chapter, Founded 1890: “I married ‘Miss Claire’ of television’s “Romper Room”. We’ve been married for 46 years and have five children and 20 grandchildren. Our oldest son and daughter-in-law are both P.S.U. graduates. Their son is a Penn State freshman. I enjoy golf, skiing, biotech investing and watching my grandchildren play sports [that is]– football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, swimming, and baseball.”
Mainstream media, CNN, Fox, NYT, LAT, WaPo, Huffpo, ChiTrib, Christian SciMon, WSJ and others who have the resources… hope you will be asking these alumni to comment and give their opinions of what has happened here re Paterno, Sandusky, Curley and Schultz and whomever else.
John Almquist ’47g – Winner of the Wolf Foundation Award (1981) for work in the artificial insemination of dairy cattle
John Amaechi ’94 – Former NBA athlete and first openly gay NBA player; author of Man in the Middle; regular sport and current affairs commentator for BBC, ITV, and SKY
John Aniston ’55 – Actor best known for his role as Victor Kiriakis on the daytime TV series Days of our Lives; father of actress Jennifer Aniston
Horace Ashenfelter III ’49, ’55g – Olympic gold medal winner in the 3,000m steeplechase (track & field) at the 1952 Olympic Games
Kelly Ayotte ’90 – Republican U.S. Senator for New Hampshire (elected 2010)
Allison Baver ’03 – Olympic bronze medalist, speed skating short track, 3,000m relay, at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games
Paul D. Bell ’82 – President, Public, Dell Inc.
Don Bellisario ’61 – Head of Belisarius Productions; producer of such TV series as NAVY NCIS, JAG, Quantum Leap, Magnum PI
Paul Berg ’48, ’52g – Nobel Prize winner in chemistry (1980); professor emeritus, Stanford University School of Medicine; Past chairman, National Advisory Committee, Human Genome Project
Todd Blackledge ’83 – College football analyst with ESPN/ABC; quarterback in the NFL for Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers (1983-1989)
Guion S. Bluford Jr. ’64 – First African American in space; mission specialist on four space shuttle flights
Jim Bradley ’75 – Longtime orthopedic physician for the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers; older brother of Penn State football defensive coordinator Tom Bradley ’78
Roscoe O. Brady Jr. ’43 – One of world’s foremost neuroscientists; Senior Investigator at the National Institutes of Health
Jim Broadhurst ’65 – Chairman and CEO of Eat ’N Park Hospitality Group
Benjy Bronk ’93 – Comedian and head writer for The Howard Stern Show
Dale Brown ’78 – New York Times best-selling author of adventure, military, and aviation novels Act of War, Battle Born, and Executive Intent
Ryan Buell ’06 – Producer and director of A&E network’s Paranormal State , a show based on a Penn State student club called the Paranormal Research Society
Ty Burrell ’97g – Television and movie actor currently starring in ABC’s Modern Family
John Cappelletti ’74 – Winner of college football’s 1973 Heisman Trophy
Margaret Carlson ’66 – First female columnist for Time magazine; appears regularly on CNN’s Inside Politics and The Capital Gang; now a columnist for Bloomberg News
Robert Cenker ’70, ’73g – Payload Specialist for RCA on the Columbia space shuttle, January 1986
T. Ming Chu ’67g – Discovered prostate specific antigen and developed prostate cancer detection test used worldwide; professor emeritus of pathology, SUNY, Buffalo
Mary Ellen Clark ’85 – Two-time bronze medal winner in the 10m platform (diving) at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games
Tom Clarke ’80g – Former president and CEO of Nike, Inc.
Lou D’Ambrosio ’86 – CEO and president, Sears
Charlie Dent ’82 – Republican Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (Pennsylvania)
Steven DeSouza ’68 – Screenwriter of Judge Dredd, Lethal Weapon, 48 Hours, Die Hard, and Die Hard 2
Janine Scarpello DiGioacchino ’96 – General manager of Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum in New York City and Washington, D.C.
Mike Doyle ’75 – Democratic Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (Pennsylvania)
Deborah M. Drattell ’79g – Operatic composer with credits that include Lilith performed by the New York City Opera, The Festival of Regrets, and Nicholas and Alexandra performed by the Los Angeles Opera and featuring Placido Domingo
Ben Feller ’90 – Associated Press reporter covering the White House since 2006
Carmen Finestra ’71 – Emmy Award-winning writer and producer of The Cosby Show, Home Improvement, Soul Man, Thunder Alley, and Where the Heart Is
Gregory S. Forbes’72 – Severe weather expert for The Weather Channel
Jonathan Frakes ’74 – Director and star of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as several Star Trek movies
Barbara Franklin ’62 – Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President George H. W. Bush
Alan S. Furst ’67g – Novelist and author of historical espionage novels Dark Voyage, The Foreign Correspondent, and The Spies of Warsaw, among others
Bob Garfield ’77 – Ad Weekly columnist, ABC News analyst, and co-host of On the Media on National Public Radio
Jean Craighead George ’41 – Nationally acclaimed children’s book writer; author of numerous children’s books including Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and Newbery Honor Book My Side of the Mountain
Jim Gerlach ’80g – Republican Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (Pennsylvania)
Howard Gordon ’63g, ’65g – One of the founding fathers of modern satellite oceanography
Rosey Grier ’56 – NFL All-Pro defensive tackle with the New York Giants, also played for the Los Angeles Rams; actor in numerous movies and television shows; remembered for his role in subduing Sirhan Sirhan following the assassination of Robert Kennedy
Jack Ham ’71 – Played for 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning four Super Bowl titles; Pro Football Hall of Fame (1988)
Franco Harris ’72 – Played for 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning four Super Bowl titles, and one season with the Seattle Seahawks; Pro Football Hall of Fame (1990); founder of Super Bakery
Dick Hoak ’62 – Retired Pittsburgh Steelers coach (1972–2006), the longest tenured coach in Steelers history; played for the Steelers (1960–1970)
Kate Hutton ’71 – Renowned seismologist with California Institute of Technology; scientific contributor to Furious Earth: The Science and Nature of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tsunamis
Matthew Hydzik ’05 – Actor currently starring on Broadway as Tony in West Side Story
James P. Jimirro ’58 – Creator and first president of the Disney Channel; former owner, chairman, and CEO of National Lampoon Media Company
David Keplinger ’90, ’94g – Award-winning poet; author of The Rose Inside (1999), The Clearing (2005), and The Prayers of Others (2006)
Keegan-Michael Key ’96 – Host of Animal Planet’s The Planet’s Funniest Animals; also known for roles on MADtv
Chip Kidd ’86 – Award-winning graphic artist and book designer; author and designer of Batman Collected, Batman Animated, The Cheese Monkeys, and True Prep (with Lisa Birnbach)
Don Roy King ’69 – Director of Saturday Night Live on NBC and other television shows; two-time Emmy nominee for SNL and Emmy winner for directing The Mike Douglas Show
Peter Klein ’91 – Emmy-winning producer for 60 Minutes; creator and producer of the History Channel series Beyond Top Secret
Charles Lagola ’82 – Production designer on ER and The Practice; produced music videos for Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, and Barbara Streisand
Kurt Landgraf ’70 – President and CEO, Educational Testing Service (ETS)
Stan Lathan ’67 – Director whose credits include Sesame Street, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, and more; Co-creator of Def Comedy Jam (HBO) and Peabody Award– and Tony Award–winning Def Poetry Jam
Paul Levine ’69 – Former newspaper reporter, law professor, and trial lawyer; now an award-winning author of the Solomon vs. Lord legal thrillers and the recently released To Speak for the Dead
Bruce Lloyd ’68g – Cardiologist for U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush
Albert L. Lord ’67 – Vice chairman and CEO of Sallie Mae Corporation, the nation’s leading source of funding and financial services for higher education
John Lucas ’70g – One of the world’s foremost Olympic historians; author of several Olympic-related books and lecturer at the International Olympic Academy; Penn State Professor Emeritus
Rick Lyon ’85 – Puppet-maker, Sesame Street veteran, and original cast member of the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q
Riva Marker ’00 – Editor and associate producer of films such as The Kennedy Mystique-Creating Camelot (2004), Day Night Day Night (2006), and Sundance Film Festival audience pick for best dramatic film, Grace is Gone (2007)
Kathleen Mason ’71 – President and CEO of Tuesday Morning, Inc., discount retailer of upscale home furnishing and gifts
Christine Larson Mason ’78 – Bronze-medal winner in field hockey at the 1984 Olympics
Suzie McConnell Serio ’88 – Former head coach and player in the WNBA; two-time Olympian in 1988 (gold medal) and 1992 (bronze medal)
Steve McCurry ’74 – World-renowned photojournalist most famous for the photograph of the “Afghan Girl” in National Geographic magazine
Ellen McDonnell ’76 – Executive Director of News Programming, National Public Radio (NPR)
Matt Millen ’80 – NBC sports analyst and former president and CEO of the Detroit Lions
Norman C. Miller ’56 – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist; former chief of the Wall Street Journal’s Washington bureau; author of The Great Salad Oil Swindle
Lenny Moore ’56 – Played for 12 seasons with the Baltimore Colts; Pro Football Hall of Fame (1975)
Char Morett ’79 – Bronze-medal winner in field hockey at the 1984 Olympics; head coach of Penn State Field Hockey team
David B. Morrell ’67g, ’70g – Author of numerous best-selling books, including First Blood , the book that inspired the movie character Rambo
Ben Mutzabaugh ’97 – USA Today reporter and author of widely read airline industry travel blog, Today in the Sky
Joel N. Myers ’61, ’63g, ’71g – Founder, president, and chairman of the board of AccuWeather, Inc., the world’s largest weather forecasting company
Rod Nordland ’72 – Deputy Bureau Chief, Afghanistan, The New York Times; Former chief foreign correspondent, Newsweek; Pulitzer Prize winner for Three Mile Island coverage
Stu Ostro ’80 – Senior director of weather communications for The Weather Channel
Mark Parker ’77 – President and CEO of Nike, Inc.
Amy Wynn Pastor ’99 – Host of Make a Move and co-host of Backyard Stadiums on the DIY (Do It Yourself) Network; previously on-camera carpenter for the popular show Trading Spaces
James A. Pawelczyk ’85g – First Penn State professor in space as a payload specialist on the space shuttle (1998)
Lynne Rae Perkins ’78 – 2006 Newbery Medal winner for the children’s book Criss Cross
William J. Perry ’57g – Former Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton (1994-1997)
John Pielmeier ’78g – Playwright and screenwriter best known for his drama Agnes of God
Valerie Plame Wilson ’85 – Former CIA officer; author of Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House
Heather Rarick ’87 – Flight director, NASA Mission Control
Michael B. Reid ’69 – Grammy-winning musician and composer; NFL All-Pro defensive tackle, Cincinnati Bengals
Thomas Ridge ’72g – Former governor of Pennsylvania and first Secretary of Homeland Security
Lisa Salters ’88 – Sports reporter for ESPN
Rick Santorum ’80, ’86g – Former Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Republican Senator from Pennsylvania
Jon Saraceno ’79 – USA Today sports columnist
Jerry Schwartz ’77 – News features editor, Associated Press; wrote the breaking wire stories of 9/11
Richard Schweiker ’50 – Retired Republican Secretary of Health and Human Services under Ronald Reagan (1981-1983); Republican U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvania (1960-1968) and Republican U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania (1969-1981)
Robert C. Shaler ’66g, ’68g – Forensic scientist who supervised the large-scale DNA testing to identify 9/11 World Trade Center victims; Penn State professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Steve Sheetz ’69 – Chairman, Sheetz, Inc.
Michael Shine ’76 – Silver medal winner, 400m hurdles, Montreal Olympics (1976)
Martin J. Smith ’78 – Award-winning journalist; senior editor of the Los Angeles Times Magazine; author of suspense novels and other books
Lara Spencer ’91 – Co-anchor of Good Morning America
Brenda Stauffer ’92 – Member of the bronze medal field hockey team at the 1984 Olympic Games
John P. Surma Jr. ’76 – Chairman and CEO of U.S. Steel Corporation
Barclay Tagg ’61 – Trainer of 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide
Kevin Tan ’04 – Bronze medalist, 2008 Beijing Olympics; assistant coach, Penn State men’s gymnastics
Jigme Thinley ’76g – Prime Minister and Head of the Government of Bhutan
Glenn “GT” Thompson ’81 – Republican U.S. Congressman for Pennsylvania, 5th District
D. Robert Vallance ’63 – Thoroughbred horse veterinarian; famous patients include 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Spectacular Bid and 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide
Tom Verducci ’82 – Senior writer for Sports Illustrated magazine
David R. Wagoner ’47 – Former chancellor, Academy of American Poets; award-winning poet, novelist, and editor whose books of poetry include Traveling Light: Collected and New Poems (1999) and Walt Whitman Bathing (1996)
Andrew Kevin Walker ’86 – Screenwriter of numerous films including Seven, Panic Room, and the Academy Award-winning Sleepy Hollow
Patricia Woertz ’74 – Chairman, CEO, and president of agricultural processing giant Archer Daniels Midland
Frank Wolf ’61 – Republican Congressman, U.S. House of Representatives (Virginia)
Jim Zarroli ’79 – Business correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR)
CODA
the bold print blocks and not bold type blocks are only placed as some may find it easier to read the list with markers.