Here follows a list of notable people associated with Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. This list includes alumni, attendees, faculty, and presidents of the university.
Notable graduates and attendees
Business and industry John Branca, entertainment industry lawyer Norton Clapp, an original owner of Space Needle Stephen Cooper, CEO of Warner Music Group W. Don Cornwell, CEO of Granite Broadcasting Marsha J. Evans, CEO of American Red Cross, Navy admiral Frank Hershey, automotive designer Arthur Peck, former CEO of Gap Inc. Linda Bradford Raschke, commodities and futures trader
Entertainment and the arts
Ben Affleck, actor, director, screenwriter Stephen Beal, visual artist Ashly Burch, actress John Callas, writer, director, producer Sadie Calvano, actress August Coppola, academic, author, film executive and advocate for the arts Glenn Corbett, television actor Michael Angelo Covino, actor, filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite, documentary filmmaker, Blackfish Will Friedle, actor (Falsely credited, not a true alumnus) Terry Gilliam, animator and comedian in Monty Python comedy troupe; filmmaker: Brazil, 12 Monkeys Joanna Gleason, actor Mike Hoover, cameraman, journalist, documentarian, winner of Academy and Emmy Awards Terry Kitchen, musician Lane 8, musician, producer Loren Lester, actor Thomas Murray, organist George Nader, actor Marcel Ophüls, filmmaker Emily Osment, actress; Class of 2015 Cooper Raiff, actor, director Joe Rohde, Imagineer Peter Scolari, actor Jake Shears, lead singer of Scissor Sisters Anna Slotky, actress Dan Slott, comic book writer Kirsten Smith, screenwriter, Ten Things I Hate About You, Legally Blonde, The Ugly Truth Roger Guenveur Smith, actor Rider Strong, actor Taku Takahashi, musician Maurissa Tancharoen, actress, singer, dancer, television writer and lyricist Jesús Salvador Treviño, television director Tui St. George Tucker, composer Michael Whaley, actor, director, writer Luke Wilson, actor
Government, diplomacy, and law Kathy Augustine, politician from Nevada Alphonzo E. Bell, Jr., U.S. congressman David S. Cunningham, Jr., Los Angeles City Council member, 1973–87 Gloria Duffy, president and CEO of The Commonwealth Club, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and Special Coordinator for Cooperative Threat Reduction Richard Falkenrath, former deputy homeland security advisor Robert Finch, Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare 1969–1970, Lieutenant Governor of California 1967–1969 U. Alexis Johnson, U.S. diplomat
Jack Kemp, AFL and NFL player 1958–1970, U.S. representative from New York 1971–1989, U.S. Secretary Department of Housing and Urban Development 1989–1993, Republican vice presidential nominee in 1996; awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2009 Kristina A Kvien, United States smbassador, U.S. Embassy of Armeni David M. Louie, attorney general of Hawaii Pete McCloskey, U.S. representative 1967–83 Jacqueline Nguyen, federal judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Chris Norby, California State Assemblyman
Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States Dennis R. Patrick, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, 1987–1989 Thomas M. Rees, U.S. congressman Janette Sadik-Khan, commissioner, New York City Department of Transportation Janis Lynn Sammartino, federal judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of California Mark S. Scarberry, professor of law at Pepperdine University School of Law Grant Woods, Arizona attorney general
Higher education and academia Coit D. Blacker, political science professor at Stanford University Glenn S. Dumke, history professor and chancellor of the California State University Sharon Gaber, president of the University of Toledo Karen L. Gould, president of Brooklyn College Lewis Sargentich, legal scholar at Harvard Law School
Journalism
Bessie Beatty (1886–1947), reported on Russian Revolution Steve Coll, former Washington Post managing editor, Pulitzer Prize winner Andrea Elliott, reporter for The New York Times, Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Gulker, photographer Margot Mifflin, professor of journalism, feminist cultural critic James Andrew Miller, reporter for Washington Post, author of oral histories on ESPN, CAA Patt Morrison, NPR radio personality and columnist for the Los Angeles Times Sam Rubin, KTLA entertainment anchor, journalist; class of 1982
Literature and writing Mark Dery, author and cultural critic M. F. K. Fisher, writer Robinson Jeffers, poet Scott O'Dell, author, Newbery Award winner Carrie Vaughn, writer Gladys Waddingham, teacher and local historian Rosalind Wiseman, writer
Medicine David G. Armstrong, physician/medical researcher Howard Judd, medical researcher
Science Brent Dalrymple, geologist and National Medal of Science winner William Goddard, engineer Edmund C. Jaeger, naturalist, author, teacher J. P. Mallory, archaeologist John E. McCosker, ichthyologist Fred Lawrence Whipple, astronomer
Social action, philanthropy, and community service Howard Ahmanson, Jr, philanthropist, financier, and writer Angelica Salas, immigration activist Cameron Townsend, founder, Wycliffe Bible Translators and Summer Institute of Linguistics Rex Weyler, author, journalist, ecologist and co-founder of Greenpeace International; did not graduate
Sports and athletics Keith Beebe, football player Ron Botchan, five-time Super Bowl official for NFL 1980–2002 Olin Browne, PGA Tour winner Dean Cromwell, USC and Olympic track and field coach Luke Collis, arena football player Anna Dalton, long-distance runner Joe Faust, Olympic high jumper Justin Goltz, NFL/CFL quarterback Bob Gutowski, pole vaulter, 1956 Olympic silver medalist Jack Kemp, AFL and NFL star quarterback of Buffalo Bills Sammy Lee, two-time Olympic gold medalist in diving Jim Mora, Sr., coached NFL's New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts Vance Mueller, NFL running back Bill Redell, college and pro quarterback, high school coach Johnny Sanders, NFL general manager Danny Southwick, arena football player Jim Tunney, NFL official 1960–1991; three Super Bowls
Notable faculty
Linda Besemer (born 1957), James Irvine Distinguished Professor of the Arts 1987–2009 Peter Dreier, Dr. E.P. Clapp Distinguished Professor of Politics and director of the Urban and Environmental Policy Department; director of Housing at the Boston Redevelopment Authority and senior policy advisor to Boston Mayor Ray Flynn for nine years Eric Garcetti, former assistant professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs; former mayor of Los Angeles George R. Goldner, art historian, Drue Heinz Chairman of the Department of Drawings and Paints of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Julia Holter, singer-songwriter, record producer, composer, artist; appointed Professor of the Practice of Songwriting in 2021 Sara Rittenhouse Brown (1854–1938), professor, English Martha Ronk, Price Professor of English Literature, 2005 PEN American Center Literary Award winner in poetry Janet Scheel, Ezra Frederick Scattergood Professor of Physics and chair of the Department of Physics Derek Shearer, director of the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs and Chevalier Professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs, former United States Ambassador to Finland"Derek Shearer" (Archive). Occidental College. Retrieved on August 5, 2014.
Presidents
The following persons have led Occidental College since 1887:
ImageNameTerm startTerm end1Samuel H. Weller188718912J. Melville McPherron189218943Elbert Nevius ConditOctober 1894July 20, 18964James W. ParkhillJuly 20, 189618975Guy W. WadsworthJuly 28, 1897September 1905actingWilliam Stewart YoungSeptember 6, 1905October 19066John Willis BaerOctober 1906October 12, 1916actingThomas Gregory BurtOctober 12, 1916August 19177Silas EvansAugust 1917July 28, 1920actingThomas Gregory BurtJuly 29, 192019218Remsen Bird1921June 30, 1946actingRobert G. ClelandSeptember 1927January 1928actingArthur G. CoonsJune 1, 1945June 30, 19469July 1, 1946June 30, 196510Richard C. GilmanJuly 1, 1965July 31, 198811John Brooks SlaughterAugust 1, 1988June 30, 199912Theodore R. MitchellJuly 1, 1999August 31, 2005actingKenyon S. ChanSeptember 1, 2005August 31, 200613Susan Westerberg PragerSeptember 1, 2006December 31, 200714Robert SkotheimJanuary 1, 2008June 30, 200915Jonathan VeitchJuly 1, 2009June 30, 202016Harry J. Elam Jr.July 1, 2020June 30, 202417Tom StritikusJuly 1, 2024present
Table notes:
References