44° FFeatured Alumni
David Obey
Congressman Paying his college bills with money earned as a busboy at Rennebohm’s Drug Store on State Street and by installing tile for his landlord, David Obey BS1960, MA1968 never envisioned a political career. Then... Read more »
Demondrae Thurman
Musical Mentor Demondrae Thurman MMusic 1998 hits so many notes in his busy life that the cadence belies the mellow tones of his horn, the euphonium. A brass instrument smaller than a tuba, the euphonium... Read more »
Don Fraynd
Bold Reformer The decades-long debate about school reform drags on, but Donald Fraynd PhD2004, who earned his doctorate in educational administration, has developed some bold solutions that work. Using research begun during his PhD program,... Read more »
Dong-Soo Hur
From “Mr. Oil” to “Mr. Green” Though the press usually dubs Dong-Soo Hur MS1968, PhD1971 as Korea’s “Mr. Oil,” a better nickname for the long-time energy executive is “Mr. Green.” In the 1960s, Hur came... Read more »
Doris Meissner
The Perfect Public Servant Fred and Bertha Borst were German immigrants to America. Fred arrived via Ellis Island in the 1920s, and told of his heartache when he lost his naturalization papers in a fire.... Read more »
Edward Schildhauer
A Man, a Plan, a Canal — Panama! In 1904, the United States took over an ambitious plan that French engineers had abandoned: working to build a 50-mile canal joining the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans... Read more »
Edwin Witte
Economist for the People Edwin Witte BA1909 PhD1927 — a lifelong Wisconsin resident and UW-educated economist — took the Wisconsin Idea to the nation’s capital in the 1930s, when he helped to create the Social... Read more »
Elzie Higginbottom
Elzie Higginbottom BS1965 sprinted his way to a UW education, and he used what he learned to run a business in real estate.... Read more »
Emily Hahn
Writing Roughshod A “spirited” engineer In 1922, Emily “Mickey” Hahn BS1926 tried to enroll in a UW chemistry course. When told the class was open only to engineering students, she thumbed her nose at the... Read more »
Eric Green
Genomics Chief Eric Green BS1981’s ability to understand and convey the intricacies and the promise of science is part of his DNA, which only seems fitting. The son of a noted Saint Louis virologist, Green... Read more »
Eric Neufeld
Restoring Limbs, Restoring Lives Eric Neufeld BA1998 began his career in the field of prosthetic engineering at Scheck & Siress, Chicago’s largest provider of orthotics and prosthetics, using his free time to help more than... Read more »
Errol Morris
‘History is a crime scene’ With a ninth-grade IQ measured at 87 and habit of getting thrown out of graduate schools, Errol Morris BA1969 never claimed to be an academic. Still, he became an Oscar-winning... Read more »
Florence Bascom
Rock Star There’s an apocryphal story about what set Florence Bascom BA1882, BS1884, MS1887 on her rocky path to a career in geology. The story goes that her father, John Bascom, took her to Mammoth... Read more »
Florence Chenoweth
Champion for Food Security A thread has run through the storied life of Florence Chenoweth MS1970, PhD1986: no one in this world should go hungry. Long a champion for Africa’s poor, Chenoweth’s work has focused... Read more »
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (attended 1886–87) urged people — and especially his fellow architects — to “study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” That directive shows in the buildings he designed, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. ... Read more »
Frank Lloyd Wright
The 20th Century’s Architect Although he soared to fame as the most acclaimed architect of 20th-century America, the design for Frank Lloyd Wright’s life always included Wisconsin. Born in Richland Center in 1867, Wright enrolled... Read more »
Frederick Jackson Turner
Father of the Frontier Thesis The man who advanced the idea that moving westward shaped America’s very character was himself a pioneer. While Frederick Jackson Turner BA 1884, MA 1888’s Frontier Thesis has been roundly... Read more »
Gabriel Stulman
Restaurant Phenom When Gabriel Stulman BA2003 faced a crabby customer who was throwing a tantrum over the wait for a table in one of his New York City restaurants, he spontaneously hugged her. Not only... Read more »
Gabriela Cezar
Stem-Cell Visionary The door to major breakthroughs in human health and medical care opened in 1998 when a UW researcher first cultured human embryonic stem cells. Gabriela Cezar PhD2002 walked right on through, discovering ways... Read more »
Gaylord Nelson
Earth Day Founder, Champion for Change Gaylord Nelson LLB1942 led the movement for environmental stewardship and education long before words such as green or sustainable were in fashion. The founder of Earth Day and one... Read more »
Gene Amdahl
Amdahl Helped Launch the Computer Age Gene Amdahl MS1949, PhD1952’s childhood lessons came in a one-room South Dakota school that lacked electricity. From that beginning to an eye-catching UW graduate school stint and a fabled... Read more »
George Schaller
Ecological Missionary The world’s top field biologist has spent most of his life in the wild, studying and helping us all fall in love with animals that need protection. George Schaller MS1957, PhD1962 has slept... Read more »
Geraldine Hines
Geraldine Hines rose to high judicial office by ignoring advice.... Read more »
Harry Waisman
PKU Pioneer Find out early on. Harry Waisman BS 1935, MS 1937, PhD 1939, MD 1947 spread that message. He understood that early detection could change the trajectory of a child’s life, and today states... Read more »
Heidi Allstop
Online Empathy Heidi Allstop BA2010 desperately needed to “spill.” By her junior year, she felt stressed, lonely, and depressed, and she yearned to connect with peers who could empathize. So she created Spill, an anonymous... Read more »