List of Davidson College people

Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,900 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through the Davidson Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages, giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free.^{[citation needed]}

The following is a list of notable people associated with Davidson College.

Notable alumni

Arts, film, theatre, and broadcasting

Roxanne Beckford, actress
Michael Brun, DJ
Zachery Byrd, actor
Rod Daniel, director
Donald Davis, storyteller
Craig Detweiler, screenwriter, cultural commentator
Bertis Downs IV, manager of R.E.M.
Ervin Duggan, president of PBS
Kenan Ece, Turkish actor
McNair Evans, photographer
William R. Ferris, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, 1997–2001; founding director, Center for the Study of Southern Culture
John T. Fesperman, conductor and organist
Dan Gervacio, Magic Magazine's "Man of Mystery, 2019"^[1]
Frank Gohlke, photographer (attended, but later transferred to The University of Texas at Austin)
Elijah Gowin, photographer and Guggenheim Fellow
James Harding, British journalist
Sarah Frances Hardy, author and artist
Jack Harris, local broadcaster from Tampa, Florida
Herb Jackson, contemporary artist
Laeta Kalogridis, screenwriter and film producer
Todd Kimsey, actor
Stephen Andrew Lynch, film pioneer
Jana Mashonee Sampson, Grammy Award-winning singer^[2]
John Howell Morrison, composer
Harry Pickens, pianist
Sudeep Sen, poet
Clint Smith, writer for The Atlantic
John Starling, bluegrass musician
Lester Strong, Emmy Award-winning journalist
Nelson Sullivan, videographer and gay rights activist
William R. Trotter, author and historian
Kesler Woodward, artist, art historian, and curator
William Workman, opera singer

Athletics

Ryan Adeleye, Israeli-American professional soccer player (transferred)
Peyton Aldridge, basketball player
Fred Anderson, MLB player (transferred)
Mik Aoki, baseball head coach of the University of Notre Dame (2011–present)
Scotty Barr, MLB player
Everett Booe, baseball player
Brett Boretti, baseball head coach of the Columbia Lions (2006–present)
John A. Brewin, college administrator
De'Mon Brooks, basketball player
Dougal M. Buie, college baseball coach
Carl Cashion, baseball player
Alex Caskey, MLS player with Seattle Sounders FC (2012–2013)
Lloyd Christenbury, baseball player
Rufe Clarke, baseball player
Nik Cochran, professional basketball player
Jake Cohen, American/Israeli professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv
Pat Crawford, MLB player and member of the 1934 World Series St. Louis Cardinals
Pete Crayton, college football coach
Bart Creasman, professional soccer player
Perry Crosswhite, Australian basketball player
Stephen Curry, four-time NBA champion and two-time Most Valuable Player with the Golden State Warriors
Chris Czerapowicz, basketball player
Kevin Donnalley, former NFL player
Tom Dore, college basketball player
Norman B. Edgerton, college football coach
Robert Eenhoorn, MLB player
Bruce Elder, basketball player
Bill Fetzer, college baseball, basketball, and football coach
Buck Flowers, football player
Robyn Fralick, basketball coach
Alex Gibbs, assistant head coach of the Houston Texans (2008–10)
Conor Grace, basketball player
Kellan Grady, basketball player
H. M. Grey, college football coach and player
Jón Axel Guðmundsson, basketball player
Steve Heckard, former NFL player
Fred Hetzel, NBA basketball player (1965–71)
Jordan Hill, soccer player
Terry Holland, basketball coach at Davidson (1969–74), University of Virginia (1974–90)
Pete Hughes, baseball head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners (2012–present)
Oliver Huie, college football coach
Lee Hyun-jung, college basketball player
Fred Johnston, MLB player
Tyler Kalinoski, basketball player
Dean Keener, college basketball player, coach, and commentator
George M. King, college football player
Rod Knowles, professional basketball player
Flake Laird, college football, baseball, and basketball coach and player
Sam Lanford, professional baseball player
Mike Maloy, ABA and overseas basketball player
Dick Marlowe, baseball player
Buck Marrow, baseball player
Bill Masse, baseball player
Matt Matheny, Elon basketball coach
Eric Minkin (born 1950), American-Israeli basketball player
Paul Nichols, football coach
Matt Pacifici, soccer player
Chris Pollard, baseball head coach of Duke University (2012–present)
Caroline Queen, 2012 USA Olympic whitewater slalom K-1 kayaker
Charlie Reiter (born 1988), professional soccer player
Jason Richards, basketball player and college basketball assistant
Jennifer Roos, women's college basketball coach
Derek Rucker, Australian basketball player
Dan Simonds, MLB player
Dick Snyder, NBA basketball player (1966–79)
Matt Spear, Davidson soccer coach
Robert Ukrop, professional soccer player
Bob Vail, baseball player
Brandon Williams, basketball player and NBA minor league coach
Shirley Wilson, football coach
Brendan Winters, professional basketball player
William L. Younger, college football coach

Business

William Appleton, technologist
James Batten, CEO of Knight-Ridder (1989–95)^[3]
Irwin Belk, Belk businessman (transferred)^[4]
John Belk, head of Belk^[5]
John Chidsey, CEO of Subway (2019–present)^[6]
Clayton Daley, former CFO of The Procter & Gamble Company
Martin Daniel Eakes, CEO of Center for Responsible Lending (2000–present)
Francis Henry Fries, textile magnet
Nelson Z. Graves, developer
Earl J. Hesterberg, Houston businessman^[7]
Justin Jenk, investor
Stephen P. MacMillan, former CEO, president, and chairman of the board of Stryker Corp
Jean Mauzé, Manhattan banker
Jacqueline Musiitwa, Ugandan businesswoman
Lunsford Richardson, inventor of Vicks VapoRub and founder of Vicks
Jack Wayman, creator of the Consumer Electronics Show

Education

William Wright Abbot, archivist and historian
Graham T. Allison, professor at Harvard and author of Essence of Decision (did not graduate)
Issac Bailey, professor
Elizabeth Barnes, philosophy professor at the University of Virginia
Philip Beidler, American literature professor
Eugene C. Brooks, president of the University of North Carolina
Roger H. Brown, President at Berklee College of Music (2004–present)
Jennings Bryant, professor of communication at the University of Alabama
James H. Daughdrill, Jr., president of Rhodes College
Charles Till Davis, medieval historian
Walter Edgar, historian
Carl Elliott, philosopher
James M. Farr, President of the University of Florida (1927–28); English language and literature scholar
Douglas A. Hicks, provost at Colgate University
Daniel Harvey Hill, Jr., chancellor at North Carolina State University
Calvin Howell, physicist and professor at Duke University
Elizabeth Kiss, warden of the Rhodes Trust, former president of Agnes Scott College
William Link, historian, academic and author
Paul Marion, President of Tiffin University, Franklin College, and PA Association of Colleges and Universities; Chancellor of State College System of West Virginia; Director of Higher Education, State of Arkansas
D. G. Martin, university administrator
Evander Bradley McGilvary, philosopher
Richard McIlwaine, President of Hampden-Sydney College
Patrick D. Miller, Old Testament scholar
William Andrew Moffett, historian and librarian
John Wilson Moore, biophysicist
Michael Munger, professor at Duke University
Guy L. Nesom, writer and botanist
Harold Douglas Pratt, Jr., ornithologist and bird illustrator
Julius W. Pratt, historian specializing in foreign relations and imperialism
James M. Robinson, religion scholar
Thomas W. Ross, president of the University of North Carolina system
C. Alphonso Smith, professor
Glenn Terrell, president of Washington State University
Sharon Thompson-Schill, psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania

Law

R. Stan Baker, federal judge
Wade Barber, Superior Court Judge in North Carolina (1998–2006)
Kenneth B. Bell, Justice of the Florida Supreme Court (2003–2008)
James Edmund Boyd, United States federal judge
Elizabeth L. Branch, federal judge
Henry Gaston Bunn, Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice
Armistead Burwell, Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (1892–1894)
Robert Allan Edgar, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee judge
Conner Eldridge, US attorney for the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
Robert C. Ervin, North Carolina judge
Sam J. Ervin IV, Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (2015–present)
Samuel James Ervin III, son of U.S. Senator Sam Ervin, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1980–99)
William Eskridge, legal theorist and professor at Yale Law School
Vic Fleming, judge and teacher in Little Rock, Arkansas
Vincent Foster, Deputy White House Counsel in the Bill Clinton administration (1993)
James Hamilton, assistant chief counsel for the United States Senate Watergate Committee
William J. Haynes, II, General Counsel, U.S. Department of Defense
Karen S. Marston, Assistant US Attorney
Boyce Ficklen Martin, Jr., Chief Judge Emeritus of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Harry Martin, North Carolina Supreme Court justice
John L. Napier, United States Congressman; Judge, U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Frank I. Osborne, North Carolina Attorney General
James Dickson Phillips, Jr., Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1978–94)
Sanford L. Steelman, Jr., North Carolina Court of Appeals judge
Taylor Hudnall Stukes, South Carolina Supreme Court chief justice
Alan Z. Thornburg, North Carolina Court of Appeals judge
William Byrd Traxler, Jr., Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1998–present)
Richard Lesley Voorhees, United States federal judge
William Walter Wilkins, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (1986–2007)

Medicine

Burkey Belser, graphic designer and creator of the nutrition facts label
Ketan Ramanlal Bulsara, surgeon
James E. Crowe, immunologist and pediatrician
Glenn A. Fry, optometrist
Mark S. George, medical professor
Richard L. Guerrant, physician
D. Neil Hayes, oncologist
Wayne Jonas, director, NIH Office of Alternative Medicine^[8]
Benjamin Lahey, epidemiologist
Beaufort Longest, medical professional
Sallie Permar, pediatrician
David Resnik, bioethicist
William Cumming Rose, determined essential amino acids for human nutrition
Mary T. Martin Sloop, healthcare advocate
David Talmage, immunologist
James Trussell, PhD^[9] creator of Plan-B emergency contraception^[10] (Levonorgestrel), emeritus professor of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University
Porter Paisley Vinson, surgeon at the Mayo Clinic

Military

Fred Borch, Army attorney
William D. Halyburton, Jr., World War II Medal of Honor recipient
Rufus G. Herring, World War II Medal of Honor recipient
Samuel Reeves Keesler, World War I pilot
William Lee J. Lowrance, Confederate Army colonel, businessman and pastor
Tom Marshburn, NASA astronaut
Prescott Prince, Navy captain, rule of law officer who defended Khalid Sheik Mohammed
Stephen Dodson Ramseur, major general, Confederate Army
Jack C. Stultz, lieutenant general; commanding general, United States Army Reserve

Politics (elected office)

James McNair Baker, Confederate Senator
Bruce W. Bannister, South Carolina legislator
John Belk, Mayor of Charlotte (1969–77)
John Dillard Bellamy, United States Congressman from North Carolina (1899–1903)
Risden Tyler Bennett, United States Congressman from North Carolina
Kurt Biedenkopf, Minister-President of Saxony (1990–2002) and President of the German Bundesrat (1999–2000); studied at Davidson 1949–50
David Blount, Member of the Mississippi Senate (2008–present)
Josiah Abigail Patterson Campbell, Confederate politician
Jay Chaudhuri, member of the North Carolina General Assembly
J. Bayard Clark, United States Congressman from North Carolina
Dan Clodfelter, Mayor of Charlotte (2014–2015), Member of the North Carolina Senate (1999–2014)
George Cretekos, Mayor of Clearwater, Florida^[11]
E. McA. Currie, mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina
Howard Dyer, Mississippi state senator
John M. Faison, United States Congressman from North Carolina (1911–15)
Bill Ferguson, member of the Maryland Senate
Virgil Fludd, member of the Georgia House of Representatives
Wyche Fowler, U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia (1977–1986), United States Senator from Georgia (1986–1992), and United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (1996–2000)
Stanley H. Fox, North Carolina Assembly member
Anthony Foxx, Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina (2009–13) and United States Secretary of Transportation (2013–17)
David H. Gambrell, United States Senator from Georgia (1971–72) (appointed)
Robert Broadnax Glenn, Governor of North Carolina
George W. Gregory, Jr., member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr., member of the North Carolina General Assembly
David N. Henderson, United States Congressman from North Carolina (1961–77)
Jim Hodges, Governor of South Carolina (1999–2003)
James Holshouser, Governor of North Carolina (1973–77)
Max Hyde Jr., member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
Hinton James, United States Congressman from North Carolina (1930–31)
Craig Leonard, Canadian politician
Ed Lindsey, member of the Georgia House of Representatives
Grier Martin, Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives (2005–present)
James G. Martin, Governor of North Carolina (1985–93)
Julie Mayfield, North Carolina state senator
Larry McDonald, United States Congressman from Georgia (1975–83); died 1983 when the Soviet Union shot down Korean Air Flight 007
James Dalrymple McIver, member of the North Carolina General Assembly
E. Blackburn Moore, Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates (1950–67)
Greg Murphy, United States Congressman from North Carolina (2019–present)
Maston E. O'Neal, Jr., United States Congressman from Georgia (1965–71)
George Osborne, Member of Parliament (2001–17) and Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom (2010–16); studied at Davidson as a Dean Rusk Scholar^[12]
Carl C. Perkins, United States Congressman from Kentucky (1984–93)
DuBose Porter, chair of the Georgia Democratic Party; former member of the Georgia House of Representatives
William R. Purcell, member of the North Carolina Assembly
James Graham Ramsay, Confederate politician
Paul Renner, member of Florida House of Representatives
Charlie Rose, United States Congressman from North Carolina (1973–97)
John Shott, member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
Jasper K. Smith, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives (1944–48; 1952–64)^[13]^{[self-published source]}
John Spratt, United States Congressman from South Carolina (1982–2011), former ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee
William Francis Stevenson, United States Congressman from South Carolina (1917–33)
T. Clarence Stone, North Carolina politician
Mary Verner, Mayor of Spokane, Washington (2007–2012)
Page Walley, Tennessee State Senator
Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States and President of Princeton University (transferred)

Public and private service

Yaroslav Brisiuck, Ukrainian diplomat
Kenneth L. Brown, US Ambassador to Ghana (1992–95)
Giorgio Rosso Cicogna, Italian diplomat
James F. Entwistle, US Ambassador to Nigeria
John Finklea, EPA administrator
Vincent W. Foster, Jr., Deputy White House Counsel (1993)
Wyche Fowler, Jr., United States Senator and Representative from Georgia (1977–93); US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (1996–2001)
Margaret Hoover, political commentator
Parameswaran Iyer, Indian civil servant
Lorie K. Logan, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Lenny McAllister, conservative activist
John L. McLucas, United States Secretary of the Air Force (1973–75); CEO of MITRE Corporation
Leonidas L. Polk, agrarian leader
Eric Rosenbach, United States Department of Defense official
Dean Rusk, United States Secretary of State (1961–69)
Stephen Salyer, President and CEO of Salzburg Global Seminar; former CEO of Public Radio International
Mark Sandy, former director of the Office of Management and Budget
Buie Seawell, chief of staff to Gary Hart
Tony Snow, White House Press Secretary (2006–07), syndicated talk radio host and Fox News Channel pundit
Michael R. Taylor, FDA administrator
Ann Tutwiler, agricultural administrator
William Winkenwerder, Jr., Defense Department official

Religion

G. Thompson Brown (1921–2014), professor; founder of Honam Theological University and Seminary; missionary
Charles Cousar, New Testament scholar, author, Professor Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary
Donald A. Crosby, philosopher
Frances Taylor Gench, Presbyterian minister, New Testament scholar
Douglas Oldenburg, President Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary; moderator of the 210th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church
Francis Wilson Price, missionary
Edward V. Ramage, Presbyterian minister from Alabama
Holmes Rolston III, professor, theologian, philosopher; 2003 Templeton Prize recipient
Herbert Spaugh, bishop of the Moravian Church
J. Rodman Williams, theologian and father of modern Renewal Theology

Writers, journalists, and publishers

Vereen Bell, journalist and author
Nicholas Carlson, global editor-in-chief of Insider
Martin Clark, author
Patricia Cornwell, author
William Emerson, civil rights journalist for Newsweek; editor in chief of The Saturday Evening Post; left Davidson early to serve in World War II^[14]
R. S. Gwynn, poet
Sarah Frances Hardy, artist and author/illustrator, best known for her picture books
John Hart, Edgar Award-winning author
Alamgir Hashmi, poet, scholar
Rebecca Hazelton, poet
McKendree Long, artist, poet, known as "picture painter of the apocalypse"
Charlie Lovett, best-selling author
Hilary Masters, novelist
Jason McManus, editor-in-chief of Time Inc. (1988–94)
Robert Olmstead, novelist and educator
Steph Post, author
Sheri Reynolds, author, playwright^[15]
Sudeep Sen, author
Clint Smith, author
Frank Soos, author, Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction, Alaska State Writer Laureate
W. Dabney Stuart, poet
William Styron, author; attended in 1942, left to join the Marines
Chuck Sudetic, journalist
Josh Voorhees, reporter for Slate
Charles Wright, Pulitzer Prize; Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry recipient; chancellor of The Academy of American Poets; American United States Poet Laureate

Current and former faculty

Presidents of the college

Presidents of Davidson College

Rev. Robert Hall Morrison (1836–40)
Rev. Samuel Williamson (1841–54)
Rev. Drury Lacy, Jr. (1855–60)
Rev. John Lycan Kirkpatrick (1860–66)
Rev. George Wilson McPhail (1866–71)
Prof. John Rennie Blake, Chairman (1871–77)
Rev. Andrew Dousa Hepburn (1877–85)
Rev. Luther McKinnon (1885–88)
Col. William Joseph Martin, acting (1887–88)
Rev. John Bunyan Shearer (1888–1901)
Dr. Henry Louis Smith (1901–12)
Dr. William Joseph Martin, Jr. (1912–29)
Rev. Walter Lee Lingle (1929–41)
Dr. John Rood Cunningham (1941–57)
Prof. Clarence John Pietenpol, acting (1957–58)
David Grier Martin (1958–68)
Prof. Frontis W. Johnston, acting (1968)
Dr. Samuel Reid Spencer, Jr. (1968–83)
Prof. Frontis W. Johnston, acting (1983–84)
Dr. John Kuykendall (1984–97)
Robert F. Vagt (1997–2007)
Thomas Warren Ross (2007–10)
Dr. John Kuykendall, acting (2010–11)
Dr. Carol Quillen (2011–2022)
Dr. Douglas A. Hicks (2022–present)

References

^ QUIPS AND CRANKS - 2008. E. H. Little Library Davidson College. Davidson College. 2008.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ "Davidson College News Archives". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
^ "NEWSPAPER EXECUTIVE JAMES K. BATTEN DIES AT AGE 59". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
^ Rothacker, Rick (March 1, 2018). "Prominent member of Belk family who helped create UNC Charlotte dies at age 95". The Charlotte Observer.
^ "John M. Belk Endowment awards $3 million gift to advance student success". UNC System. May 24, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
^ Marusak, Joe (April 8, 2014). "Couple donate $10 million to Davidson College". The Charlotte Observer.
^ Lev, Michael (August 14, 1991). "BUSINESS PEOPLE; Nissan's U.S. Division Makes Three Changes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
^ "Integrative Health Program". Dr. Wayne Jonas. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
^ James Trussell, PhD
^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Davidson College.
^ "Clearwater mayoral candidate George Cretekos touts his experience". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
^ "George Osborne MP – Profile – Conservative Party". Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
^ Jake Smith, Dinner with Mobutu: A Chronicle of My Life and Times, pp. 14–16. Xlibris Corporation. 2005. ISBN 978-1413499438. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
^ Applebome, Peter. "William A. Emerson Jr., Editor in Chief of Saturday Evening Post, Dies at 86", The New York Times, August 26, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
^ Charlotte Observer | Entertainment

[1] QUIPS AND CRANKS - 2008. E. H. Little Library Davidson College. Davidson College. 2008.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[2] "Davidson College News Archives". Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2014.

[3] "NEWSPAPER EXECUTIVE JAMES K. BATTEN DIES AT AGE 59". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 22, 2020.

[4] Rothacker, Rick (March 1, 2018). "Prominent member of Belk family who helped create UNC Charlotte dies at age 95". The Charlotte Observer.

[5] "John M. Belk Endowment awards $3 million gift to advance student success". UNC System. May 24, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.

[6] Marusak, Joe (April 8, 2014). "Couple donate $10 million to Davidson College". The Charlotte Observer.

[7] Lev, Michael (August 14, 1991). "BUSINESS PEOPLE; Nissan's U.S. Division Makes Three Changes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 23, 2020.

[8] "Integrative Health Program". Dr. Wayne Jonas. Retrieved June 22, 2020.

[9] James Trussell, PhD

[10] "Frequently Asked Questions". Davidson College.

[11] "Clearwater mayoral candidate George Cretekos touts his experience". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 22, 2020.

[12] "George Osborne MP – Profile – Conservative Party". Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved April 5, 2014.

[13] Jake Smith, Dinner with Mobutu: A Chronicle of My Life and Times, pp. 14–16. Xlibris Corporation. 2005. ISBN 978-1413499438. Retrieved June 9, 2014.

[14] Applebome, Peter. "William A. Emerson Jr., Editor in Chief of Saturday Evening Post, Dies at 86", The New York Times, August 26, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2009.

[15] Charlotte Observer | Entertainment

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