Notable Alumni

Do you have any famous alumni? A few famous, many quite successful:

National Alumni

  • Claude Akins, actor
  • Frederick Biletnikoff, college and pro football Hall of Fame
  • Dr. J. Michael Bishop, Nobel Prize in medicine
  • Harry Blackmun, U.S. Supreme Court justice
  • Fred J. Borch, former president/CEO of General Electric
  • Pappy Boyington, World War II “Black Sheep” squadron commander, Medal of Honor recipient
  • Benjamin Bratt, actor
  • John Breaux, long-serving U.S. Congressman and Senator
  • Stephen A. Briganti – President/CEO of Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island Foundation
  • Larry Brown, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic basketball coach
  • Lt. Gen. Donald Campbell, Comanding General, U.S. Army Europe
  • Kenny Chesney, country musician
  • Richard T. Clark, chairman of Merck & Co.
  • Maxwell Cleland, former U.S. Senator
  • W. Kent Cooper, architect of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Korean Veterans Memorial
  • Dr. Donald J. Cram, Nobel Prize in chemistry
  • John Danforth, former attorney general of Missouri, former U.S. senator, former U.N. ambassador
  • William T. Dillard, chairman & CEO, Dillard Department Stores
  • Jimmy Doolittle, leader of the World War II Doolittle Raid over Tokyo, Medal of Honor recipient
  • Brett Eldridge, country musician
  • John Faraci, chairman and CEO, International Paper
  • Wendell H. Ford, former governor and U.S. senator from Kentucky
  • Will Forte, actor
  • Will Geer, actor
  • Chester Gould, creator of Dick Tracy
  • Paul Harvey, radio personality
  • Hank Iba, Hall of Fame basketball coach and Olympic medalist
  • C. Robert Kidder, chairman of Chrysler Group
  • Dr. C. Glen King, co-discoverer of Vitamin C
  • Frank R. Lillie, 13th president of the National Academy of Sciences, founder and 1st president of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
  • Murray D. Lincoln, founder of Nationwide Insurance and CARE
  • William McCormick, co-founder McCormick & Schmick's
  • William W. McGuire, CEO of UnitedHealth
  • Gen. Montgomery Meigs, Commanding General, 7th Army
  • Joe Dan Osceola, former President of the Seminole Tribe
  • Woody Paige, sports commentator
  • Ron Paul, former Congressman
  • Joseph Philbin, head coach, Miami Dolphins
  • Rick Pitino, college basketball Hall of Fame coach
  • Bill Rasmussen, co-founder of ESPN
  • John S. Reed, chairman of MIT’s board of trustees, former chair of the NYSE, former CEO of Citigroup
  • Frank Reynolds, ABC news anchor and host
  • Richard Santullli, founder of NetJets
  • Joe Saunders, CEO of Visa
  • B. F. Skinner, noted psychologist
  • Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States
  • Rob Walton, chairman of Walmart
  • James H. Williams, developer of sulpha drugs and Aureomycin
  • Brett Yormark, President and CEO of the New Jersey Nets
  • Michael Zarrilli, Managing Director, Chase Manhattan

For a more complete list, see Notable Lambda Chis on the international fraternity’s website.

Omicron Alumni

Boldface indicates living alumni.

Business & Industry

  • Stephen B. Ashley, Chairman and CEO of The Ashley Group; former Chairman of Fannie Mae; Cornell University Trustee; 1998 recipient of Cornell University Outstanding Alumni Award and 2016 recipient of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award
  • Richard W. Brown, former Vice President of Banfi Vintners; former president of the Cornell Alumni Society and Cornell Hotel Society; founder of the National Institute of the Foodservice Industry; namesake of the Richard W. Brown Cornell Hotel Society Amphitheatre in the Beck Center
  • Robert Cantwell, vice president and general counsel, Colgate-Palmolive; namesake of the Cantwell Prize for Exemplary Student Research at the Cornell Law Library
  • Scott Coffina, Burlington County (NJ) Prosecutor; former partner, Drinker Biddle, Philadelphia
  • Aslag H. Eskesen, former president, General Electric of Argentina
  • Gary Fitzgerald, president and CEO of Iroquois Healthcare
  • Hamlin M. “Sandy” Gilbert, business and advertising executive with Time and Smithsonian magazines; chairman, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide
  • Christopher T. Grubb, Managing Director at Greenhill
  • Jonathan H. Grunzweig, Chief Investment Officer and Principal of Colony Capital
  • Clement Harris, president and general manager of Harris-Boyer Baking Co., inventor of Bunny Bread and Gobs
  • Frank N. Hawkins, Jr., co-founder and president of Hawk Associates; longtime roles as journalist and executive with Knight-Ridder and The Associated Press
  • William E. N. Hawkins, editor and publisher of the Post & Courier, Charleston, South Carolina
  • Ken Himmel, president and CEO of Related Urban; namesake of the Himmel Auditorium in the Beck Center
  • Milburn M. Hollengreen, chairman and CEO of Landis Tool Co.
  • Robert H. Hurlbut, president of the Hurlbut Trust; CEO of Hurlbut Care Communities; previously chair of Strong Memorial Hospital, trustee of St. John Fisher College and the University of Rochester, and chair of the New York State Insurance Fund
  • Richard T. Geoghegan, chief construction engineer of Manhattan House, now a historic landmark
  • Henri Jova, co-founder of Jova/Daniels/Busby, noted Atlanta architect
  • Sherman R. Knapp, former president of the Connecticut Light & Power Company and of Northeast Utilities; director of multiple companies
  • Howard E. Kyle, CEO and co-owner, A.M. Leonard Co.
  • Arthur E. LaCroix, former executive vice president of New England Power Service Company
  • John Longstreet, former president and CEO of Quaker Steak and Lube, Pennsylvania; former mayor of Plano, Texas
  • Henry B. McNulty, president, McNulty Communication Services; former executive and associate editor, The Hartford Courant
  • H. Etienne Merle, chef and former proprietor of L’Auberge du Cochon Rouge
  • R. Wayne Mezitt, chairman of Weston Nurseries; Yankee Magazine columnist; former president, American Nursery and Landscape Association
  • Robert Milkey, retired veterinarian; breeder, trainer and owner of harness horses
  • Arnold Olender, vice president and regional manager of Burns & McDonnell, Atlanta
  • Herbert J. Passino (Eleusis), chairman of Gordian Associates; trustee of New Jersey Institute of Technology and Ramapo College
  • Jim Plunkett, co-founder of Plunkett Raysich Architects, noted Midwestern architect
  • Steven C. Portis, co-founder of Renew Financial; CEO at Global Power Finance, San Francisco
  • Cecil S. Robinson, founder of Robinson Aviation, later Mohawk Airlines
  • Frank Sherman, president of AkzoNobel, Chicago, Illinois
  • Edward W. “Ed” Shineman Jr., former Chairman of Beech-Nut and other executive roles with Beech-Nut and E.R. Squibb; recipient of Cornell Lifetime Benefactor Award; cited authority on mathematical “magic squares
  • Zack Schildhorn, partner at Lux Capital; Business Insider “30 and Under Rising VC Star”
  • George Schmidt, former executive vice president, Glimcher Realty Trust
  • Ted Serbinski, venture capitalist; former managing director at Techstars Mobility; former partner with Detroit Venture Partners; co-founder and CTO of ParentsClick
  • Richard Shipley, president, Shipley Company of Massachusetts
  • William Shull, senior vice president and chief patent counsel at Halliburton
  • Tyler Todd, president, Gateway Homes
  • Jonathan B. Turell, CEO, The Criterion Collection
  • John R. Van Kleek, noted golf course architect; in partnership with Wayne Stiles, designer of Bobby Jones G.C. in Atlanta Ga. and Taconic G.C. in Williamstown, Mass. among many others
  • Rich Veldran, CFO at Dun & Bradstreet
  • Craig W. Wayman, retired executive vice president of sales for Prentice Hall
  • Dr. Ralph Wilhelm Jr., former chairman, Cornell University Fraternity and Sorority Advisory Committee; former Grand High Iota of Lambda Chi Alpha; former executive with Delphi Automotive Systems
  • Matthew J. Zak, former managing director of Japan operations for Chrysler Corporation

Science & Technology

  • Dr. John Baldeschwieler, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley
  • Dr. Gregory G. Deierlein, John A. Blume professor in the School of Engineering, recipient of the ASCE Norman Medal
  • Lt. Gen. Otto John Glasser, former Deputy Chief of Staff for Research & Development in the US Air Force, Director of Atlas ICBM Program, recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit
  • Dr. Hans Wilhelm Herrmann, founder and chief engineer at APJet
  • Albert G. Ingalls (Eleusis), longtime editor and "The Amateur Scientist" columnist for Scientific American; author of the highly influential series Amateur Telescope Making
  • Eric Jacobs, principal engineer at Sikorsky Aircraft
  • Dr. Paul Komor, energy education director of the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute at the University of Colorado
  • Dr. Mortimer D. Leonard, noted USDA entomologist
  • Dr. William W. Mendenhall, namesake of the Mendenhall Scholarship and the Mendenhall Student Travel Endowment, and former professor of civil engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
  • Edmund V. Mezitt, noted horticulturist specializing in rhododendron and azalea hybridization; creator of the P.J.M. rhododendron
  • Dr. Jonathan W. Naughton, director of the Wind Energy Research Center and professor at the University of Wyoming
  • Dr. Allen Nicholson, distinguished biochemist; professor of chemistry at Temple University
  • Ted Serbinski, venture capitalist; former managing director at Techstars Mobility; former partner with Detroit Venture Partners; co-founder and CTO of ParentsClick
  • Alan Stone, noted Smithsonian and USDA entomologist
  • Lt. Col. Reginald H. Stratton, administrative vice president, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation
  • R. Paul Williamson, former Director of Programs for Advanced Technology and former Director of Engineering at Lockheed Martin; 

Health & Medicine

  • Dr. Kris L. Billiar, professor and department head of biomedical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute;
  • Dr. Eduardo A.Constantino, director of clinical services and assistant professor of psychiatry, SUNY Stony Brook
  • Dr. Scott L. Diamond, Arthur E. Humphrey professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, University of Pennsylvania; founding director of the Penn Center for Molecular Discovery; recipient of numerous awards
  • Fred B. Dinger III, CEO of Aerin Medical; founder of ENTrigue Surgical, C2M Medical, and OsteoBiologics
  • Dr. Oscar Frick, noted professor of pediatrics/allergy immunology at the University of California, San Francisco
  • Frederick W. Goodrich, Jr. (Eleusis), early natural childbirth researcher and advocate
  • Dr. Bruce Hedin, principal scientist at H5
  • Dr. Joseph Lee Hollander, pioneer in rheumatoid arthritis treatment; professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, former president of the American Rheumatism Association and recipient of numerous awards; namesake of the Joseph Hollander Chair at Children's Hospital for research in pediatric arthritis and of the Arthritis Foundation's Hollander Award for excellence and achievement in the field of rheumatology
  • Dr. Fulton Holtby, former engineering professor emeritus at the University Minnesota; collaborated with another member of the faculty to build the first aircraft flight recorder (black box), and in addition designed and fabricated heart valve replacements and special suture clamps for Dr. Christiaan Barnard’s pioneering heart surgery; endowed scholarships and the Fulton and Edna Holtby Endowed Manufacturing Engineering Chair at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
  • Robert H. Hurlbut, president of the Hurlbut Trust; CEO of Hurlbut Care Communities; previously chair of Strong Memorial Hospital, trustee of St. John Fisher College and the University of Rochester, and chair of the New York State Insurance Fund
  • Dr. Robert T. Leshner, professor emeritus of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine; national committee of the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine
  • Dr. Joseph M. Savitt, director of the Parkinsons and Movement Disorder Center of Maryland and of the Johns Hopkins Ataxia Center
  • Dr. Reuben Shaw, director of the Salk Cancer Center; noted researcher into the links between cancer and metabolism
  • Dr. William J. Weaver, Jr., one of the “Alexandria Four” pioneers of modern emergency medicine; helped organize American College of Emergency Physicians

Public Service & Law

  • Hon. David Carlucci, former New York State Senator (D-38), Rockland and Westchester County
  • Dr. George C. Christensen, former vice president at University of Alaska
  • Hon. Scott Coffina, Burlington County (NJ) Prosecutor; former partner, Drinker Biddle, Philadelphia
  • Hon. Roger F. Dykes, retired circuit judge for the State of Florida
  • Hon. Houston I. Flournoy, former California legislator and state controller; former Republican nominee for governor of California; professor of public administration at University of Southern California
  • Dr. Michael Hugger, scientist for U.S. intelligence services, recipient of the Intelligence Commendation Medal and military command medals for civilian service in the Vietnam War
  • Hon. Henry W. Lengyel, retired Judge in the New York Court of Claims
  • Hon. John Longstreet, former president and CEO of Quaker Steak and Lube, Pennsylvania; former mayor of Plano, Texas
  • Andrew J. Nichols, food aid administrator in postwar Germany and longtime USDA foreign technical assistance expert; endowed the Andrew J. and Grace B. Nichols Professorship in Entomology or Plant Pathology
  • Hon. Walter T. Southworth, former administrative law judge with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; benefactor-endower of the Southworth Research Fund at the Cornell University School of Law
  • Sambhav N. Sankar, SVP for Programs, Earthjustice; former senior executive counsel and Director of Environmental Health & Safety Operations, General Electric; deputy chief counsel, Graham-Reilly Commission on the Deepwater Horizon Spill
  • Hon. Searles Gregory “Jake” Schultz, New York State senator and assemblyman
  • Hon. R. James “Jim” Stroker, retired Judge of the Ninth Circuit of Florida
  • Hon. Victor O. Wehle, Judge of the Sixth Circuit of Florida; namesake of the Victor O. Wehle Award in Trial Practice at the Stetson University College of Law

Media, Arts, & Sports

  • Robert Ahrens, Broadway producer; producer for Xanadu, 2008 nominee for Best Musical Tony Awards; executive producer for Finding Neverland
  • Roger W. Chadwick, inducted into the Cornell University Athletic Hall of Fame for basketball and baseball
  • Michael D. Curtis, content producer for WCAU-TV, NBC 10 Philadelphia; multiple awards including two regional Emmys
  • Hamlin M. “Sandy” Gilbert, business and advertising executive with Time and Smithsonian magazines; chairman, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide
  • Richard F. Hardy, former vice president and treasurer of General Telephone Corporation, inducted into the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989 for track and field
  • Frank N. Hawkins, Jr., co-founder and president of Hawk Associates; longtime roles as journalist and executive with Knight-Ridder and The Associated Press
  • William E. N. Hawkins, editor and publisher of the Post & Courier, Charleston, South Carolina
  • Rick Holborow, marathon runner for the United States at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
  • Henri V. Jova, co-founder of Jova/Daniels/Busby, noted Atlanta architect
  • Kevin Lemanowicz, chief meteorologist for FOX25 in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Dr. David Earl “Uncle Dave” Mattern, beloved former professor of music and department chair at the University of Michigan
  • Dr. David S. Mason, professor emeritus of political science at Butler University; author of numerous books on revolution and democracy
  • Bob F. McKinless, 2003 recipient of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award; namesake of the Cornell Club of Washington McKinless Scholarship; founding director of the National Library of Men's Choral Music
  • Henry B. McNulty, president, McNulty Communication Services; former executive and associate editor, The Hartford Courant
  • Etienne Merle, chef and former proprietor of L’Auberge du Cochon Rouge
  • Mark A. Piretti, character technical director at Pixar; character modeling and articulation lead for Finding Dory; lead animator of Ice Age; character modeling and articulation artist on numerous other Pixar and Blue Sky films
  • Jim Plunkett, co-founder of Plunkett Raysich Architects, noted Midwestern architect
  • Charles M. Stotz, architectural historian and pioneer in historic preservation
  • J. Herndon Thomson, longtime professor of architecture at Tulane University; namesake of Thomson Lecture Hall in the Richardson Memorial Building at Tulane
  • Hollis N. Todd (Eleusis), professor of photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology; author of various books on photography, namesake of the Hollis Todd Scholarship
  • Jonathan B. Turell, CEO, The Criterion Collection
  • John R. Van Kleek, noted golf course architect; in partnership with Wayne Stiles, designer of Bobby Jones G.C. in Atlanta Ga. and Taconic G.C. in Williamstown, Mass. among many others

Military

  • Lt. Col. Gerald E. Brower (USAAF), commanding officer of the 1st Pursuit Group and Clark Field, Philippines; Early Birds of Aviation
  • Vice Adm. Emmet Peter “Savvy” Forrestel (USN, Naval Academy 1919), commander, Southwest Japan Naval Occupation force; Commandant, 9th Naval District; commander, USS South Dakota; author, Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, USN: A Study in Command; Legion of Merit, Order of the Crown of Italy, Order of the Orange Nassau of the Netherlands
  • Lt. Gen. Otto John Glasser (USAF), former Deputy Chief of Staff for Research & Development in the US Air Force; Director of the Atlas ICBM Program; Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Air Force Commendation Medal
  • R. Adm. Joseph Franklin “Joe” Jelley, Jr. (USN, Naval Academy 1927), Commandant of the Bureau of Yards and Docks; president, Society of American Military Engineers; Legion of Merit; recipient of Lambda Chi Alpha’s Order of Achievement
  • World War I casualties: 1 Lt. Joseph A. Carr (USA), Pvt. Eugene W. Allen
  • World War II casualties: Lt. Col. Gerald E. Brower (USAAF), Cpl. Richard S. Jansen (USAAF), 1 Lt. Edward T. Kelly (USAAF), 1 Lt. Carl F. Rhodes, Capt. Robert J. Wallace (USA)

Cornell & Fraternity Service

For a full treatment of brothers recognized for their exemplary service to the Cornell chapter, please see the Dedicated Service Recognition page.

  • Stephen B. Ashley, Chairman and CEO of The Ashley Group; former Chairman of Fannie Mae; 1998 recipient of Cornell University Outstanding Alumni Award and 2016 recipient of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award
  • Leon M. Brockway, 1935 recipient, Lambda Chi Alpha Order of Merit
  • Richard W. Brown, former Vice President of Banfi Vintners; 1996 recipient of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award; former president of the Cornell Alumni Society and Cornell Hotel Society; founder of the National Institute of the Foodservice Industry; namesake of the Brown Auditorium in the Beck Center
  • S. George “Doc” Dirghalli, former Grand High Alpha, elder statesman of Lambda Chi Alpha
  • Edwin D. Fessenden, former owner/operator of Fessenden Farms, recipient of the Cornell University Outstanding Alumni Award for 2010
  • Ernst J. C. Fischer, former Grand High Pi 1914-1915, former Grand High Zeta member-atlarge 1915-1920, former Grand High Alpha 1920-1929 (longest serving Grand High Alpha in Lambda Chi Alpha’s history)
  • Dr. Edward F. Hall, Jr., former chapter advisor; recipient, Lambda Chi Alpha Order of Merit
  • Bob F. McKinless, 2018 recipient, Lambda Chi Alpha Order of Merit; 2003 recipient of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award; namesake of the Cornell Club of Washington McKinless Scholarship; founding director of the National Library of Men's Choral Music
  • Randy L. Rosenberg, 2018 recipient of the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award; longtime president, Cornell Club of Long Island (CCLI)
  • Edward W. “Ed” Shineman Jr., former Chairman of Beech-Nut and other executive roles with Beech-Nut and E.R. Squibb; recipient of Cornell Lifetime Benefactor Award; cited authority on mathematical “magic squares”
  • Dr. Ralph Wilhelm Jr., former chairman, Cornell University Fraternity and Sorority Advisory Committee; former Grand High Iota of Lambda Chi Alpha; former executive with Delphi Automotive Systems