List of Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni

This list of Wheaton College alumni includes notable individuals who studied as undergraduates or graduate students at Wheaton College (Illinois).

Academia

• Bart D. Ehrman – Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• C. Stephen Evans, BA philosophy, 1969 – University Professor of Philosophy and the Humanities, Baylor University
• Nathan O. Hatch, summa cum laude, 1968 – president of Wake Forest University; provost of Notre Dame
• Arthur F. Holmes – philosopher
• Walter Kaiser Jr. – Old Testament scholar
• Robert A. Kraft – historian of early Judaism and Christianity, University of Pennsylvania
• Gerald P. McKenny – BA philosophy, 1979 – Walter Professor of Theology at The University of Notre Dame
• Niel B. Nielson, BA philosophy, 1976 – former president of Covenant College
• Mark Noll, BA English – professor of history at The University of Notre Dame
• Daniel W. Smith, BA literature
• John H. Walton – Old Testament scholar[1]
• Marvin R. Wilson, BA History – Professor of Biblical Studies, Gordon College

Business

• Robert W. Lane, former CEO of John Deere
• Robert Van Kampen, 1960, founder of the investment banking firm Van Kampen

Media, arts and entertainment

• Jim Abel – singer-songwriter
• Nuala Archer – Irish-American poet
• Scott Baker – journalist, editor in chief of theblaze.com
• Wes Craven, writing and psychology – horror film director[2]
• Piper Curda – singer and actress
• Ian Eskelin, BA Communications – singer-songwriter, All Star United
• Cathleen Falsani, 1992 – journalist; columnist for Chicago Sun-Times
• Colyn Fischer, Bachelor of Music Performance, 1999 – violinist
• Jason Harrod – singer-songwriter, Harrod and Funck
• Carol Huston – actress, Matlock
• Camille and Kennerly Kitt – twin harpists and actresses
• Margaret Landon, 1925 – author of the novel Anna and the King of Siam
• Elliot Leung – film composer
• Kurt Lightner – artist
• Adam McCune, BA, 2006 – co-author of the novel The Rats of Hamelin
• Sylvia McNair, Bachelor of Music, 1978 – soprano
• John Nelson, Bachelor of Music, 1963, DMUS 1989 – conductor
• Jeffrey Nordling, BA, 1984 – actor
• Martin O'Donnell, Bachelor of Music, 1977 – composer, Halo video game series
• Kate Pierson – singer with the B-52s
• Walter Ratliff, MA Communications – journalist
• Luci Shaw, BA English Literature/New Testament Greek, magna cum laude, 1953 – poet
• Robert H. Siegel, BA, 1961 – poet, novelist
• Wendy White, Bachelor of Music, 1975 – mezzo-soprano
• Ken Klippenstein, Bachelor of Arts English Literature, 2010 – Journalist

Politics

• David J. Apol – Acting Director of U.S. Office of Government Ethics (2017–present)
• Torrey C. Brown – Secretary, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
• Dan Coats – Director of National Intelligence (2017–2018), U.S. Senator (R-IN) (1989–1999, 2011–2017)
• Michael Gerson – senior advisor to President George W. Bush (2000–2006)
• Richard C. Halverson – chaplain, U.S. Senate (1981–1994)
• Dennis Hastert – U.S. Representative (R-IL) (1987–2007), former Speaker of the House
• Paul B. Henry – U.S. Representative (R-MI) (1985–1993)
• David Iglesias – U.S. Attorney, District of New Mexico (2001–2006)
• Jim McDermott – U.S. Representative (D-WA) (1989–2017)
• Russell Vought – Director, Office of Management and Budget (2020–Present)
• Tim Walberg – U.S. Representative (R-MI) (2007–2009, 2011–present)
• Timothy Weeden – Wisconsin State Legislature (1987–1997)
• David Young – Nixon administration (1970–1973); co-founder of the Nixon Administration's White House Plumbers

Religion

• Juanita Breckenridge Bates – Congregationalist minister
• Rob Bell – founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church and featured speaker in NOOMA films
• Paul-Gordon Chandler – Episcopal priest, author and interfaith advocate
• Edmund Clowney – theologian and pastor of Westminster Theological Seminary
• Mal Couch – founder and president of the Tyndale Theological Seminary
• William Lane Craig – apologist, professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, author of The Kalam Cosmological Argument
• Jim Elliot – martyred missionary
• Elisabeth Elliot – author, noted missionary; widow of Jim Elliot
• David Otis Fuller – author, pastor, founder of the "Which Bible?" Society, editor of the Baptist Bulletin
• Bill Gothard – minister and author, former president of the Institute in Basic Life Principles
• Billy Graham – evangelist
• Ruth Graham – author and poet, wife of Billy Graham
• Carl F. H. Henry – first editor-in-chief of the magazine Christianity Today
• Daniel C. Juster – leader in the Messianic Judaism movement
• Harold Lindsell – former editor of the magazine Christianity Today
• Ed McCully – martyred missionary
• Josh McDowell – Christian apologist
• Alvera Mickelsen, 1942 – writer, journalism professor, advocate of Christian feminism and co-founder of Christians for Biblical Equality[3]
• John Ortberg – pastor and author
• John Piper – pastor and author
• Nate Saint – martyred missionary
• Steve Saint – author, missionary; son of Nate Saint
• Burton Smith – minister and community organizer
• Jon M. Sweeney – author, editor, book publisher
• Kenneth N. Taylor – paraphraser of The Living Bible and founder of Tyndale Publishers
• A. W. Tozer – minister and author
• John Walvoord – author and former president of Dallas Theological Seminary
• Gary Wilde – minister and author
• Philip Yancey – author and editor

Science

• James S. Albus (1935–2011), B.S. 1957 – engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Harold Alden (1890–1964), 1912 – astronomer
• Paul Werner Gast (1930–1973), 1952 – geochemist and geologist[4]
• J. Laurence Kulp (1921–2006), 1942 – geochemist; pioneer in radiometric dating methods
• Ronald C. Phillips (1932–2005), 1954 – marine botanist; pioneer in seagrass science
• John Wesley Powell (1834–1902), – 19th-century geologist and explorer of the American West

Sports

• Marshall Hollingsworth, 2015 – professional soccer player
• Pete Ittersagen, 2009 – NFL cornerback, Tennessee Titans
• Donnie Nelson, 1986 – General Manager, Dallas Mavericks[5]
• Mel Peterson, 1960 – former NBA player[6]
• Randy Pfund, 1974 – General Manager, Miami Heat[7]
• Andy Studebaker, 2008 – NFL linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs

Other

• Todd Beamer, 1991 – passenger aboard United Airlines Flight 93
• Clinton F. Irwin – Justice of the Oklahoma Territorial Supreme Court (1899–1907)
• Raymond Joseph, 1960 – former Haitian Ambassador to the United States[8]
• Trevor N. McFadden, 2001 – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia[9]
• Samuel H. Sedgwick, Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court[10][11]
• Edward Breathitte Sellers, 1866 – first Wheaton College graduate of color
• Timothy Stoen, 1960 – member of Peoples Temple; Jonestown defector[12]
• Dave Theurer – game designer; created Missile Command and Tempest for Atari
• R. Timothy Ziemer – Navy admiral and global health expert

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 4, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. Wes Craven official site FAQ Archived March 27, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
3. Painter, Kristen Leigh (July 20, 2016). "Obituary: Professor, nonprofit leader Alvera Mickelsen blended feminism and Christian teaching". Star Tribune. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
4. "AGU – American Geophysical Union". Retrieved April 4, 2017.
5. "NBA.com: COACHES". Retrieved April 4, 2017.
6. "Mel Peterson NBA & ABA statistics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
7. "Directory: Randy Pfund". Retrieved April 4, 2017.
8. "Wyclef Jean's uncle to run for president of Haiti". Christian Science Monitor. July 27, 2010. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
9. "StackPath". fedsoc.org. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
10. Theron E. Sedgwick, York County, Nebraska and Its People, Volume 1 (1921), p. 501-502.
11. "Judge Sedgwick Dies Suddenly", The Lincoln Star (December 26, 1919), p. 1.
12. Jonestown: Twenty Years Later, Cults Still Lethal, Christianity Today