>> WKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni

Dr. Jannice Aaron ('73) - One of the women pioneers in the medical field. Aaron worked her way from registered nurse to chair of Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. At the time of her appointment, she was one of three women to hold such a position in the United States, and the only woman department head at the U of L Medical School. MORE INFO

Beegie Adair ('58) - Highly acclaimed and talented jazz pianist. Adair has worked with a number of well-known entertainers over the years including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Carol Burnette and Lucille Ball. She has also played on various movie soundtracks such as Burt Reynolds' "Smokey and the Bandit" Clint Eastwood's "Every Which Way But Loose," and Kevin Costner's "Perfect World." MORE INFO

John Asher ('91) - Vice-President and communications manager of Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, home of the Kentucky Derby. Since 1993, Asher has served as a racing analyst on the Churchill Downs television broadcast that is viewed by on-track patrons and by fans at simulcast facilities across the nation. His coverage of Thoroughbred racing has also been honored by The Associated Press, the Radio and Television News Directors Association, the Kentucky Broadcasters Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, United Press International and the Radio Festival of New York. MORE INFO

Joe Bugel ('63) - Longtime NFL coach. Bugel just recently returned to the NFL accepting a new position with the Washington Redskins. He previously held positions as head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders and the Phoenix Cardinals. As the offensive line coach for the Washington Redskins in the early 1980's, Bugel coached the famed group of linemen known as the "Hogs." As an athlete at Western, he was a member of the Hilltopper's 1963 Tangerine Bowl Championship team and after graduation he was an assistant coach on the Hill under Hilltopper legend Jimmy Feix.

Leo Burmester ('70) - Actor best known for his parts in the movies:The Abyss, Big Business, Last Temptation of Christ, Broadcast News, Switchback, Truman and The Devils Advocate. TV appearances include: Law & Order, Chicago Hope, Walker, Texas Ranger and Baywatch.


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Kirker Butler ('93) - Writer on the Fox Network's hit animated series "The Family Guy" .

Michael Card ('80) - Highly successful and popular Christian recording artist. Card has been able to blend carefully-drawn insights from the Bible with deftly-crafted melodies, resulting in more than 15 critically-acclaimed albums and nearly two million in sales, including a gold-certified lullaby album, Sleep Sound in Jesus. He has also received recognition from his peers with five Gospel Music Association Dove Awards: Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year (El Shaddai), Children's Album of the Year (Come to the Cradle), and two for Praise and Worship Album of the Year (The Final Word and Coram Deo). MORE INFO.....

John Carpenter ('68) - Academy Award winning movie director. Over the last 20 years, Carpenter has become a successful writer, composer (writing many of the scores for his movies) and director. He has directed 19 major motion pictures, including "Halloween," "The Fog," "Big Trouble in Little China," "Prince of Darkness," "Village of the Dammed," "Memoirs of an Invisible Man," "Starman," "Escape From New York," "Escape From L.A." and "Vampires." MORE INFO

Gen. Dan Cherry ('58) - Held the positions of Commander and Leader of the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team; Commander of Moody Air Force Base in Georgia; Inspector General of the Pacific Air Forces; Commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing and Commander of the Air Force Recruiting service. He has several military decorations and awards including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal. Flew 295 combat missions during the Vietnam War and shot down a North Vietnamese MIG-21. Gen. Cherry is the grandson of Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry, the founder of Western Kentucky University.

Phil Chess - Founded Chess Records the pre-eminent Blues label of the 50s and 60's. Eventually they created a monopoly of Chicago music recording, doing sessions and releasing recordings by every major blues performer from John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, "King of the Slide Guitar", to Bo Diddley through Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry and everyone in between. MORE INFO

Dr. Basil C. Cole ('31) - Best known for his work in the soft drink industry, Cole produced the formula for Sugar-Free 7UP. Cole joined 7UP and rose through the ranks becoming executive vice president in 1960. He later played a leading role in developing Diet 7UP and Sugar-Free 7UP. In 1983, he was honored by the soft drink industry with his induction into the Beverage World Hall of Fame for his role in starting the Society of Soft Drink Technologists and in developing standards for package safety and bottler's granulated and liquor sugar.

Dr. Thomas B. Cook - One of America's most decorated nuclear weapons physicists. Dr. Cook is best known for a classified reference document, "The Cook Book," which for years was the major source on high altitude effects of nuclear weapons. More recently, Dr. Cook was involved in the design and development of strategic nuclear weapons systems. MORE INFO

Romeo Crennel ('69, '77) - Longtime NFL coach who was named head coach of the Cleveland Browns in February 2005. A former Topper football player in the late 60's, Crennel has coached in the NFL for 21 seasons and has been a member of five Super Bowl championship teams including two with the New York Giants under Bill Parcells in the 1980's and three with Bell Belichick and the New England Patriots.

G. Dean Daniels ('80) - Co-founder and co-creator, with his father, of CMT Country Music Television. Dean personally signed on the network and was CMT's first production director.

E.A. Diddle - Hall of Fame basketball coach who led Western Kentucky to 759 wins in 42 seasons (1922-1964). At the time of his retirement in 1964, Diddle was the winningest coach in college basketball and today still ranks #6. His teams claimed 32 conference championships; played in 11 postseason tournaments; won 20+ games eighteen different times, (including one stretch of ten years in a row) and became the first team from the South to participate in the Olympic Trials. Diddle was one of the first proponents of the fast-break style of basketball and the tremendous success of his early teams helped to popularize and spread this style of play all across the country. MORE INFO

Gen. Russell E. Dougherty ('41) - Former Commander in Chief of the U.S. Strategic Air Command. At the time of his military retirement in 1977, Dougherty was the Commander in Chief of the Strategic Air Command and the Director of U.S. Strategic Target Planning, having previously served as the Chief of Staff of NATO's Allied Command in Europe, as commander of the Second Air Force and as the Operations Deputy of the U.S. Air force. For five years he served as an Air Force Judge Advocate; he was the Assistant Judge Advocate of the Far East Air Force and concluded his legal assignments in 1952 as the Assistant Air Force Trial Attorney. MORE INFO

Darryl Drake ('80, '84) - Longtime football coach and current wide receivers coach for the NFL's Chicago Bears. Starred as a wide receiver for WKU in 1975 and during the 1977 and '78 seasons. He helped the Hilltoppers to an 8-2 record and the Ohio Valley Conference Championship as a senior and was a member of their 11-2 OVC Championship squad that played in the NCAA Division II Championship game in '75. Prior to joining the Bears he spent the previous six seasons (1998-2003) as the receivers coach at the University of Texas, adding the title of associate head coach on Mack Brown's Longhorns staff prior to the 2003 season.

Dr. Frank T. Etscorn ('71, '73) - The first patent holder for the nicotine patch to help cigarette smokers break the smoking habit. The patch was hailed as one of the best products of 1992 by Time Magazine and Fortune Magazine. Dr. Etscorn's research has been featured on Good Morning America, CBS News, The Today Show, ABC News, Prime Time and The Discovery Channel and in articles in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report and The Chronicle of Higher Education. MORE INFO

Brig. Gen Kenneth Fleenor ('52) - Rose through the ranks of the United States Air Force to become a brigadier general with many decorations and director of all flight operations for the USAF Air Training Command. During his 28-year career, he also served as flight commander, squadron commander, director of flight operations, base commander and wing commander. On Dec. 17, 1967, during his 108th combat mission in Vietnam, his fighter was shot down and Fleenor was held prisoner in Hanoi for more than five years. MORE INFO

Patricia Garrison-Corbin ('69) - The founder, chairman and chief executive officer of P.G. Corbin & Co., independent financial advisors. It is the first African-American female-owned Wall Street financial services corporation. The company ranked number three nationally in 1993 in the financial services industry. MORE INFO

Thomas George ('82) - He is a senior columnist for NFL.com (effective March 2008) , providing columns and profiles on NFL games, personalities and issues. Based in New York, he will also write books and autobiographies both in and outside of pro football. He had been managing editor of NFL Network since August 2006. George has been a writer and columnist for the New York Times, Denver Post and Detroit Free Press.

Julian Goodman ('43) - Former President and Chairman of NBC Broadcasting. During the 1960 national election campaign, he produced the second broadcast of the "The Great Debates" between presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon.Goodman was Chairman of the Board of NBC from 1974 to 1978 and from 1966 to 1974 he was President of NBC. In 1972 he was elected Director of RCA, a position he retained for six years. In 1976 he received broadcasting's most prestigious individual honor, the National Association of Broadcaster's Distinguished Service Award as a "broadcast journalist, program innovator and industry leader." MORE INFO

Steve Gorman - Drummer for the popular rock band "The Black Crowes". Gorman is an original member of the Black Crowes and is currently out on the road with the band on their world tour.

Sue Grafton - Successful novelist known for her best-selling series of Alphabet murder mysteries. In 1973, her book, The Lolly-Madonna War was made into a movie starring Rod Stieger, Gary Busey and Jeff Bridges. In addition to her novels, Grafton also became a successful screeplay writer and wrote several movies for television including Walking Through Fire in 1979 for which she won a Christopher Award.

Harry Gray ('57) - One of the nation's leaders in the field of inorganic chemistry. Gray joined the chemistry staff at Columbia University in 1961 as an assistant professor and remained at Columbia until joining the faculty of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena as professor of chemistry in 1966, where he remains today. Dr. Gray has given more than 100 lectures in recent years in the U.S. and abroad and was honored as the 1990 recipient of the American Institute of Chemistry's Gold Medal Award, the organization's highest honor and generally regarded as one of the top three awards in American chemistry. Gray has also received the National Medal of Science during White House ceremonies, and has received numerous other awards throughout his professional career. MORE INFO

Brig. General Alan Earnest Grice ('76) - Deputy Commanding General of the 84th United States Army Reserve Reainess Training Command in Fort McCoy, Wisc. BG Earnest has been a part of the ROTC program for over 30 years. He has attended three military schools and holds a long list of posititions within active and non-active military duties. BG Grice recieved over 10 promotions and five awards which include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal. Currently, he is working as a retired, military personnel management Specialist, for the U.S. Army Civil Service in Fort Knox, Ky.

Rick Green ('75) - Vice-President of Bojangles Chicken. Green was a two-time All-American football player at Western and led the Toppers to appearances in the 1973 and 1975 NCAA-II championship games. Selected as a member of the OVC All-Half-Century team. MORE INFO

Lofton Greene ('40) - Michigan's all-time winningest high school basketball coach. In the annals of the schoolboy game, Greene is legendary. His varsity squads posted an incredible 710 victories, 12 MHSAA championships and 20 regional titles in his 40 years at the helm at River Rouge. In total, he has posted 739 wins and 231 defeats in the varsity ranks. Greene played at Western under the legendary E.A. Diddle and was a member of the first-ever Hilltopper basketball team to participate in the NCAA Tournament (1940).

Jim "Yogi" Hardin ('58) - Influential and well-respected former FBI agent who is known as the "Father of the FBI SWAT Teams". Prior to his career with the FBI, Hardin served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Vietnam and was a two-time All-America defensive lineman for the Hilltopper football teams in 1957 and 1958. MORE INFO

Larnelle Harris - Five-time Grammy Award winning singer and writer of inspirational music. Harris has amassed 10 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, a Stellar Award and numerous others, and recorded numerous top selling albums. MORE INFO

Gene Haskett ('65, '67) - Served as president of the Michigan International Speedway from 1986-2000. Haskett was instrumental in making the two-mile oval the largest sports facility in the state of Michigan. When he took over the Roger Penske-owned track in 1986 there were 39,205 reserved seats. There are currently 136,384.

Clem Haskins ('67) - A three-time All-American, Haskins is one of only three Hilltopper basketball players ever honored as "consensus" All-American (AP First-team -1967). He remains the only athlete in the history of the Ohio Valley Conference to be named the league's "Player-of-the-Year three straight years. He was a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association and played nine seasons in the NBA, averaging in double figures six times. Haskins later returned to the Hill as head basketball coach (1980-86) and guided the Toppers to two NCAA appearances and one NIT appearance. In 1997, as head coach of the University of Minnesota, Haskins led the Golden Gophers to the NCAA Final Four. MORE INFO

Adele Gleaves Haswell ('76) - The first first All-American in a women's sport at WKU and a national champion gymnast. Gleaves took the national title at the National Women's Intercollegiate Gymnastics Championships in the all-around competition in 1973. Her effort there (bettering a field of 143 participants for the national title) earned her a berth in the World University Games in Moscow that same year. She narrowly missed a berth on the 1972 United States Olympic Team (by a mere six tenths of a point) and served as an alternate. However, she did win both gold and bronze medals in the 1971 Pan-American Games in Columbia in South America.

Stephen Henry ('76) - Prominent physician and former Lt. Governor of Kentucky who helped develop a new tool for use in trauma patients and on battlefields: beads containing massive doses of antibiotics that can be packed directly into wounds on the battlefield or by emergency first responders. The beads were used by American forces in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm. Married to former Miss America, Heather Renee French. MORE INFO

Bernard "Peck" Hickman ('35) - Highly successful basketball coach credited with building the basketball program at the University of Louisville. A former standout player for some of Coach E.A. Diddle's greatest teams of the 1930's, Walker would later go on to coach the University of Louisville for 23 years (1944-67). Hickman was also the third former Hilltopper player, along with John Oldham and Clem Haskins, to lead a team to the NCAA Final Four as a head coach. MORE INFO

The Hilltoppers - A 1950s musical quartet that achieved status as the number one musical group during 1953-54. The group was the number one vocal combination by Billboard and Cash Box magazines in 1953 and consistently remained one of America's Top Ten through 1960. Twenty-one Hilltopper recordings made Billboard Magazine's Top 40 Hit List. The group had record sales in excess of 8 million copies. They appeared on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town and also on American Bandstand. MORE INFO

Duncan Hines - One of the most recognized names associated with food and hospitality, especially in bakery items found in grocery stores. Hines, a Bowling Green native, began including in Christmas cards a list of 167 outstanding restaurants . After popular demand, he turned his list into an annual edition. Later, he published "Lodging for a Night," "Adventures in Good Cooking," and Duncan Hines Vacation Guide." Hines returned to Bowling Green in 1939 to build his home and office and in 1949, Hines and Roy Park formed a business to offer a line that grew to offer more than 250 products marketed under the name of Duncan Hines. In 1956, Procter and Gamble bought Hines-Park Foods. In 1998 Aurora Foods acquired the Duncan Hines brand. Even though he died in 1959, Duncan Hines is still the second-largest baking mix company with a product line that includes more than 60 different products.

Cordell Hull - Former U.S. Secretary of State under Franklin D. Roosevelt. As a congressman, he helped pass legislation for a comprehensive income tax to replace the high tariffs that were isolating the U.S. Later, as Secretary of State, he drew up the United Nations Declaration and the "Charter of the United Nations," leading Roosevelt to call Hull the "Father of the United Nations." In 1945, Hull was awarded the Noble Peace Prize. MORE INFO


Donald Kendall - The co-founder and former chairman and chief executive officer of Pepsi Co. Inc. Kendall became president and CEO of Pepsi-Cola in 1963. Two years later he engineered the merger that brought Pepsi-Cola together with Frito-Lay, the nation's leading snack food marketer, to create Pepsi Co and was named the company's president and CEO. In 1971, he was elected chairman and CEO, a position he held until his retirement in May, 1986. Under Kendall's leadership, PepsiCo became one of the 25 largest corporations in the U.S., a leading bottler of soft drinks, the biggest salty snack producer and the largest operator and franchisor of restaurants in the world. MORE INFO

Eagle "Buddy" Keys ('48) - A member of the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame. Keys spent 16 seasons as a head coach in the Canadian league, the first five with Edmonton, then six with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and finally five with the British Columbia Lions. His 1966 Roughriders team won the CFL's Grey Cup, the equivalent to the NFL's Super Bowl today. His 144 wins as a coach in the CFL still stands as the second highest victory total for a coach in that league. And, he was voted the All-Time All-Star Coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. MORE INFO

Charles Kleiderer ('37) - Responsible for the development of the Variable Time (VT) Fuse, a secret weapon of the U.S. which affected the course of WWII. The fuse helped the government to create artillery shells that would explode on target every time. After the war, Kleiderer became the vice president of Brilhart Plastics Corporation and president of Brilhart Plastics Corporation. Prior to retirement, he was the executive vice president of Shaw Plastics Corporation. He was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame in 1994, one of 87 who have received the honor thus far. MORE INFO

Barry Landis - Founder of Landis Entertainment & Media Partners. Landis is responsible for some of the world's greatest Christian, Gospel and Country music, and has been involved in the careers of some of the biggest names in the genre, among them, P.O.D., Amy Grant and Randy Travis. Before he formed his own company, Landis was President of Word Records, one of the three largest Christian music companies in the world. He has more than 50 #1 songs to his credit and his marketing plans have been responsible for the sale of more than 60 million records. He is the Secretary of the Nashville chapter of NARAS (Grammys) where he serves on the Board of Governors and earlier this year he fused his passion with his work by launching The Briner Institute, a non-profit think tank dedicated to improving opportunities for students interested in entertainment and media.

Dale Lindsey ('64) - Longtime NFL football coach. One of the most dominating defensive players ever at Western, Dale Lindsey played at both linebacker and fullback two years, helping the 1963 Hilltoppers to a 10-0-1 mark and the championship of the Tangerine Bowl. Overall, the two Topper teams he played on went 16-3-2. A two-time All-OVC pick, he earned All-America honors as a linebacker in 1964 and was named to the All-Time OVC Team in 1988. A Bowling Green High product, he was drafted by Cleveland of the National Football League (in the seventh round) and by the New York Jets of the American Football League (sixth round) in 1965 and went on to play nine seasons at linebacker for the Browns. Since retiring from the playing ranks, Lindsey has coached football at the high school, college, and professional levels.

Matt Long ('02) - Actor who recently starred in the television show Jack & Bobby on the WB Network. Long's latest project is the Nicholas Cage movie "Ghost Rider" in which he plays Cage's character "Johnny Blaze" as a young man. MORE INFO





Mike Longo ('59) - Noted Jazz musician who spent nine years as the musical director of the legendary Dizzy Gillespie Quartet. His contributions to recording sessions, television studio bands and live performances have made him a well-published composer, (60 to date) but he is also a published author and lecturer whose work is recommended and used in schools in the U.S. and have been translated for use in Europe and Japan.

Jim McDaniels ('71) - A three-time basketball All-American selection including AP First team honors in 1971. The 7-0 McDaniels holds Western records for both single season (878 points) and career (2,238) scoring. He paced Western to the championship of the NCAA Mideast Regional, gaining the 1971 Hilltoppers an appearance in the NCAA Final Four. At that Final Four, McDaniels led his teammates to a third place finish after narrowly missing a berth in the national championship game following a double overtime loss to Villanova. He was named to the Final Four All-Tournament Team. Following his career on the Hill, McDaniels spent seven years in the ABA and NBA. MORE INFO

Charles Napier ('61) - Well-known character actor best known for his parts in the movies: The Blues Brothers, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Austin Powers and The Nutty Professor. TV appearances include: Star Trek, Kojak, Rockford Files, Dallas, L.A. Law, Party of Five, and The Practice.

William H. Natcher - U.S. Congressman from Kentucky for more than forty years and former chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Natcher was known for many things, including not taking campaign contributions and shunning modern accouterments for his office, such as fax machines. He was perhaps best known, however, for never missing a roll-call vote in 40 years. President Bill Clinton was a speaker at Natcher's funeral in B.G. in 1994. MORE INFO

Major General Theodore C. Nicholas ('78) - Director of Defense Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence Center at the Defense Intelligence Agency. MG Nicholas has served in a variety of command and staff assignments in the United States and Korea. With 13 years on jump status he is a Jump Master, authorized to wear the Mater Parachute Badge. He has attended five military schools and received over eight awards. Several awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal (OLC), Legion of Merit (OLC), and the Bronze Star.

Mary Nixon ('77) - Vice-president of accounting services with Tricon Global Restaurants. The Tricon organization is currently made up of four operating divisions organized around its three core concepts, KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Nixon recently pledged $500,000 to WKU to create an accounting professorship. She stated, "All of the good things that have happened to me - including my success and ability to make this pledge - are in large part due to the experiences I had at Western."

Louie B. Nunn ('41) - Former governor of Kentucky from 1967-71. As governor, Nunn's budget emphasized increases for mental health, education on all levels and economic development. Blunt, outspoken, and a practicioner of tough politics, Nunn restored fiscal solvency, made significant advances in several areas, and avoided major scandals.

John Oldham ('49) - 1949 WKU graduate who coached the 1971 Hilltopper basketball team to a third-place finish in the NCAA Tournament. An All-American basketball athlete at Westen in 1949, Oldham played for some of the most successful teams in Hilltopper history and later went on to play two seasons in the NBA. He returned to the Hill in 1964 to replace the retiring E.A. Diddle as head basketball coach. From 1964-71 he led the Toppers to three NCAA appearances and one NIT appearance and coached two AP first-team All-American players in Clem Haskins and Jim McDaniels. After retiring from coaching in '71, Oldham spent the next fifteen years as athletics director at WKU and served as a city commissioner in Bowling Green, Ky. MORE INFO

Dan Pelino ('79, '80) - IBM Americas-Central Region Vice President.

Kenny Perry ('82) - The most successful golfer ever produced by Western Kentucky University. Perry turned professional after completing his collegiate career in 1982 and has been on the PGA Tour since1987. Perry posted his first Tour victory at Muirfield Village in 1991, taking top honors in the Memorial, a tournament where he shot a course record nine-under-par 63 in the second round. He added his second Tour triumph by winning the New England Classic in Sutton, Mass., with a 16-under par 268. In his first eight years on the Tour, his career earnings totaled nearly $2 million. MORE INFO

Raymond B. Preston ('40) - The founder of PB & S Chemical which has become the 10th largest chemical distributor in the United States. In honor of their 50th anniversary, the Prestons and Preston family Foundation made (at the time) the largest single gift ever made to WKU, enabling construction to begin on the $10 million Raymond B. Preston Health & Activities Center. In making the gift, Preston said: "We could think of nothing better than to return something to Western on our 50th wedding anniversary. The things we learned here have served us well." MORE INFO

Gene Rhodes ('52) - Highly successful high school, college and professional basketball coach. A standout player on some of Western's finest teams of the early fifties, Rhodes later went on to become one of Kentucky's most successful high school coaches leading Lousiville St. Xavier to the 1958 Kentucky state championship. He later returned to Western as an assistant under John Oldham in 1964 and helped lead the Toppers to two NCAA appearances and one NIT appearance. Rhodes left Western in 1968 to become the first-ever head coach of the ABA's Kentucky Colonels. MORE INFO

Nick Rose ('76) - Earned an individual national championship in cross-country and eight All-America awards during his tenure on the Hill. He also won NCAA national championships in the indoor two-mile (1976). While with the Hilltoppers, Rose developed into the premier collegiate distance runner in the nation, earning cross-country All-America honors at the NCAA national championship meet four straight years (1972, '73, '74 and '75). MORE INFO

Michael Rosenbaum ('95) - Actor currently starring as Lex Luthor in the TV series Smallville on the WB Network. Other TV credits include: The Tom Show and Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane. Movie credits include: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Urban Legend





David Schramm - Actor best known for his role on the hit NBC Series "Wings". Schramm played the character of "Roy Biggins" on Wings during its entire run on NBC from 1990-97. Schramm has also had guest roles on shows such as "Wiseguy," "Miami Vice," and "The Equalizer."

Gene Shearer ('61) - One of the nation's most-cited AIDs researchers. Shearer has been a senior investigator in the Immunology and Experimental Immunology branches of the National Cancer Institute for more than 25 years. He is currently the principal investigator and section chief of the Cell Mediated Immunity and Disease Section of the NCI's Experimental Immunology Branch. MORE INFO

Greg Smith ('68) - A starter alongside Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) on the 1971 NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. Smith was a standout basketball athlete with some of the greatest teams in Hilltopper history in the late 1960's and went on to play eight successful seasons in the NBA. MORE INFO

Brigadier General Joseph A. Smith ('74) - The Director of Army Safety and Commanding General for the United States Army Safety Center in Fort Rucker, Al. His efforts while in office helped cut accidental losses in a millionman force by 20 percent. BG Smith served on NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel following the Space Shuttle Columbia accident. He is also a memeber of the Western Kentucky University ROTC Hall of fame and participated in five military operations. His last deployment was to Operation Iragi Freedom in Iraq. BG Smith has receieved over six awards and is a Master Army Aviator. Other awards include the Disitinguished Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Following retirement, BG Smith became the Chief Operating Officer for a navigator development group and started a family owened company called Savvi LLC. 

Deb Spera ('83) - Currently an Executive Producer on the hit CBS series, "Criminal Minds." Spera has also worked on feature films such as 'JFK,' and 'Pretty Woman,' and with actors such as Jodie Foster, Julia Roberts and Jack Lemmon.

Andrew Stahl ('75) - Character actor best known for his parts in the movies: North & South, The Client, A Time To Kill, People vs. Larry Flynt, October Sky, Andersonville and The Patriot.

Col. Elliot "Bud" Sydnor ('52) - Ground component commander for the famed Son Tay prison raid to free American POWs in North Vietnam, November 20, 1970. Sydnor retired after 31 years of service in the Army. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star and is a member of the Army Ranger Hall of Fame.

Brig. General Omer Clifton Tooley, Jr. ('74)  - Assistant Adjutant General. Currently, BG Tooley is not only in charge of the Indiana National Guard but is also the Commanding General at Camp Atterbury (a Muscatatuck Center for Complex Operations). He has attended 13 military schools, is a ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate, and received eight promotions. BG Tooley has recieved numerous U.S. and state decorations and badges including three Legion of Merit awards, six Meritorious Service Medal awards, and nine Army Commendation Medal awards. 

Billy Vaughn - The first American recording artist to be awarded a gold record in Europe and the first artist anywhere to receive a platinum record for sales of more than 3 million. Over his 40 year career he sold more than 200 million records worldwide. Best known for the songs, P.S. I Love You (with the Hilltoppers) and Sail Along Silvery Moon, which sold more than 4.5 million copies. MORE INFO

Alexander Waldrop ('79) - President of Churchill Downs racetrack, home of the world famous Kentucky Derby. Oversees all of the Kentucky properties of Churchill Downs Incorporated. As president of CDI's Kentucky operations, Waldrop now serves as president of Ellis Park, the Company's Thoroughbred track in Henderson, and is a member of the board and current chairman of Kentucky Off-Track Betting. MORE INFO

Paul Walker ('34) - The most respected and well-known coach in Ohio high school basketball history. Another disciple and player under E..A Diddle, Walker racked up an amazing 695 wins over 41 years. 562 of those wins came over a thirty year career as the head coach of Middletown High School, an era which saw Walker lead his team to an Ohio record five state championships and amassed a 76-game winning streak from 1956-58, also an Ohio record. Walker was named the Ohio Coach-Of-The-Year three times and the National Coach-Of-The-Year in 1974. Among the many great athletes coached by Walker was Jerry Lucas, a member of the NBA's All-Half Century team.

Ken Waller ('65) - One of the world's most dominant bodybuilders in the 1970's, Waller won Mr. Universe, Mr. World and Mr. America titles. Played football for the Hilltoppers from 1962-65 and was a member of the undefeated 1963 Tangerine Bowl team. Later played professional football in Canada before becoming a professional bodybuilder. Also starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1977 movie "Pumping Iron" and on an episode of "The Incredible Hulk" in 1978.

Brig. Gen. Herbert M. Wassom ('61) - One of a few graduates of Western's ROTC program to earn the rank of general in the United States Army. Some of his command assignments included Chief, U.S. Defense Representative to Pakistan; Chief of Staff, 101st Airborne Division; Deputy Director of the Army Staff, Office of the Chief of Staff, Army; and Commander, 528th Field Artillery Group. He was killed August 17, 1988, when the plane carrying Wassom, the president of Pakistan and the U.S. ambassador crashed in Pakistan. MORE INFO

Hays T. Watkins ('47) - Former president, chairman and CEO of CSX Corporation, a Fortune 500 transportation company. He has also been a director with various corporations, including Black & Decker, Westinghouse Electric and Signet Banking. Watkins has received numerous honorary doctoral degrees; the Man-of-the-Year Award from Modern Railroads Magazine; Excellence in Management Award, Industry Week Magazine; Virginia Outstanding Industrialist of the Year; Distinguished Service Award, Virginia Chamber of Commerce; and the Community Service Award, Metropolitan Richmond Chamber of Commerce. MORE INFO

Jim "Big Ick" Weaver ('28) - First WKU athlete to play professional sports. Weaver pitched eight years in Major League Baseball from 1928-39 with six different teams. In 1931, he was a teammate of the legendary Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on the N.Y. Yankees. MORE INFO

Terry Wilcutt ('75) - The first Kentucky native among NASA's 214 astronauts, Lt. Colonel Terry Wilcutt piloted the September 30, 1994 Space Shuttle Endeavour mission, the September 16, 1996 Atlantis mission and commanded the January 22, 1998, Space Shuttle Atlantis mission and the September 08, 2000 Atlantis mission to the International Space Station. He previously rose to the ranks of lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps and attended attended the Naval Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). MORE INFO