List of Iowa State University people

Alumni

* Roberta Green Ahmanson, author and philanthropist
* Steve Bales, NASA engineer
* Robert L. Bartley, editor of Wall Street Journal opinion page for over 30 years, vice-president of Dow Jones & Company, Pulitzer Prize winner, and winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
* Bennett Bean, studio potter
* Berkley Bedell, United States Congressman
* Ezra Taft Benson, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and 13th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
* Georgina Jinkinson Bonesteel, author and television show host
* Arthur E. Bryson, Jr., the “father of modern optimal control theory”
* Griffith Buck, alumnus and professor of horticulture; developed nearly 100 new varieties of roses
* Stephanie Burns, president and CEO, Dow Corning
* George Washington Carver, first African-American student and faculty member; musician, artist, orator, athletic trainer and student leader
* Carrie Chapman Catt, women's rights activist
* Clarence Chamberlin, aviation pioneer
* Vance D. Coffman, retired Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin
* William Vernon Cone, professor of neurosurgery, McGill University, Canada
* John D. 'Jack' Cosgrove, retired President, Rockwell-Collins
* Chris Cunha, Management Information Systems pioneer
* Parviz Davoodi, First Vice President of Iran
* Vine Deloria, Jr., Native American activist and author
* Charles W. "Chuck" Durham, founder of global architecture and engineering firm HDR, Inc and noted philanthropist.
* Edward M. Walsh Founder of the University of Limerick
* Lawrence D. Downing, President of the Sierra Club
* Ed Droste, CEO and founder of Provident Management Corporation, Provident Advertising and Marketing, Provident Merchandising, and Provident Creative, and cofounder of Hooters Restaurants, Adobe Gila's, Pete & Shorty's, and Splitsville.
* Michael J. Dubes, President of Conseco Insurance Group
* Eugene B. Ely, pioneering aviator who made the first take-off and landing of an aircraft from a ship.
* Charles Lester Fous III, President and Managing General Partner of CLF-IGRY, renowned tympanic membrane research scientist and animal rights advocate.
* John Garang, former commander of SPLA and former vice president of Sudan
* James Lorraine Geddes, American Civil War general; Acting University President in 1875-77.
* Tom Harkin, current United States Senator from Iowa
* James T. Johnson, President, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation
* Murray Joslin, pioneer on nuclear energy, vice-president of Commonwealth Edison
* Jerry Junkins, CEO of Texas Instruments
* Antti Herlin, fourth chairman of the Board of KONE Corporation; richest man in Finland
* Anthony Infusino, director of ticket sales, Chicago Shamrox (National Lacrosse League)
* Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner
* Robert Krasa, former Vice-President of Dow Corning, former President and CEO of Haworth, Inc.
* Tom Latham, current United States Representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district
* Jay L. Lush, pioneer of modern animal breeding
* Norma "Duffy" Lyon, sculptor and butter artist
* Elwood Mead, Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation and influential draftsman of western water codes
* Sloan McGinty, pioneer in field of computer-mediated communication
* Mike McBreen, COO, Nike
* Sally Pederson, former Lieutenant Governor of Iowa
* Kevin L. Petersen, Director of NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
* J. Roger Porter, microbiology professor, University of Iowa, 1938-1979, ISU Distinguished Achievement Citation, 1975
* Hugh Sidey, journalist for "Life" and "Time" magazines covering Presidents Eisenhower through Clinton and Washington insider
* Mallory Snyder, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, actress, MTV's "The Real World".
* Sehat Sutardja, founder and CEO of Marvell Technology Group
* John C. Tannehill, pioneer in the field of computational fluid dynamics
* Lee Teng-hui former President of Republic of China (Taiwan)
* Robert E. Uhrig, Distinguished Scientist, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
* Stephen R. Walker, television show host
* Henry Agard Wallace, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, United States Secretary of Commerce, Vice President of the United States, and founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred
* James Wilson, professor who later became U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
* Bryan Ollie, contestant on Big Brother 10
* Thornton "T" Arnold Wilson, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Boeing Company
* Earl G. Yarbrough, current president of Savannah State University

Notable faculty and administrators

* John Vincent Atanasoff (see also Atanasoff–Berry Computer), co-developer of the first digital computer
* Clifford E. Berry co-developer of the first digital computer
* Henry Gilman, known as the "father of organometallic chemistry"
* Christian Petersen, sculptor, whose works appear around campus
* Jane Smiley, winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for fiction
* George W. Snedecor, statistician
* Theodore Schultz, the 1979 winner (jointly with William Arthur Lewis) of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.

Accomplished athletes

* Mike Born, former basketball player and IBA player and coach
* John Cooper, football captain and MVP and later head football coach at Ohio State
* Tim Floyd, former men's basketball coach with 81-49 record and only coach with three consecutive 20-win seasons.
* Dan Gable, 3x NCAA wrestling champion and 1972 Olympic gold medalist who later became wrestling coach at the University of Iowa
* Weylan Harding, Arena Football League head coach and former player
* Chris Anthony, wide receiver for the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League
* Keith "Lefty" Moore, CBA coach and former player
* Johnny Orr, the most successful coach in Iowa State and Michigan men's basketball history
* Darryl Peterson, NCAA all American and former professional wrestler
* Cael Sanderson, four-time undefeated NCAA wrestling champion who won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Cael is now the University's Head Coach of Wrestling.
* Jack Trice, football player and pioneer for minorities in sports, died of injuries sustained in a football game
* Mike Myers, Major League Baseball pitcher
* Jim Walewander, former Major League Baseball player
* MMA Fighters: Mike Van Arsdale, Justin Eilers
* NBA Players: Zaid Abdul-Aziz (born Donald A. Smith), Victor Alexander, Bill Cain, Kelvin Cato, Marcus Fizer, Jeff Grayer, Fred Hoiberg, Jeff Hornacek, Loren Meyer, Paul Shirley, Barry Stevens, Jamaal Tinsley, Jackson Vroman, Will Blalock and Dedric Willoughby
* NFL Players: David Archer, Mike Banks, Richard Barker, Matt Blair, Aaron Brandt, Jordan Carstens, Todd Doxzon, Dennis Gibson, Troy Davis, Tim Dobbins, Reggie Hayward, Ennis Haywood, LaMarcus Hicks, Ellis Hobbs III, Keith Krepfle, Nick Leaders, J.J. Moses, James Reed, Bruce Reimers, Marcus Robertson, Sage Rosenfels, Oliver Ross, Keith Sims, Tom Vaughn, Seneca Wallace, Chris Washington, Tom Watkins, Eugene Williams, and Tony Yelk

Presidents of Iowa State University

Adonijah Welch

Dr. Adonijah Strong Welch (April 12, 1821 - March 13, 1889) was the 1^st president of ISU.Born in East Hampton, Connecticut and died in Pasadena, California.

Education:
* B.A. University of Michigan
* M.A. University of Michigan
* Ph.D.

Achievements:
* First principal of Michigan State Normal School (Eastern Michigan University) from 1852 to 1865
* Senator (RepublicanR-FL) June 17, 1868 to March 3, 1869 (declined renomination to accept presidency @ ISU)
* 1^st ISU president from 1868 to 1883
** Design of early campus
** Helped develop agriculture and mechanical arts courses
* History of civilization and practical psychology chair from 1884 until death

Welch's first wife was Eunice P. Buckingham (married in 1859) and had three children. After Eunice's death in 1867 he married Mary Beaumont Dudley in 1868 and had two more children.

Mary established the first courses in what would be come the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

References:
* Adonijah Strong Welch Papers, RS 2/1, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library

External sites:
* [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000261 Congressional biography]

eaman A. Knapp

Seaman Asahal Knapp (December 16, 1833 - April 1, 1911) was the 2^nd president of ISU.Born in northern New York.

Education:
* Troy Conference Academy (Green Mountain College)
* Union College with Phi Beta Kappa honors

Achievements:
* Vice-president of Fort Edward Collegiate Institute (1856 - 1863)
* Assistant manager of Ripley Female College (Green Mountain College) (1864 - 1865)
* Methodist minister
* Head of the Iowa College for the Blind
* First chair of agriculture at ISU in 1879
* 2^nd ISU president from 1884 to 1885
* Started first demonstration farm in Terrell, Texas

Knapp and his wife Maria Elizabeth Hotchkiss were married in 1856 and had six children.

References:
* Seaman Asahel Knapp Papers, RS 2/2, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

Leigh S. J. Hunt

Leigh Smith John Hunt (1855 - October 5, 1933) was the 3^rd president of ISU.Born in Indiana and died in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Education:
* Undergraduate degree from Middlebury College via correspondence course
* Independent study of law; passed Indiana bar exam

Achievements:
*Taught in a public school in Indiana
*Superintendent of Mount Pleasant, Iowa schools in 1880
*Superintendent of East Des Moines Independent School District, Des Moines, Iowa in 1882
*3^rd ISU president from 1885 to 1886
*Business man:
**Newspaper publisher 1886
**Real estate developer
**Bank president
**Operated a gold mine in Korea in 1893
**Grew cotton in Sudan from 1904 to 1910
**Mining, agriculture, and land development in Las Vegas, Nevada

Hunt and his wife Jessie Noble were married in 1885 and had two children, Helen & Henry.

References:
* Leigh Smith John Hunt Papers, RS 2/3, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

William I. Chamberlain

Dr. William Isaac Chamberlain (1837 - June 30, 1920) was the 4^th president of ISU.Born in Sharon, Connecticut and died in Cleveland, Ohio.

Education:
*Western Reserve College (Case Western Reserve University); graduated 1859

Achievements:
*Greek instructor at Western Reserve College after graduation from 1859 to 1865
*Experimented agriculturally with fertilizers, drainage, & crop rotation
*State Secretary of Agriculture of Ohio 1880 to 1886
*4^th ISU president from 1886 to 1890
*Board of Trustees of Ohio State University and Ohio Experiment Station
*Associate editor of the "Ohio Farmer" and "National Stockman and Farmer"

Chamberlain and his wife Lucy Jones Marshall were married on July 16, 1863 and had six children.

References:
* William Isaac Chamberlain Papers, RS 2/4, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

William M. Beardshear

William Miller Beardshear (1850 - 1902) was the 5^th president of ISU.Born in Ohio and died in 1902 from complications of a heart attack.

Education:
*Studied ministry at Otterbein College and Yale Divinity School

Achievements:
*During the Civil War, he joined the Union army at the age of 14
*President of Western College in Toledo
*Superintendent of schools in West Des Moines, Iowa
*5^th ISU president from 1891 to 1902
**Developed new agricultural programs
**Hired notable faculty:
***Anson Marston
***Louis B. Spinney
***J.B. Weems
***Perry G. Holden
***Maria Roberts
**Following buildings added:
***Morrill Hall
***Campanile
***Catt Hall
***Margaret Hall
**School colors of cardinal & gold named
**1^st "Bomb" (yearbook) was published in 1893
**Became known as the Cyclones in 1895

References:
*William Miller Beardshear, Papers, Dates, RS 2/5, (University Archives) Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

Albert B. Storms

Albert Boynton Storms (April 1, 1860 - July 1, 1933) was the 6^th president of ISU.Born in Lima Center, Michigan and died in Berea, Ohio.

Education:
*A.B. University of Michigan 1884
*M.A. University of Michigan 1893
*Ph.D. in divinity Lawrence University 1903
*Ph.D. in law Drake University 1905

Achievements:
*Methodist minister from 1884 to 1903 in Detroit, Michigan; Madison, Wisconsin; and Des Moines, Iowa
*6^th ISU president from 1903 to 1910
**Agricultural Extension Service started
**Developed landscape plans and built 18 buildings:
***Engineering Hall
***Central Building
***Alumni Hall
**Put departments under direction of deans
**Diversified degrees & courses offered
**Removed ban of fraternities and sororities
**Resignation over the creation of the State Board of Education
*Minister in Indianapolis, Indiana after ISU presidency
*Superintendent of the Indianapolis, Indiana district of the Methodist Church
*President of Baldwin Wallace College, Berea, Ohio

References:
*Albert Boynton Storms Papers, 1902-1983, RS 2/6, University Archives, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

Raymond A. Pearson

Raymond A. Pearson (1873 - 1939) was the 7^th president of ISU.

Education:
*M.S. Cornell University 1894

Achievements:
*Assistant chief of the Dairy Division of the United States Department of Agriculture 1895
*Professor of Dairy Science at Cornell University
*New York Commissioner of Agriculture from 1908 to 1912
*7^th ISU president from 1912 to 1926
**Completed divisional organization of undergraduate education
**Graduate program given divisional status in 1915
**Broadened extension service
**Assistant Secretary of Agriculture during World War I from 1917 to 1918
**Left for presidency at University of Maryland, College Park
*20^th president of University of Maryland, College Park

References:
*Raymond A. Pearson Papers, RS 02/07, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

Raymond M. Hughes

Dr. Raymond Mollyneaux Hughes (1873 - 1958) was the 8^th president of ISU.Born in Atlantic, Iowa and grew up in southwestern Ohio.

Education:
*Miami University
*M.S. Ohio State University 1897
*Massachusetts Institute of Technology
*Honorary doctorate from Miami University 1927
*Honorary doctorate from Coe College 1928
*Honorary doctorate from Iowa State University 1936

Achievement:
*Professor of physics and chemistry at Miami University from 1898 to 1904
*Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Miami University from 1908 to 1911
*President of Miami University from 1911 to 1927
*8^th ISU president from 1927 to 1936
*Retired in 1936; continued research and teaching in Ames

Hughes married his 1^st wife Ella Rogers in 1908 and after her death in 1933 he then married Helen Richardson Idsardi in 1938.

References:
*Raymond M. Hughes Papers, RS 02/08, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

Charles E. Friley

Charles Edwin Friley (1887 - 1958) was the 9^th president of ISU.Born to William Christopher & Ellen Douglas Friley.

Education:
*Sam Houston Teachers College (1905)
*Baylor University (1905-1907)
*B.S. Texas A&M University (1912)
*M.S. Columbia University (1923)

Achievements:
*Registrar of Texas A&M University (1912 - 1924)
*Dean of School of Arts & Sciences at Texas A&M University (1924 - 1932)
*Dean of the Division of Science at ISU (1932 - 1935)
*Vice-president of ISU (1935 - 1936)
*9^th president of ISU from 1936 to 1953
**Term lasted from the end of the Great Depression through World War II
**Established the first educationally-owned/operated television station
*Honorary doctorate from ISU (1958)
*Mason
*Fellow of the Iowa Academy of Science
*National Council of Presbyterian Men
*Iowa State Fair Board
*Iowa Geological Society
*Sigma Alpha Epsilon
*Phi Kappa Phi
*Phi Mu Alpha

He was married three times:
*1913 to Nina Lynn Wood who died in 1918 but had two sons: Charles Edwin, Jr. & William Alva
*1921 to Vera Foreman who died in 1947 but had one daughter: Frances Foreman (Kuyper)
*1951 to Magdalen Ranney

References:
*Charles E. Friley Papers, Dates, RS 2/9, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

James H. Hilton

James H. Hilton (1899 - 1982) was the 10^th president of ISU.

Education:
*B.S. in animal husbandry ISU (1923)
*M.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison (1937)
*D.Sc. Purdue University (1945)

Achievements:
*County agent for Greene County (1923 - 1926)
*In charge of dairy production teaching & research at Purdue University (1939)
*Assistant chief of the dairy husbandry (1940 - 1945)
*Head of animal husbandry at North Carolina State (1945 - 1948)
*Dean of Agriculture at North Carolina State (1948 - 1953)
*10^th president of ISU from 1953 to 1965
**Enrollment soared from 7,800 to 12,400
**Value of the university increased from $38 to $471 million
**Research rose to $20 million
**Name change from Iowa State College to Iowa State University of Science & Technology in 1959
*Director of development (1965 - ?)

He had two wives:
*Lois Baker whom died in 1969 but had three children: Eleanor, Helen, & James G.
*Helen LeBaron (retired Dean of the College of Home Economics))

References:
*James H. Hilton Papers, Dates, RS 2/10, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

W. Robert Parks

William Robert Parks (1915 - 2003) was the 11^th president of ISU.

Education:
*B.A. political science Berea College, Kentucky (1937)
*M.A. political science University of Kentucky (1938)
*PhD political science University of Wisconsin-Madison (1945)

Achievements:
*Research & administration with the Bureau of Agricultural Economics (1940 - 1948)
*Lieutenant of the United States Navy during World War II
*Professor of government at ISU (1948 - 1956)
*Professor of agricultural economics at University of Wisconsin-Madison (1956 - 1958)
*Dean of Instruction at ISU (1958 - 1961)
*Vice President of Academic Affairs (1961 - 1965)
*11^th president of ISU from 1965 to 1986
**Head of National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges
**Head of Association of American Universities
**Head of Council of Presidents
**Head of Mid-American State Universities Association
**Head of Association of Iowa College Presidents
**Member of the board of trustees of the Teachers Insurance and Annuities-College Retirement Equities Fund
**On board of directors of Norwestern Bell
**On board of directors of Central Life Assurance
*Honorary doctorate from Bear College (1966)
*Honorary doctorate from Westmar College (1968)
*Honorary doctorate from Drake University (1968)
*Named honorary alumnus of ISU (1969)
*Honorary doctorate from University of Kentucky (1973)
*Library named W. Robert and Ellen Sorge Parks Library (1984)
*Received the first Christian Petersen Design Award for his leadership in establishing the College of Design

He married Ellen Sorge (1914 - 1999) and had two daughters: Andrea (Van Howeling) and Cynthia (Hamilton). Ellen was the first woman to receive a PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

References:
*W. Robert Parks Papers, RS 2/11, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

Gordon P. Eaton

Gordon Pryor Eaton (1929 - ) was the 12^th president of ISU.

Education:
*B.A. in geology Wesleyan University (1951)

Achievements:
*Faculty at Wesleyan University (1955 - 1959)
*Faculty at University of California-Riverside (1959 - 1967)
**Project chief of the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver (1963 - 1965)
*Chair of the Department of Geosciences at University of California-Riverside (1965 - 1967)
*U.S. Geological Survey (several positions)
*Dean of the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University (1981 - 1983)
*Provost & vice president for academic affairs at Texas A&M University (1983 - 1986)
*12^th president of ISU from 1986 to 1990
*Director of the Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory at Columbia University
*Director of the U.S. Geological Survey under President Bill Clinton (1994 - 1997)

References:
*Gordon P. Eaton Papers, RS 2/12, (University Archives) Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

Martin C. Jischke

Martin C. Jischke was the 13th president of Iowa State, serving from June 1, 1991 to August 14, 2000.

Gregory L. Geoffroy

[http://www.iastate.edu/~president/about/bio.shtml Gregory L. Geoffroy] is the 14^th and current president of Iowa State.He took office on July 1, 2001.

Education:
*B.A. University of Louisville (1968)
*Ph.D. in chemistry California Institute of Technology (1974)

Achievements:
*Officer in the United States Navy (1969 - 1970)
*Assistant professor of chemistry at Pennsylvania State University (1974 - 1978)
*Associate professor of chemistry at Pennsylvania State University (1978 - 1982)
*Professor of chemistry at Pennsylvania State University (1982 - 1988)
*Head of the department of chemistry at Pennsylvania State University (1988 - 1989)
*Dean of the Eberly College of Science at Pennsylvania State University (1989 - 1997)
*Senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at University of Maryland, College Park (1997 - 2001)
*President of Iowa State University (2001 - present)

Geoffroy is married to Kathleen Carothers Geoffroy and has four children.