7 Notable alumni of Fort Valley State University
Updated: June 15, 2026 EliteDegrees
Fort Valley State University is ranked #3,216 in the world and #833 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 7 notable alumni from Fort Valley State University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Fort Valley State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Howard Nathaniel Lee
1934-. (aged 92)
politician
Howard Nathaniel Lee is an American politician who served as Mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from 1969 to 1975. He was the first African-American mayor elected in Chapel Hill, and the first African American to be elected mayor of any majority-white city in the South. Later serving as North Carolina Secretary of Environmental and Natural Resources, Lee would also...
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2. Catherine Hardy Lavender
1930-2017 (aged 87)
sprinter
Catherine Hardy Lavender was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 100-meter dash. She won an Olympic gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1952 Olympic Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland. Later, Hardy married, had children, and a 30-year teaching career in Atlanta schools.
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3. Walt Gilmore
1947-. (aged 79)
basketball player
Walt Gilmore is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted in the second round of the 1970 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and would play one season with the team.
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4. Shirley Sherrod
1948-. (aged 78)
sociologist
Shirley Sherrod is the executive director for the Southwest Georgia Project and Vice President of Development for New Communities at Cypress pond. Sherrod is a civil rights activist who has devoted most of her life advocating for farmers and rural residents. Sherrod has been the recipient of various praises such as; The Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Sojourner-Douglas College,...
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5. Calvin Smyre
1947-. (aged 79)
politician
Calvin Smyre is an American politician who served as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. Elected in 1974, he was the longest-serving member of the Georgia Legislature. In May 2022, his nomination to serve as the United States ambassador to the Dominican Republic was withdrawn and he was instead nominated to serve as the United States ambassador to...
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6. Ricardo Lockette
1986-. (aged 40)
American football player
Ricardo Quantaye Lockette is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for parts of four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Born in Albany, Georgia, Lockette played college football for the Fort Valley State Wildcats and was signed by the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2011.
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7. Robert Jones
1944-2010 (aged 66)
politician
Robert Jones is a Welsh composer, organist and choirmaster.