18 Notable alumni of Millsaps College
Updated: June 16, 2026 EliteDegrees
Millsaps College is ranked #4,194 in the world and #1,092 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 18 notable alumni from Millsaps College sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Millsaps College won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Patricia Ann Lamkin
1963-2018 (aged 55)
writer
Patricia Ann Lamkin was an American playwright, singer, songwriter, musician, actor, writer and editor.
2. William Nathaniel Thomas
1892-1971 (aged 79)
Christian minister
military officer
William Nathaniel Thomas was a US Navy chief of chaplains, described by one historian as "one of the most distinguished Chaplains ever to serve in the US Navy." Born in Mississippi and entering the navy in 1918, he became a rear admiral and was a chief of chaplains of the United States Navy (1945–1949). He was chaplain aboard the USS...
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3. William C. Lamar
lawyer
William Chadwick Lamar is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi from 2017 to 2021.
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4. James K. Vardaman, Jr
1894-1972 (aged 78)
lawyer
James Kimble Vardaman Jr. was an American lawyer who served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors from 1946 to 1958. He was a US Navy captain during World War II, and political aide to President Harry S. Truman. Before the war, he had worked as bank counselor in Missouri.
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5. Vic Roby
1917-2011 (aged 94)
voice actor
radio personality
Victor Mills Roby, Jr. was an American radio and television announcer, voice-over artist and public affairs show host, and served for years as a staff announcer with NBC.
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6. D. Michael Hurst Jr
lawyer
David Michael Hurst Jr. is an American attorney who served as the United States attorney for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi from 2017 to 2021. Prior to assuming that role, he was the director of the Mississippi Justice Institute and general counsel for the Mississippi Center for Public Policy. Hurst Jr. previously served as...
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7. Neal Brooks Biggers Jr
1935-2023 (aged 88)
military officer
lawyer
judge
Neal Brooks Biggers Jr. was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
8. Tex Sample
1934-. (aged 92)
sociologist
Tex Sample is a specialist in church and society, a storyteller, author, and the Robert B. and Kathleen Rogers Professor Emeritus of Church and Society at the St. Paul School of Theology, a United Methodist seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, where he taught from 1967–1999. He has published four books about the working class.
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9. Robert C. Robbins
1957-. (aged 69)
educator
chief executive officer
cardiologist
cardiac surgeon
physician
Robert Clayton Robbins, known professionally as Robert C. Robbins or R.C. Robbins, is an American cardiothoracic surgeon and former president of The University of Arizona. Previously, he was the president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, from 2012 to 2017.
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10. William Meyers Colmer
1890-1980 (aged 90)
lawyer
politician
William Meyers Colmer was an American politician from Mississippi.
11. Rubel Phillips
1925-2011 (aged 86)
lawyer
military officer
Rubel Lex Phillips was an American politician and lawyer. He grew up poor in Alcorn County, Mississippi, and graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Hailing from a politically active family and initially a member of the Democratic Party, he served as a circuit court clerk from 1952 to 1956 and chaired the Mississippi Public Service Commission from...
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12. Walter Gordon
1920-1997 (aged 77)
military personnel
Walter Scott Gordon Jr. was a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II.
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13. James E. Graves, Jr
1953-. (aged 73)
lawyer
judge
James Earl Graves Jr. is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
14. Ellen Gilchrist
1935-2024 (aged 89)
poet
writer
novelist
diarist
short story writer
Ellen Louise Gilchrist was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. She won a National Book Award for her 1984 collection of short stories, Victory Over Japan.
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15. Tate Reeves
1974-. (aged 52)
politician
Jonathan Tate Reeves is an American politician serving as the 65th governor of Mississippi since 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Reeves served as the 32nd lieutenant governor of Mississippi from 2012 to 2020 and as the 53rd treasurer of Mississippi from 2004 to 2012.
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16. Donald Gray Triplett
1933-2023 (aged 90)
banker
Donald Gray Triplett was an American banker known for being the first person diagnosed with autism. He was diagnosed by Leo Kanner in 1943 and was labeled as "Case 1". Triplett was noted for his savant abilities, particularly the ability to name musical notes played on a piano and the ability to perform rapid mental multiplication.
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17. Cassandra Wilson
1955-. (aged 71)
singer
songwriter
jazz singer
recording artist
jazz musician
Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work. She has won...
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18. Kiese Laymon
1974-. (aged 52)
writer
novelist
Kiese Laymon is an American writer. He is a professor of English and Creative Writing at Rice University. He is the author of three full-length books: a novel, Long Division (2013), and two memoirs, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America (2013) and the award-winning Heavy: An American Memoir (2018). Laymon was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022.
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