4 Notable alumni of Philander Smith College
Updated: June 15, 2026 EliteDegrees
Philander Smith College is 5923st in the world, 1st in North America, and 1547st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 4 notable alumni from Philander Smith 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 Philander Smith College won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Joycelyn Elders
1933-. (aged 93)
physician
scientist
politician
pediatrician
Minnie Joycelyn Elders is an American pediatrician and public health administrator who served as Surgeon General of the United States from 1993 to 1994. A vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, she was the second woman, second person of color, and first African American to serve as Surgeon General.
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2. Solly Drake
1930-2021 (aged 91)
baseball player
Solomon Louis Drake was an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies during the 1956 and 1959 baseball seasons, totaling 141 games played. Drake and his brother, Sammy, were the first African-American siblings to play in the big leagues.
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3. Deon Cole
1972-. (aged 54)
actor
comedian
screenwriter
Deon Anthony Cole is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is best known for his role in the sitcom Black-ish (2014–2022), which earned him nominations for two NAACP Image Awards and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. On June 25, 2020, he became the second panelist to win the Doris Award on the ABC version of To Tell the Truth....
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4. James H. Cone
1938-2018 (aged 80)
religious leader
presbyter
Christian theologian
theologian
James Hal Cone was an American Methodist minister and theologian. He is best known for his advocacy of black theology and black liberation theology. His 1969 book Black Theology and Black Power provided a new way to comprehensively define the distinctiveness of theology in the black church. His message was that Black Power, defined as black people asserting the humanity...
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