16 Notable alumni of Rockhurst University
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
Rockhurst University is ranked #3,769 in the world and #994 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 16 notable alumni from Rockhurst 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 Rockhurst University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Art Staed
1949-. (aged 77)
politician
Art Staed is a current Iowa State Senator from the 40th District. A Democrat, he was in the Iowa House of Representatives for one term, from 2007 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2025. Staed holds a B.A. in Philosophy from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, a Master's degree in Secondary Education from the University of Missouri at Kansas...
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2. Tom Dempsey
1967-. (aged 59)
restaurateur
politician
Thomas Dwayne Dempsey is an American restaurateur and former Republican politician, previously serving in the Missouri Senate as President Pro Tempore. Dempsey is now a partner at the Gate Way Group, a multi-state government relations firm based in St. Louis.
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3. Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca
1961-. (aged 65)
fashion photographer
painter
photographer
Arnaldo Anaya-Lucca is a Puerto Rican fashion photographer. After earning a BBA degree, he left the corporate world, establishing himself in the fashion industry through his work with the Ralph Lauren Corporation. He has shot for many clients, magazines covers and editorials, and has also worked with celebrities and models.
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4. Hector Barreto
1961-. (aged 65)
politician
Hector Vincent Barreto Jr. is an American public servant who served as the 21st administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, confirmed on July 25, 2001. George W. Bush nominated him to the post. He resigned on July 2, 2006.
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5. Joseph Urusemal
1952-2025 (aged 73)
politician
Joseph John Urusemal was a Micronesian politician who served as the sixth President of the Federated States of Micronesia from 2003 until 2007.
6. Michael P. Ryan
1916-2005 (aged 89)
military personnel
Michael Patrick Ryan was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of major general. He is most noted for his service as a company commander during Battle of Tarawa, where he earned the Navy Cross, the United States military's second-highest decoration awarded for valor in combat. Ryan later served in Korean and Vietnam Wars...
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7. Paul A. Lombardo
legal scholar
Paul A. Lombardo is an American legal historian known for his work on the legacy of eugenics and sterilization in the United States. Lombardo’s foundational research corrected the historical record of the 1927 U.S. Supreme Court case of Buck v. Bell. He found Carrie Buck’s school grades and the grades of her child Vivian. He was the last person to...
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8. Ray Chang
1983-. (aged 43)
baseball player
Raymond Bo-shue Chang is a Chinese American former professional baseball infielder. He played in the 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2023 World Baseball Classics for the Chinese national team and currently serves as the manager of the Shenzhen Bluesox.
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9. Joseph P. Teasdale
1936-2014 (aged 78)
lawyer
politician
Joseph Patrick Teasdale was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as the 48th Governor of Missouri from 1977 to 1981. Teasdale was formerly a prosecutor for Jackson County, Missouri. In 1972, he made his first bid for governor, placing third in the Democratic primary, but attaining name recognition and the nickname "Walking Joe". In 1976, after initially running for...
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10. Tom Heinemann
1987-. (aged 39)
association football player
association football coach
Tom Heinemann is an American former professional soccer player who is currently an assistant coach for Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire.
11. George Wendt
1948-2025 (aged 77)
television actor
stage actor
comedian
film actor
George Robert Wendt Jr. was an American actor. Wendt played Norm Peterson on the NBC sitcom Cheers from 1982 to 1993, which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. After Cheers ended, he starred in his own short-lived CBS sitcom, The George Wendt Show (1995).
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12. Walter J. Ong
1912-2003 (aged 91)
literary critic
journalist
philosopher
university teacher
writer
Walter Jackson Ong, S.J. was an American Jesuit priest, professor of English literature, cultural and religious historian, and philosopher. His major interest was in exploring how the transition from orality to literacy influenced culture and changed human consciousness. In 1978 he served as elected president of the Modern Language Association.
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13. Wild Bill Elliott
1904-1965 (aged 61)
actor
Wild Bill Elliott was an American film actor. He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B Westerns, particularly the Red Ryder series of films.
14. Sly James
1951-. (aged 75)
politician
Sylvester "Sly" James, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Kansas City, Missouri from 2011 to 2019. James has lived in Kansas City's Union Hill neighborhood. As mayor, he was known for wearing bow ties.
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15. Herbert Harris
1926-2014 (aged 88)
lawyer
politician
Herbert Eugene Harris II was an American lawyer and politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia. He served three consecutive terms from 1975 to 1981.
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16. Alphonse Gallegos
1931-1991 (aged 60)
Catholic priest
Catholic bishop
Alphonse Gallegos, OAR, was an American Catholic prelate who served as Auxiliary Bishop of Sacramento from 1981 until his death in 1991. He was nicknamed the "Bishop of the Barrios."
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