Notable Alumni of Teachers College at Columbia University [Sorted List]

1. Benjamin D. Wood

1894-1986 (aged 92)

psychologist

Benjamin DeKalbe Wood was an American educator, researcher, and director / professor at Columbia University and an expert in the educational field.

2. Clyde M. Narramore

1916-2015 (aged 99)

writer psychologist

Clyde M. Narramore was an American author of more than 100 books and booklets, including the best sellers The Psychology of Counseling, The Encyclopedia of Psychological Problems and This Way to Happiness. He was the founding president of the first international non-profit Christian counseling and training organization, the Narramore Christian Foundation. In 1954 he and his wife, Ruth Narramore, began...

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3. Greg Wyatt

1949-. (aged 77)

sculptor

Greg Wyatt is an American representational sculptor who works primarily in cast bronze, and is the sculptor-in-residence at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City.

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4. Feniosky Peña-Mora

1966-. (aged 60)

engineer

Feniosky Peña-Mora is a Dominican-born engineer, educator, and professor. He served as commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction from 2014 to 2017, as dean of Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science from 2009 to 2012, and as associate provost of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He was inducted as president of the American...

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5. William Trufant Foster

1879-1950 (aged 71)

university teacher economist

William Trufant Foster was an American educator and economist, whose theories were especially influential in the 1920s. He was the first president of Reed College.

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6. Nosimo Balindlela

1949-. (aged 77)

politician

Nosimo Zisiwe Beauty Balindlela is a South African politician who served as the Premier of the Eastern Cape from 26 April 2004 until 1 August 2008. She changed parties in 2008 when she became a member of the Congress of the People, and again in 2012 to join the Democratic Alliance. In 2018 she defected back to the ANC.

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7. Eulalie Spence

1894-1981 (aged 87)

writer playwright

Eulalie Spence was a writer, teacher, director, actress and playwright from the British West Indies. She was an influential member of the Harlem Renaissance, writing fourteen plays, at least five of which were published. Spence, who described herself as a "folk dramatist" who made plays for fun and entertainment, was considered one of the most experienced female playwrights before the...

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8. William P. Foster

1919-2010 (aged 91)

music director bandmaster composer music educator bandleader

William Patrick Foster, also known as The Law and The Maestro, was the director of the noted Florida A&M University Marching "100". He served as the band's director from 1946 to his retirement in 1998. His innovations revolutionized college marching band technique and the perceptions of the collegiate band. Foster was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, the...

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9. Anita Pollitzer

1894-1975 (aged 81)

suffragist photographer artist

Anita Lily Pollitzer was an American photographer and suffragist.

10. Elena Torres

1893-1970 (aged 77)

educator writer

Elena Torres Cuéllar was a leading Mexican revolutionary, feminist, progressive educator and writer. A member of the communist party, in 1917 she was the only woman to participate on behalf of the Liga Central de Resistencia at the first meeting of the Yucatán Socialist Party in Mérida. In 1919, she founded the Mexican Feminist Council campaigning for better social and...

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11. Laila Iskander

1949-. (aged 77)

politician

Laila Rashed Iskander Kamel is an Egyptian social entrepreneur and politician. She is formerly Egypt's Minister of State for Environment Affairs in the interim government of Prime Minister Hazem El Beblawi.

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12. Edith Lake Wilkinson

1868-1957 (aged 89)

painter artist

Edith Lake Wilkinson was an artist who lived and painted in Provincetown, Massachusetts, during the early decades of the 20th century until she was committed to an asylum for the mentally ill in 1924. Wilkinson's life and work is highlighted in the film Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson.

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13. May Edward Chinn

1896-1980 (aged 84)

pianist physician

May Edward Chinn was an American physician. She was the first African-American woman to graduate from Bellevue Hospital Medical College, now NYU School of Medicine, and the first African-American woman to intern at Harlem Hospital. In her private practice, she provided care for black patients who would not otherwise receive treatment in white facilities. She was also a strong advocate...

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14. Daniel T. Drew

1979-. (aged 47)

politician

Daniel Thomas Drew is an American politician from Connecticut and the former mayor of Middletown, Connecticut. Drew was elected mayor in 2011 and was re-elected in 2013 and 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

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15. Kevin Nadal

1978-. (aged 48)

university teacher psychologist writer

Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal is an author, activist, comedian, and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He is a researcher and expert on the effects of microaggressions on racial/ethnic minorities and LGBTQ people.

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16. Gardner Murphy

1895-1979 (aged 84)

university teacher psychologist

Gardner Murphy was an American psychologist who specialized in social and personality psychology and parapsychology. His career highlights include serving as president of the American Psychological Association and the British Society for Psychical Research.

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17. Mark Putnam

Mark Putnam is an American academic administrator serving as the 21st president of Central College, a liberal arts college located in Pella, Iowa. He was appointed to the role July 1, 2010,

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18. Frances Horwich

1907-2001 (aged 94)

educator television producer

Frances Rappaport Horwich was an American educator, television personality and television executive. As Miss Frances, she was the host of the children's television program Ding Dong School, seen weekday mornings on the NBC network in the 1950s and nationally syndicated between 1959 and 1965.

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19. Ann Louise Gittleman

1949-. (aged 77)

nutritionist

Ann Louise Gittleman is an American author and proponent of alternative medicine, especially fad diets. She regards herself as a nutritionist. Gittleman has written more than two dozen books and is known for The Fat Flush Plan, a "detox" diet and exercise program that she developed into a series of books. Gittleman's ideas on health and nutrition are regarded as...

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20. Amy P. Goldman

1954-. (aged 72)

businessperson conservationist

Amy Goldman Fowler is an American billionaire heiress, gardener, author, artist, philanthropist, and advocate for seed saving and heirloom fruits and vegetables. She is one of the foremost heirloom plant conservationists in the US. Goldman has been called "perhaps the world's premier vegetable gardener" by Gregory Long, president emeritus of The New York Botanical Garden.

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21. Clark Wissler

1870-1947 (aged 77)

anthropologist curator psychologist writer

Clark David Wissler was an American anthropologist, ethnologist, and archaeologist.

22. Tina Howe

1937-2023 (aged 86)

playwright writer translator

Mabel Davis "Tina" Howe was an American playwright. In a career that spanned more than four decades, Howe's best-known works include Museum, The Art of Dining, Painting Churches, Coastal Disturbances, and Pride's Crossing.

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23. Soo Yong

1903-1984 (aged 81)

actor television actor stage actor

Soo Yong, was a Chinese-American actress. She acted in 23 Hollywood films and numerous television shows, mostly in supporting roles. Among them were The Good Earth (1937), Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), and Sayonara (1957). In 1941 she married C.K. Huang.

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24. Belle Moskowitz

1877-1933 (aged 56)

activist actor adviser

Belle Moskowitz was a Jewish-American progressive reformer and political advisor in the early 20th century. She worked as a political advisor and publicist to New York Governor and 1928 Democratic presidential candidate Al Smith. In her obituary, the New York Times referred to her as the most powerful woman in U.S. politics.

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25. Lee Ross

1942-2021 (aged 79)

university teacher social psychologist psychologist

Lee David Ross was a Canadian-American professor. He held the title of the Stanford Federal Credit Union Professor of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University and was an influential social psychologist who studied attributional biases, shortcomings in judgment and decision making, and barriers to conflict resolution, often with longtime collaborator Mark Lepper. Ross was known for his identification and explication...

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26. Kevin Jennings

1963-. (aged 63)

university teacher teacher writer Clerical Officer pedagogue

Kevin Brett Jennings is an American educator, author, and administrator. He was the assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education from July 6, 2009 – June 2011.

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27. Mary Antin

1881-1949 (aged 68)

writer

Mary Antin was an American author and immigration rights activist. She is best known for her 1912 autobiography The Promised Land, an account of her emigration and subsequent Americanization.

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28. Ella Cara Deloria

1889-1971 (aged 82)

linguist writer anthropologist

Ella Cara Deloria, also called Aŋpétu Wašté Wiŋ ('Beautiful Day Woman'), was a Yankton Dakota educator, anthropologist, ethnographer, linguist, and novelist. She recorded Native American oral history and contributed to the study of Native American languages. According to Cotera (2008), Deloria was "a pre-eminent expert on Dakota/Lakota/Nakota cultural, religious, and linguistic practices." In the 1940s, Deloria wrote the novel Waterlily,...

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29. Anzia Yezierska

1880-1970 (aged 90)

novelist author writer

Anzia Yezierska was an American novelist born in Płock, Poland, which was then part of the Russian Empire. She emigrated as a child with her parents to the United States and lived in Manhattan's Lower East Side ghetto. Her depictions of turn-of-the-century Jewish-American life—Hungry Hearts, Salome of the Tenements, and Bread Givers—won her acclaim in the 1920s, and she briefly...

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30. Matthew Pittinsky

chief executive officer

Matthew Pittinsky is an American technology entrepreneur, educator and academic. He is the former CEO of Parchment and a co-founder of Blackboard Inc. Pittinsky is a visiting scholar at Arizona State University.

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31. Lucy Diggs Slowe

1883-1937 (aged 54)

suffragist tennis player educator

Lucy Diggs Slowe was an American educator and athlete, and the first Black woman to serve as Dean of Women at any American university. She was a founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the first sorority founded by African-American women.

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32. Karl Struss

1886-1981 (aged 95)

camera operator cinematographer photographer

Karl Struss, A.S.C. was an American photographer and a cinematographer of the 1900s through the 1950s. He was also one of the earliest pioneers of 3-D films. While he mostly worked on films, such as F.W. Murnau's Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator and Limelight, he was also one of the cinematographers for the...

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33. Zhang Boling

1874-1951 (aged 77)

teacher politician

Chang Po-ling was a Chinese educator who, with Yan Xiu, founded Nankai University and the Nankai system of schools.

34. Ildaura Murillo-Rohde

1920-2010 (aged 90)

nurse

Ildaura Murillo-Rohde was a Panamanian nurse, professor, academic, tennis instructor, and organizational administrator. She founded the National Association of Hispanic Nurses in 1975.

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35. Lynd Ward

1905-1985 (aged 80)

graphic artist comics artist painter writer author

Lynd Kendall Ward was an American artist and novelist, known for his series of wordless novels using woodcuts, and his illustrations for juvenile and adult books. His wordless novels have influenced the development of the graphic novel. Although strongly associated with his wood engravings, he also worked in watercolor, oil, brush and ink, lithography and mezzotint. Ward was a son...

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36. Robert S. Woodworth

1869-1962 (aged 93)

university teacher psychologist

Robert Sessions Woodworth was an American psychologist and the creator of the personality test which bears his name. A graduate of Harvard and Columbia, he studied under William James along with other prominent psychologists as Leta Stetter Hollingworth, James Rowland Angell, and Edward Thorndike. His textbook Psychology: A study of mental life, which appeared first in 1921, went through many...

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37. Michael W. Apple

1942-. (aged 84)

sociologist pedagogue

Michael W. Apple is an educational theorist specialized on education and power, cultural politics, curriculum theory and research, critical teaching, and the development of democratic schools.

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38. Richard E. Nisbett

1941-. (aged 85)

university teacher psychologist

Richard Eugene Nisbett is an American social psychologist and writer. He is the Theodore M. Newcomb Distinguished Professor of social psychology and co-director of the Culture and Cognition program at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Nisbett's research interests are in social cognition, culture, social class, and aging. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University, where his advisor was...

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39. Faye Glenn Abdellah

1919-2017 (aged 98)

nurse

Faye Glenn Abdellah was an American pioneer in nursing research. Abdellah was the first nurse and woman to serve as the Deputy Surgeon General of the United States. Preceding her appointment, she served in active duty during the Korean War, where she earned a distinguished ranking equivalent to a Navy Rear Admiral, making her the highest-ranked woman and nurse in...

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40. Tao Xingzhi

1891-1946 (aged 55)

teacher educator writer

Tao Xingzhi was a renowned Chinese educator and reformer in the Republic of China mainland era. He studied at Teachers College, Columbia University, and returned to China to champion progressive education. His career in China as a liberal educator was not derivative of John Dewey, as some have alleged, but creative and adaptive. He returned to China at a time...

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41. Dave Price

1966-. (aged 60)

journalist

David M. Price is an American journalist and weather forecaster who is currently working for WNBC-TV in New York as a weekday afternoon weatherman.

42. Lin Mosei

1887-1947 (aged 60)

philosopher

Lin Mosei was a Taiwanese academic and educator. He was the first Taiwanese person to receive a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in the United States. He was also a calligrapher and a Christian.

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43. Helena Carter

1923-2000 (aged 77)

film actor actor model

Helena Carter was an American film actress in the 1940s and 1950s who is best known for her work in the film Invaders from Mars as Dr. Patricia Blake. From 1947 to 1953 she would appear in 13 films, during which time she also worked as a model.

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44. Morris Cohen

1910-1995 (aged 85)

spy businessperson

Morris Cohen, also known by his alias Peter Kroger, was an American convicted of espionage for the Soviet Union. His wife Lona was also an agent. They became spies because of their communist beliefs.

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45. Maria Konnikova

1984-. (aged 42)

writer poker player journalist psychologist

Maria Konnikova is an American writer. Konnikova has also worked as a television producer, poker player, and podcaster. She has written three New York Times bestseller list books, including Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes.

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46. Thomas Kean

1935-. (aged 91)

teacher academic administrator politician

Thomas Howard Kean is an American statesman and academic administrator who served as the 48th governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the New Jersey General Assembly and was chair of the 9/11 Commission from 2002 to 2004.

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47. John King, Jr

1975-. (aged 51)

academic administrator politician

John B. King Jr. is an American academic administrator, currently serving as the 15th chancellor of the State University of New York since January 2023.

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48. Norman Cousins

1915-1990 (aged 75)

literary critic writer peace activist journalist professor

Norman Cousins was an American political journalist, author, professor, and world peace through world state advocate.

49. Regina Peruggi

1947-. (aged 79)

academic

Regina S. Peruggi is an American educator, who was the President of Kingsborough Community College from 2005 to 2014, the first woman to hold that position in the college's 40-year history. Prior to that, she was president of Marymount Manhattan College and led the Central Park Conservancy. For 14 years (from 1968 to 1982), she was married to her second...

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50. Hafizullah Amin

1929-1979 (aged 50)

politician

Hafizullah Amin was an Afghan revolutionary and communist head of state, who served in that position for a little over three months, from September 1979 until his assassination. He organized the Saur Revolution of 1978 and co-founded the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA), ruling Afghanistan as General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party.

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51. Albert Ellis

1913-2007 (aged 94)

behaviour therapist non-fiction writer cognitive scientist psychologist sex educator

Albert Ellis was an American psychologist and psychotherapist who founded rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT). He held MA and PhD degrees in clinical psychology from Columbia University, and was certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). He also founded, and was the President of, the New York City-based Albert Ellis Institute. He is generally considered to be one...

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52. Edward Thorndike

1874-1949 (aged 75)

university teacher teacher psychologist

Edward Lee Thorndike was an American psychologist who spent nearly his entire career at Teachers College, Columbia University. His work on comparative psychology and the learning process led to his "theory of connectionism" and helped lay the scientific foundation for educational psychology. He also worked on solving industrial problems, such as employee exams and testing.

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53. Peter Alsop

1946-. (aged 80)

musician

Peter Alsop is an American musician whose work has ranged from satirical music for adults to children's music.

54. Betsy Gotbaum

1938-. (aged 88)

politician

Elisabeth A. Gotbaum is an American civil servant, politician and a former New York City public advocate. She was elected Public Advocate for New York City in 2001 and reelected in 2005. She was the third woman elected to a citywide post in NYC history. The other two were Carol Bellamy, who served as city council president from 1978 to...

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55. Alma Thomas

1891-1978 (aged 87)

painter art educator artist draftsperson

Alma Woodsey Thomas was an African-American artist and art teacher who lived and worked in Washington, D.C., and is now recognized as a major American painter of the 20th century. She is the first African-American woman to be included in the White House's permanent art collection. Thomas is best known for the "exuberant", colorful, abstract paintings that she created after...

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56. Angela Santomero

1968-. (aged 58)

screenwriter film director producer television producer

Angela Candace Santomero is an American television executive producer and co-creator of the Nickelodeon children's television programs Blue's Clues, its spin-off Blue's Room, and its reboot Blue's Clues & You!, as well as the PBS children's shows Super Why!, & Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, the Amazon series Creative Galaxy, Wishenpoof!, and the Netflix original series Charlie's Colorforms City. Santomero has won...

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57. William Heard Kilpatrick

1871-1965 (aged 94)

pedagogue philosopher

William Heard Kilpatrick was an American pedagogue and a pupil, a colleague and a successor of John Dewey. Kilpatrick was a major figure in the progressive education movement of the early 20th century.

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58. Mike Bidlo

1953-. (aged 73)

painter sculptor performance artist artist

Michael Bidlo is an American conceptual artist who employs painting, sculpture, drawing, performance, and other forms of "social sculpture".

59. Camilo Osías

1889-1976 (aged 87)

translator lawyer politician writer

Camilo Osías y Olaviano, was a Filipino politician, twice for a short time President of the Senate of the Philippines. Along with American Mary A. Lane, Osías translated into English the poem Filipinas that was set to the Marcha Nacional Filipina, producing the Philippine Hymn, now the national anthem Lupang Hinirang.

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60. Todd Duncan

1903-1998 (aged 95)

opera singer actor

Robert Todd Duncan was an American baritone opera singer and actor. One of the first African-Americans to sing with a major opera company, Duncan is also noted for appearing as Porgy in the premier production of Porgy and Bess (1935).

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61. Cha Liang-Chao

1896-1982 (aged 86)

teacher

Cha Liang-chao was a Taiwanese educator and philanthropist.

62. Adolph Rupp

1901-1977 (aged 76)

basketball coach basketball player

Adolph Frederick Rupp was an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed the "Baron of the Bluegrass", he coached the University of Kentucky Wildcats to four NCAA championships, one NIT championship, 27 Southeastern Conference championships, and 13 SEC tournament championships. In his 41 years of coaching at Kentucky, he won 876 games, retiring with the most total victories by a men's NCAA...

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63. Sheila Tlou

chancellor nurse vice-chancellor professor lecture

Professor Sheila Dinotshe Tlou is a Botswana nurse, specialist in HIV/AIDS and women's health, and nursing educator. She was Minister of Health from 2004 to 2008. Professor Tlou is a distinguished advocate for human resources for health issues. She is a recognized visionary leader and champion.

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64. Clarence "Big House" Gaines

1923-2005 (aged 82)

American football player basketball player basketball coach

Clarence Edward "Big House" Gaines Sr. was an American college men's basketball coach with a 47-year coaching career at Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Among his numerous honors for his achievements, he is one of the few African Americans to be inducted as a coach into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

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65. Ernestine Wiedenbach

1900-1998 (aged 98)

university teacher

Ernestine Wiedenbach was a nursing theorist. Her family emigrated to New York in 1909, where she later received a B.A. from Wellesley College in 1922, an R.N. from Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in 1925, an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1934, and a certificate in nurse-midwifery from the Maternity Center Association School for Nurse-Midwives in New York...

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66. María Eugenia Estenssoro

1958-. (aged 68)

journalist politician

María Eugenia Estenssoro is a Bolivian Argentine politician, journalist and activist for women's rights. She represented the city of Buenos Aires in the Argentine Senate from 2007 to 2013.

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67. Ruth Winifred Howard

1900-1997 (aged 97)

social worker psychologist

Ruth Winifred Howard was an American psychologist. She is best known for her psychological work concerning students with special needs at Children's Provident Hospital School. She is the first African American women to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology. Howard was an active participant in the American Psychological Association, the International Council of Women Psychologists, the American Association of University Women,...

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68. Donald Byrd

1932-2013 (aged 81)

jazz musician composer recording artist music educator jazz trumpeter

Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop musicians who successfully explored funk and soul while remaining a jazz artist. As a bandleader, Byrd was an influence on the early career of Herbie...

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69. Nick Sousanis

draftsperson caricaturist tennis player university teacher art critic

Walter Nickell "Nick" Sousanis is an American scholar, art critic, and cartoonist; a co-founder of the TheDetroiter.com, he is also the first person at Columbia University to write a dissertation entirely in a comic book format.

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70. Betty Castor

1941-. (aged 85)

teacher politician

Elizabeth Castor is an American educator and former politician. Castor was elected to the Florida Senate and as Florida Education Commissioner, and she subsequently served as the president of the University of South Florida, and president of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

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71. Hu Shih

1891-1962 (aged 71)

writer university teacher philosopher politician journalist

Hu Shih was a Chinese academic, writer, diplomat, and politician. Hu contributed to Chinese liberalism and language reform, and was a leading advocate for the use of written vernacular Chinese. He participated in the May Fourth Movement and China's New Culture Movement. He was a president of Peking University and Academia Sinica.

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72. Soon-Yi Previn

1970-. (aged 56)

film actor

Soon-Yi Previn is the wife of filmmaker Woody Allen and the adopted daughter of actress Mia Farrow and musician André Previn. Her romantic relationship with Allen created public controversy when it became known in 1992; Allen had been the long-term partner of Previn's adoptive mother, Mia Farrow. Previn married Allen in 1997.

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73. Art Garfunkel

1941-. (aged 85)

television actor actor singer-songwriter poet teacher

Arthur Ira Garfunkel is an American singer, actor and poet who is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.

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74. Olivia Hooker

1915-2018 (aged 103)

teacher psychologist

Olivia Juliette Hooker was an American psychologist and professor. She was a survivor of the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, and the first African-American woman to enter the U.S. Coast Guard. During World War II, she became a member of the United States Coast Guard Women's Reserve, earning the rank of Yeoman Third Class during her service. She served in...

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75. Moshe Weinberger

1957-. (aged 69)

rabbi

Rabbi Moshe Weinberger is an American Chasidic rabbi, educator, author, translator, and speaker. He is the founding rabbi of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, New York, and former Mashpia/mashgiach ruchani at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS). He has recorded more than 5000 lectures on chasidic thought and philosophy as well as Halakha (Jewish law) and a variety of...

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76. Shmuly Yanklowitz

1981-. (aged 45)

rabbi

Shmuly Yanklowitz is an American open orthodox rabbi and activist. In March 2012 and March 2013, Newsweek listed Yanklowitz as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America.

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77. Lenora Fulani

1950-. (aged 76)

psychologist politician

Lenora Branch Fulani is an American psychologist, psychotherapist, and political activist. She is best known for her presidential campaigns and development of youth programs serving minority communities in the New York City area. In the 1988 United States presidential election heading the New Alliance Party ticket, she became the first woman and the first African American to achieve ballot access...

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78. Merryl Tisch

Merryl H. Tisch is currently the Chairman of the SUNY Board of Trustees, and the former Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents. She is married to James S. Tisch, an heir to the Loews Corporation. In November 2015, she stepped down from her role after nearly 20 years on the board.

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79. Benedict Groeschel

1933-2014 (aged 81)

Catholic priest psychologist non-fiction writer university teacher

Benedict Joseph Groeschel, C.F.R. was an American Franciscan friar, Catholic priest, retreat master, author, psychologist, activist, and television host. He hosted the television talk program Sunday Night Prime (originally Sunday Night Live) on the Eternal Word Television Network, as well as several serial religious specials.

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80. Claire Fagin

1926-2024 (aged 98)

nurse consultant philosopher

Claire Muriel Fagin FAAN was an American nurse, educator, and academic. She was an early advocate of family-centered care, with major contributions to psychiatric nursing, nursing education and geriatric nursing. Fagin was also one of the first women to serve as president of an Ivy League university.

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81. Shalom H. Schwartz

1936-. (aged 90)

university teacher lecturer psychologist

Shalom H. Schwartz is a social psychologist, cross-cultural researcher and creator of the Theory of Basic Human Values (universal values as latent motivations and goals). He also developed value scales to measure both individual and national/cultural values that have been translated into 50+ languages and applied in over 90 societies.

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82. Shirley Chisholm

1924-2005 (aged 81)

politician

Shirley Anita Chisholm was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional district, a district centered in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn for seven terms from 1969 to 1983. In 1972, she became the first black candidate for a major-party nomination for President of the United...

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83. Sara Benincasa

1980-. (aged 46)

radio personality novelist podcaster comedian television producer

Sara Benincasa is an American comedian and author.

84. Charles Alston

1907-1977 (aged 70)

visual artist painter sculptor caricaturist

Charles Henry "Spinky" Alston was an American painter, sculptor, illustrator, muralist and teacher who lived and worked in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. Alston was active in the Harlem Renaissance; Alston was the first African-American supervisor for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Alston designed and painted murals at the Harlem Hospital and the Golden State Mutual...

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85. Rollo May

1909-1994 (aged 85)

psychologist psychotherapist writer

Rollo Reece May was an American existential psychologist and author of the influential book Love and Will (1969). He is often associated with humanistic psychology and existentialist philosophy, and alongside Viktor Frankl, was a major proponent of existential psychotherapy. The philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich was a close friend who had a significant influence on his work.

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86. Helen Kim

1899-1970 (aged 71)

politician writer journalist missionary poet

Helen Kim was a South Korean politician, educator, social activist, and feminist. Her art name was Wuwol (우월). Kim was the founder of the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women (WFMUCW), and the daily Korean newspaper, The Korea Times.

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87. Suzan Johnson Cook

1957-. (aged 69)

writer television producer pastor politician

Suzan Denise Johnson Cook is a U.S. presidential advisor, pastor, theologian, author, activist, and academic who served as the United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom under The Obama Administration from April 2011 to October 2013. She has served as a policy advisor to President Bill Clinton and later to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros, a...

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88. Diane Ravitch

1938-. (aged 88)

pedagogue university teacher political activist blogger journalist

Diane Silvers Ravitch is a historian of education, an educational policy analyst, and a research professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Previously, she was a U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education. In 2010, she became "an activist on behalf of public schools." Her blog at DianeRavitch.net has received more than 36 million page views...

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89. E. Gordon Gee

1944-. (aged 82)

university teacher

Elwood Gordon Gee is an American academic administrator. From 2014 to 2025, he served his second term as president of West Virginia University; his first term there was from 1981 to 1985. Gee is said to have held more university presidencies (or their equivalent titles) than any other American. He was head of University of Colorado Boulder from 1985 to...

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90. Hildegard Peplau

1909-1999 (aged 90)

nurse

Hildegard E. Peplau was an American nurse and the first published nursing theorist since Florence Nightingale. She created the middle-range nursing theory of interpersonal relations, which helped to revolutionize the scholarly work of nurses. As a primary contributor to mental health law reform, she led the way towards humane treatment of patients with behavior and personality disorders.

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91. Agnes Martin

1912-2004 (aged 92)

painter draftsperson printmaker

Agnes Bernice Martin RCA was a Canadian-American abstract painter known for her minimalist style and abstract expressionism. Born in Saskatchewan, she moved to the United States in 1931, where she pursued higher education and became a U.S. citizen in 1950. Martin's artistic journey began in New York City, where she immersed herself in modern art and developed a deep interest...

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92. Magnus Wenninger

1919-2017 (aged 98)

mathematician teacher Catholic priest

Father Magnus J. Wenninger OSB was an American mathematician who worked on constructing polyhedron models, and wrote the first book on their construction.

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93. Lee Huan

1917-2010 (aged 93)

politician

Lee Huan was a Taiwanese politician. He was Premier of the Republic of China from 1989 to 1990, serving for one year under former President Lee Teng-hui. He was the father of Lee Ching-hua and Diane Lee. He was born in Hankou, Hubei.

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94. Leonor Orosa-Goquingco

1917-2005 (aged 88)

choreographer dancer

Leonor Luna Orosa-Goquingco was a Filipino national artist in creative dance, who was also known for breaking tradition within dance. She played the piano, drew art, designed scenery and costumes, sculpted, acted, directed, danced and choreographed. Her pen name was Cristina Luna and she was known as Trailblazer, Mother of Philippine Theater Dance and Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics....

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95. Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali

1903-1997 (aged 94)

minister writer politician

Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali was an Iraqi statesman, educator, politician and diplomat, who held important posts in the government of Iraq, during the royal era. Most notably he served as Iraq's prime minister two times and foreign minister from 1946 to 1948 and was also the Director of Foreign Affairs and a member of the Arab Federation Council in 1958.

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96. Hideko Inouye

1875-1963 (aged 88)

university teacher

Hideko Inoue was a Japanese educator and peace activist. She taught home economics at Japan Women's University and served as the first woman president of the school from 1931–1946. Active in the peace movement she led the Japanese affiliate of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and was one of the leading feminists supporting internationalism in the interwar...

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97. Tsuruko Haraguchi

1886-1915 (aged 29)

translator psychologist

Tsuruko Haraguchi was a Japanese psychologist and the first Japanese woman to receive a Doctor of Philosophy.

98. Jiang Menglin

1886-1964 (aged 78)

academic administrator politician

Jiang Menglin, also known as Chiang Monlin, was a Chinese educator, writer, and politician. Between 1919 and 1927, he also served as the President of Peking University. He later became the president of National Chekiang University. In the early 1950s, he was head of the Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction in Taiwan.

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99. Violeta Hemsy de Gainza

1929-2023 (aged 94)

pianist music teacher writer

Violeta Hemsy de Gainza was an Argentine pianist and music pedagogue. She focused on the music education of children, improvisation and music therapy, considering learning music a human right. Her books were translated into many languages. She served in international organisations, as a board member of the International Society for Music Education from 1985 to 1990, and as president of...

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100. Nahas Angula

1943-. (aged 83)

politician minister

Nahas Gideon Angula is a Namibian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 4 December 2012. He was succeeded by Hage Geingob in a cabinet reshuffle after the 2012 SWAPO Party congress. He subsequently served as Minister of Defence from 2012 to 2015.

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