70 Notable alumni of University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
University of Louisiana at Lafayette is ranked #1,165 in the world and #299 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 70 notable alumni from University of Louisiana at Lafayette sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with University of Louisiana at Lafayette won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Dorothy Pocklington
1934-2024 (aged 90)
nurse
Dorothy Pocklington was a United States Army nurse. She was the first female member of the Army Reserve to attain the rank of brigadier general.
2. Brod Veillon
1950-. (aged 76)
air force officer
Brigadier General Joseph "Brod" Veillon is the assistant adjutant general-air for Louisiana. He has served on active duty in the United States Air Force since 1978. He joined the Louisiana Air National Guard in 1992. In 2005, Veillon coordinated the Louisiana National Guard's support of Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries search and rescue efforts in response to Hurricane Katrina.
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3. Patricia Brown
1928-. (aged 98)
engineer
Patricia L. Brown was the first female chemical engineer to graduate from Southwestern Louisiana Institute. She was one out of a total of two female chemical engineers at Stepan Company in 1993.
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4. Meredith Blackwell
1940-. (aged 86)
mycologist
botanist
Meredith May Blackwell is an American mycologist, known as one of the world's leading experts on fungi associated with arthropods.
5. Robert L. Mouton
1892-1956 (aged 64)
military officer
businessperson
politician
Robert Louis Mouton was a U.S. representative from Louisiana.
6. Kevin Eyster
1989-. (aged 37)
poker player
Kevin Eyster or "1$ickDisea$E" is a professional poker player, born in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. He learned the game at the age of 15 years during his schooldays. After graduating, he trained his skills mainly by playing online and in local games. He started his real poker career in 2007.
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7. Georgette LeBlanc
1977-. (aged 49)
poet
writer
Georgette LeBlanc is a Canadian poet and translator, most noted for serving as the Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate in 2018 and 2019.
8. Antwain Spann
1983-. (aged 43)
American football player
Antwain Joquan Spann is an American former professional football defensive back who played for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Louisiana–Lafayette.
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9. Joey Durel
1953-. (aged 73)
businessperson
politician
Lester Joseph Durel Jr., known as Joey Durel, is an American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana from 2004 to 2016. Elected in 2003, he became the second Republican mayor of his city and the second person elected as "City-Parish president" of the combined City of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish government.
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10. Alex McCool
1923-2020 (aged 97)
Alexander A. McCool Jr. was manager of the Space Shuttle Projects Office at the NASA George C. Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. During his career, McCool contributed to several space developments including the Apollo Program, Skylab and the Space Shuttle program.
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11. Weldon Humble
1921-1998 (aged 77)
American football player
Weldon Gaston "Hum" Humble was an American professional football player who was a guard for five seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Texans in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
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12. Richard T. Haik
1950-. (aged 76)
lawyer
judge
Richard Theodore Haik Sr. is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
13. Julie Emerson
1988-. (aged 38)
businessperson
politician
Julie Cathryn Emerson is an politician from Carencro, Louisiana, United States. Emerson is a former Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 39 in Lafayette and St. Landry parishes in South Louisiana, and was a candidate for the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Louisiana.
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14. Chad Beck
1985-. (aged 41)
baseball player
Chad Lee Beck is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays.
15. Cindy Courville
1954-. (aged 72)
diplomat
Dr. Cindy Lou Courville was the U.S. Ambassador to the African Union from 2006 to 2008. Previously she was Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council where she helped craft United States policy towards Africa.
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16. Jason Fletcher
1975-. (aged 51)
sports agent
Jason Fletcher is an American sports agent. A graduate of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science. Fletcher played football and also participated in track and field during his time at school. Former New York Giants General Manager Jerry Reese was a College Scout in 1997, Fletcher was clocked at 4.36 and 4.41(40)...
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17. Scott Dohmann
1978-. (aged 48)
professional baseball player
Christopher Scott Dohmann is an American former baseball pitcher. Dohmann graduated from St. Thomas More High School (LA) where he was a member of two district champion teams. He attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he pitched in the 2000 College World Series.
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18. Patrick T. Caffery
1932-2013 (aged 81)
lawyer
politician
Patrick Thomson Caffery, Sr., known as Pat Caffery, was an attorney from New Iberia, Louisiana, who formerly served as a Democrat in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1964 to 1968 and then as a U.S. representative from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district from 1969 to 1973.
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19. Andre Jones Jr
1998-. (aged 28)
American football player
Gerald "Andre" Jones Jr. is an American professional football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and was selected by the Washington Commanders in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft.
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20. Blake Trahan
1993-. (aged 33)
baseball player
Blake Matthew Trahan is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds in 2018.
21. Ja'Marcus Bradley
1996-. (aged 30)
American football player
Ja'Marcus Bradley is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football at Louisiana.
22. Page Cortez
1961-. (aged 65)
politician
Patrick Page Cortez is an American politician and businessman from the state of Louisiana. A Republican, he represented the Louisiana State Senate's 23rd district, based in southern Lafayette, from 2012 to 2024. In 2020, Cortez was unanimously elected Senate President, succeeding term-limited John Alario.
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23. Albert H. Crews
1929-2025 (aged 96)
military flight engineer
military officer
aircraft pilot
Albert Hanlin Crews Jr. was an American chemical and aeronautical engineer and a U.S. Air Force astronaut.
24. Nannette Jolivette Brown
1963-. (aged 63)
lawyer
judge
Nannette Jolivette Brown is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. She previously served in the role of city attorney for the city of New Orleans from the time that Mayor Mitch Landrieu hired her in May 2010 until becoming a federal judge in 2011. As city attorney, Brown was...
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25. Leigh Hennessy
stunt performer
trampoline gymnast
Leigh Hennessy, also known as Leigh Hennessy-Robson, is an American former trampoline gymnast. She was a two-time double mini-trampoline world champion and won a silver medal in synchronized trampoline at the World Trampoline Championships (1976). She later became a stunt performer and actress.
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26. Bo Lamar
1951-2026 (aged 75)
basketball player
Dwight "Bo" Lamar was an American professional basketball player. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, he was a two-time consensus All-American at University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette), where he led the NCAA in scoring for the 1971-72 season. Lamar was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1973 American Basketball Association Draft.
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27. Chase Lambin
1979-. (aged 47)
baseball player
Chase Morrow Lambin is an American former professional baseball infielder and current coach for the Nashville Sounds in the Texas Rangers organization. Lambin retired as a player in 2014, after playing in several Minor League organizations, as well as for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2009.
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28. Barry Jean Ancelet
1951-. (aged 75)
writer
folklorist
linguist
university teacher
Barry Jean Ancelet is a Cajun folklorist in Louisiana French and ethnomusicologist in Cajun music. He has written several books, and under his pseudonym Jean Arceneaux, including poetry and lyrics to songs.
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29. Jefferson Caffery
1886-1974 (aged 88)
diplomat
head coach
lawyer
Jefferson Caffery was an American diplomat. He served as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador (1926–1928), Colombia (1928–1933), Cuba (1934–1937), Brazil (1937–1944), France (1944–1949), and Egypt (1949–1955).
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30. Paul Bako
1972-. (aged 54)
baseball player
Gabor Paul Bako II is an American former professional baseball player. A catcher, he is an example of a baseball "journeyman", having played for 11 different teams during his 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career. During his playing days, he was listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and 210 pounds (95 kg).
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31. Charlie Melancon
1947-. (aged 79)
businessperson
politician
Charles Joseph Melançon is an American politician and former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
32. David Patrick
1976-. (aged 50)
basketball coach
basketball player
David Alexander Patrick is an Australian college basketball coach who is the associate head coach for the LSU men's basketball team. He is the former head coach of the Sacramento State Hornets men's basketball team and the UC Riverside Highlanders men's basketball team. He is the godfather of NBA player Ben Simmons.
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33. Roy Bourgeois
1938-. (aged 88)
human rights defender
military officer
Catholic priest
Roy Bourgeois is an American activist, a former Catholic priest, and the founder of the human rights group School of the Americas Watch (SOA Watch). He is the 1994 recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award and the 2011 recipient of the American Peace Award and also has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
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34. Steven L. Bennett
1946-1972 (aged 26)
military officer
Steven Logan Bennett was a United States Air Force pilot who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Vietnam War.
35. Scott Angelle
1961-. (aged 65)
businessperson
politician
Scott Anthony Angelle is an American politician who served as the former director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement in Washington, D.C. From 2013 to 2017, he was the District 2 member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, an elected five-person utility regulatory body.
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36. B. J. Ryan
1975-. (aged 51)
baseball player
Robert Victor "B. J." Ryan Jr. is an American baseball coach and former relief pitcher. He played college baseball at Louisiana, where he played for coach Tony Robichaux in 1997 and 1998. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1999 to 2009 for the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays.
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37. Judith Ford
1949-. (aged 77)
trampoline gymnast
beauty pageant contestant
model
Judith Anne Ford Nash is a retired teacher who was Miss America 1969. Judith Anne Ford moved to Belvidere, Illinois, at age three with her parents and brother. In 1968 she won the title of Miss Boone County, held at the Boone County Fairgrounds. She also worked as a lifeguard at the city's public pool and was a swimming instructor...
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38. Elijah McGuire
1994-. (aged 32)
basketball player
American football player
Elijah Lamont McGuire Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.
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39. Shawn Long
1993-. (aged 33)
basketball player
Shawn Long is an American professional basketball player for the Busan KCC Egis of the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He played college basketball for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and represented the United States at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
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40. Saad Khan
film director
screenwriter
Saad Khan is an Indian director, screenwriter and acting teacher and Improv comedian who works in films and web series. He is the founder and creative head of FirstAction Studios that recently merged with Mumbai-based media conglomerate Rainshine Entertainment. Khan is known for his Kannada-English feature film Humble Politician Nograj, which became a hit and the first Kannada film to...
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41. Eddy Raven
1944-. (aged 82)
singer-songwriter
Edward Garvin Futch, known professionally as Eddy Raven, is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active from 1962 to 2018, Raven has recorded for several record labels, including ABC, Dimension, Elektra, RCA, Universal, and Capitol Records. After multiple albums that yielded few hit songs, his greatest commercial success came between 1984 and 1990, when Raven achieved six number-one singles...
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42. Brian Mitchell
1968-. (aged 58)
American football player
Brian Keith Mitchell is an American former professional football player who was a running back and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a quarterback for the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round of the 1990 NFL draft. Mitchell is considered one of the greatest...
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43. Charles B. DeBellevue
1945-. (aged 81)
military officer
Colonel Charles Barbin DeBellevue is a retired officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). In 1972, DeBellevue became one of only five Americans to achieve flying ace status during the Vietnam War and the first as a USAF Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), an integral part of two-man aircrews with the emergence of air-to-air missiles as the primary weapons during...
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44. Danny Farquhar
1987-. (aged 39)
baseball player
Daniel Andres Farquhar is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, and Chicago White Sox from 2011 to 2018. He had a brain aneurysm during his final game. Farquhar is the assistant pitching coach for the Seattle Mariners.
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45. George Rodrigue
1944-2013 (aged 69)
painter
George Rodrigue was an American artist who in the late 1960s began painting Louisiana landscapes, followed soon after by outdoor family gatherings and southwest Louisiana 19th-century and early 20th-century genre scenes. His paintings often include moss-clad oak trees, which are common to an area of French Louisiana known as Acadiana. In the mid-1990s Rodrigue's Blue Dog paintings, based on a...
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46. Charles Boustany
1956-. (aged 70)
surgeon
politician
Charles William Boustany Jr. is an American politician, physician, and former congressman from Lafayette, Louisiana, who served as the U.S. representative from Louisiana's 3rd congressional district from 2005 to 2017 (numbered as the 7th district from 2005 to 2013). He is a member of the Republican Party.
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47. Felix Moncla
1926-1953 (aged 27)
aircraft pilot
military officer
First Lieutenant Felix Eugene Moncla Jr. was a United States Air Force (USAF) pilot who disappeared while performing an air defense intercept over Lake Superior in 1953. His disappearance is sometimes known as the Kinross Incident, after Kinross Air Force Base, where Moncla was on temporary assignment at the time he vanished.
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48. Elfrid Payton
1994-. (aged 32)
basketball player
Elfrid Payton Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, winning the Lefty Driesell Award as the national college defensive player of the year in 2014. Payton was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 10th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft...
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49. John Breaux
1944-. (aged 82)
university teacher
lawyer
politician
John Berlinger Breaux is an American lobbyist, attorney, and retired politician from Louisiana. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987 and as a United States senator from 1987 to 2005. A Southern Democrat, he was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party. Breaux was a member of the New Democrat...
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50. Felecia Angelle
1986-. (aged 40)
voice actor
film director
Felecia Angelle is an American voice actress and ADR director. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films and television series. Angelle is best known as the voice of Kohaku from Dr. Stone, the anime voice of Aoi Asahina from the Danganronpa series, Alex Benedetto from Gangsta, Mana Takamiya from Date A Live,...
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51. Andrew Toney
1957-. (aged 69)
basketball player
Andrew Toney is an American former professional basketball player. Toney played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1980 to 1988. A two-time NBA All-Star, he won an NBA championship with the 76ers in 1983. Contemporary basketball greats Larry Bird and Sidney Moncrief put Toney on par with Michael Jordan offensively. Bob Ryan of the Boston...
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52. David Begnaud
journalist
David Begnaud is an American journalist and news correspondent. Begnaud works for CBS News, and is currently based in Los Angeles as the Lead National Correspondent for CBS Mornings. His reporting has been featured across CBS News broadcasts and platforms including CBS This Morning, the CBS Evening News, 48 Hours, CBS Sunday Morning, as well as CBS News Streaming, CBS...
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53. Kathleen Blanco
1942-2019 (aged 77)
teacher
politician
Kathleen Marie Blanco was an American politician who served as the 54th governor of Louisiana from 2004 to 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first and, to date, only woman elected as the state's governor.
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54. Jonathan Lucroy
1986-. (aged 40)
baseball player
Jonathan Charles Lucroy is an American former professional baseball catcher. Between 2010 and 2021, he spent 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals, and Atlanta Braves.
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55. Richard Simmons
1948-2024 (aged 76)
dancer
writer
comedian
actor
radio personality
Milton Teagle "Richard" Simmons was an American fitness instructor and television personality. He was a promoter of weight-loss programs, most prominently through his television show, The Richard Simmons Show and later the Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos.
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56. Ali Landry
1973-. (aged 53)
model
television actor
beauty pageant contestant
actor
film actor
Ali Germaine Landry is an American actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1996. She played Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve and was the Doritos Girl in a 1998 Super Bowl commercial. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world.
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57. Royd Anderson
1972-. (aged 54)
film director
filmmaker
Royd Anderson is a Cuban-American filmmaker and historian based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He specializes in documentary films pertaining to tragic Louisiana events often overlooked by historians.
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58. James Domengeaux
1907-1988 (aged 81)
lawyer
politician
James R. Domengeaux was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served in the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district from 1941 to 1949. He was a cultural activist of Cajun and Louisiana Creole descent who is best remembered for his efforts to preserve the French language in his native state.
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59. Jeff Landry
1970-. (aged 56)
police officer
lawyer
businessperson
politician
Jeffrey Martin Landry is an American politician and attorney serving since 2024 as the 57th governor of Louisiana. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2016 to 2024 as the 45th attorney general of Louisiana and from 2011 to 2013 as the U.S. representative for Louisiana's 3rd congressional district.
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60. Shawn Wilson
politician
Shawn D. Wilson is an American politician and transportation official who served as the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development from 2016 to 2023. Wilson unsuccessfully ran for governor of Louisiana in 2023 and came in second place to Republican Jeff Landry in a jungle primary receiving 25.9% of the vote.
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61. Claire Babineaux-Fontenot
1964-. (aged 62)
executive
Claire L. Babineaux-Fontenot is the CEO of Feeding America, a national foodbank across the United States. In 2020, Time named her among the 100 most influential people in the world.
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62. Jimmy Hayes
1946-. (aged 80)
real estate developer
lawyer
lobbyist
politician
James Ryan Hayes was an American professional ice hockey right winger. Nicknamed "Broadway", he was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round, 60th overall, of the 2008 NHL entry draft and played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins, and the New Jersey Devils. His younger brother Kevin Hayes is...
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63. James Lee Burke
1936-. (aged 90)
novelist
writer
journalist
James Lee Burke is an American author, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won Edgar Awards for his novels Black Cherry Blues (1990), Cimarron Rose (1998), and Flags on the Bayou (2024). He has also been presented with the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen,...
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64. Larry Blyden
1925-1975 (aged 50)
theatrical director
television actor
stage actor
Ivan Lawrence Blieden, known professionally as Larry Blyden, was an American actor, stage producer and director, and game show host. He made his Broadway stage debut in 1948 and went on to appear in numerous productions on and off Broadway. In 1972, he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance in the revival...
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65. Joe Aillet
1904-1971 (aged 67)
basketball coach
Joseph Roguet Aillet was an American football and basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Louisiana Tech University from 1940 to 1966, compiling a record of 151–86–8. Additionally, under Aillet, the Bulldogs won nine conference championships. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989. Joe Aillet Stadium, the home...
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66. Paul Devenport
1966-. (aged 60)
golfer
Paul Dale Devenport is a professional golfer from New Zealand.
67. Kevin Roberts
1974-. (aged 52)
historian
academic administrator
nonprofit administrator
university teacher
Kevin David Roberts is an American political strategist and former historian who is the president of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative political think tank, and its lobbying arm, Heritage Action. Roberts was previously the CEO of another conservative think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. He served as the president of Wyoming Catholic College from 2013 to 2016.
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68. Hedwig Gorski
1949-. (aged 77)
writer
choreographer
poet
film director
Hedwig Irene Gorski is an American performance poet and an avant-garde artist who labels her aesthetic as "American futurism." The term "performance poetry," a precursor to slam poetry, is attributed to her. It originated in press releases for experimental spoken word and conceptual theater Gorski created during 1979. She is a first-generation Polish American academic scholar and accomplished creative writer....
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69. Jose Alvarez
1956-. (aged 70)
baseball player
Jose Chaves Alvarez, known by initials JCA, is a Filipino businessman and politician from the province of Palawan, Philippines who is serving as the representative of Palawan's 2nd congressional district since 2022. He previously served as the Governor of the province from 2013 to 2022.
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70. Farooq Kperogi
1973-. (aged 53)
linguist
academic
journalist
Farooq Adamu Kperogi is a Nigerian-American professor, author, media scholar, newspaper columnist, blogger and activist. He was a reporter and news editor at many Nigerian newspapers including the Daily Trust, Daily Triumph and the now defunct New Nigerian.
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