30 Notable alumni of Virginia Union University
Updated: June 12, 2026 EliteDegrees
Virginia Union University is ranked #4,832 in the world and #1,272 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 30 notable alumni from Virginia Union 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 Virginia Union University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Edith J. Patterson
1945-. (aged 81)
politician
Edith Jerry Patterson is an American politician who has served as a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing district 28 in Charles County, since 2015. She previously served as a county commissioner from 2002 to 2010 and a member of the Board of Education for Charles County from 1983 to 1995.
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2. Jesse Max Barber
1878-1949 (aged 71)
journalist
dentist
Jesse Max Barber was an African-American journalist, teacher and dentist.
3. Charles Henry Thompson
1895-1980 (aged 85)
educational psychologist
university teacher
Charles Henry Thompson was an American educational psychologist and the first African-American to earn a doctorate degree in educational psychology. He obtained a Master's degree and Ph.D at the University of Chicago. Born in Jackson, Mississippi, he became an educator at Howard University. During his time at Howard, he was the dean of the liberal art college and later became...
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4. Chester L. Washington
1902-1983 (aged 81)
journalist
publisher
Chester Lloyd Washington Jr. was an American journalist, newspaper publisher and editor. He was owner of Central News-Wave Publications, which at one time published over a dozen newspapers.
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5. Yvonne Maddox
1943-. (aged 83)
scientist
Yvonne T. Maddox is an American academic who is President and CEO of the T.A. Thornton Foundation. She previously served as vice president for research at the Uniformed Services University. Prior to joining USUHS, she was the acting director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health. Her career at the NIH...
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6. Cora Bagley Marrett
1942-. (aged 84)
sociologist
Cora Bagley Marrett is an American sociologist. From May 2011 until August 2014, Marrett served as the deputy director of the National Science Foundation.
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7. Clinton Caldwell Boone
1872-1939 (aged 67)
missionary
Clinton Caldwell Boone was an African-American Baptist minister, physician, dentist, and medical missionary who served in the Congo Free State and Liberia. The son of Rev. Lemuel Washington Boone and Charlotte (Chavis) Boone of Hertford County, North Carolina, he played an important role in Africa as a missionary for the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention and the American Baptist Missionary...
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8. Luke Torian
1958-. (aged 68)
politician
Luke E. Torian is an American politician. Since 2010 he has served in the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 24th district in the Prince William County suburbs of Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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9. Christopher Payne
1848-1925 (aged 77)
lawyer
publisher
teacher
editor
politician
Christopher Harrison Payne was an African American religious, educational, and political leader of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born in the American South during the time of slavery, Payne rose to a level of prominence achieved by few, regardless of race. His many accomplishments include being the first African American elected to the West Virginia Legislature. He served...
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10. Emmett C. Burns, Jr
1940-2022 (aged 82)
politician
Emmett C. Burns Jr. was an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He served five terms in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Maryland's District 10 in Baltimore County. Burns was a member of the Economic Matters Committee.
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11. Leslie Garland Bolling
1898-1955 (aged 57)
wood carver
sculptor
Leslie Garland Bolling was an American sculptor. His carvings reflected everyday themes and shared values of the Black culture in the segregated Southern United States in the early 20th century. Bolling was associated with the Harlem Renaissance and is notable as one of a few African-Americans whose sculpture had lasting acclaim.
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12. Gregory L. Robinson
1960-. (aged 66)
engineer
scientist
Gregory L. Robinson is an American engineer and the former director of the James Webb Space Telescope Program at NASA.
13. Channing E. Phillips
1928-1987 (aged 59)
Christian minister
civil rights advocate
university teacher
politician
Channing Emery Phillips was an American minister, civil rights leader, and social activist based in Washington, D.C. In 1968, he was the first African American in history to be placed in nomination for president of the United States by a major political party.
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14. Eugene Kinckle Jones
1885-1954 (aged 69)
Eugene Kinckle Jones was a leader of the National Urban League and one of the seven founders (commonly referred to as Seven Jewels) of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Cornell University in 1906. Jones became Alpha chapter's second President.
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15. T. J. Jemison
1918-2013 (aged 95)
civil rights advocate
religious figure
Theodore Judson Jemison, better known as T. J. Jemison, was minister of Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in June 1953 when he led a bus boycott to protest the city's segregated public transit. It was the first boycott of its kind in the modern civil rights movement. He quickly organized a free-ride system to offer car...
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16. Randall Robinson
1941-2023 (aged 82)
human rights defender
lawyer
writer
Randall Robinson was an American lawyer, author and activist, noted as the founder of TransAfrica. He was known particularly for his impassioned opposition to apartheid, and for his advocacy on behalf of Haitian immigrants and Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Due to his frustration with American society, Robinson emigrated to Saint Kitts in 2001.
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17. Samuel L. Gravely, Jr
1922-2004 (aged 82)
military officer
Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. was a United States Navy officer. He was the first African American in the U.S. Navy to serve aboard a fighting ship as an officer, the first to command a Navy ship, the first fleet commander, and the first to become a flag officer, retiring as a vice admiral.
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18. Dwight Clinton Jones
1948-. (aged 78)
politician
Dwight Clinton Jones is an American politician and pastor who served as the 79th Mayor of Richmond, Virginia. Jones took office on January 1, 2009, was inaugurated for his second term on January 12, 2013, and was succeeded by Levar Stoney on December 31, 2016. Jones is a member of the Democratic Party, and was elected chairman of the Democratic...
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19. Fred V. Cherry
1928-2016 (aged 88)
aircraft pilot
Fred Vann Cherry was a colonel and command pilot in the U.S. Air Force. A career fighter pilot, he served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
20. Spottswood William Robinson III
1916-1998 (aged 82)
lawyer
judge
Spottswood William Robinson III was an American civil rights lawyer, jurist, and educator who served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1966 to 1989. He previously served as a U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 1964 to...
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21. Douglas Wilder
1931-. (aged 95)
lawyer
politician
Lawrence Douglas Wilder is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 66th governor of Virginia from 1990 to 1994. He was the first African American to serve as governor of a U.S. state since the Reconstruction era, and the first African American ever elected as governor. He is currently a professor at the namesake Wilder School at Virginia...
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22. Will Downing
1963-. (aged 63)
singer
songwriter
singer-songwriter
record producer
jazz musician
Wilfred "Will" Downing is an American R&B, soul, neo soul, and jazz singer and songwriter. He has released 22 studio albums.
23. A. Donald McEachin
1961-2022 (aged 61)
lawyer
politician
Aston Donald McEachin was an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 4th congressional district from 2017 until his death in 2022. His district was based in the state capital, Richmond; it included much of the area between Richmond, a portion of its suburbs, and Hampton Roads.
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24. Benjamin Mays
1894-1984 (aged 90)
religious leader
pastor
writer
Benjamin Elijah Mays was an American Baptist minister and civil rights leader who is credited with laying the intellectual foundations of the American civil rights movement. Mays taught and mentored many influential activists, including Martin Luther King Jr, Julian Bond, Maynard Jackson, and Donn Clendenon, among others. His rhetoric and intellectual pursuits focused on Black self-determination. Mays' commitment to social...
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25. Donda West
1949-2007 (aged 58)
teacher
writer
Donda Clairann West was an American educator and chair of Chicago State University's Department of English, Communications, Media, and Theater. She was best known for being the mother of American rapper Kanye West.
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26. Ben Wallace
1974-. (aged 52)
basketball player
Benjamin Camey Wallace is an American basketball executive and former professional player who played most of his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Detroit Pistons. Nicknamed "Big Ben", he is often considered the greatest undrafted player in NBA history. He is also widely regarded as one of the best defensive players of all time, excelling in rebounding,...
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27. Iyanla Vanzant
1953-. (aged 73)
religious leader
spiritual teacher
lawyer
writer
television personality
Iyanla Vanzant is an American inspirational speaker, lawyer, New Thought spiritual teacher, author, life coach, and television personality. She is known primarily for her books, her eponymous talk show, and her appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show. From 2012 to 2021, she served as host of OWN's Iyanla: Fix My Life.
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28. Virgil
1951-2024 (aged 73)
teacher
professional wrestler
Michael Charles Jones, better known by his ring name Virgil, was an American professional wrestler and an actor. He is best known for his tenures in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
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29. Charles Oakley
1963-. (aged 63)
basketball player
basketball coach
Charles Oakley is an American former professional basketball player. Oakley is best known for playing 10 of his 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association with the New York Knicks. As a power forward, he consistently ranked as one of the best rebounders and defensive players in the NBA. He also played for the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards,...
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30. Zulu Sofola
1935-1995 (aged 60)
writer
playwright
director
university teacher
Nwazuluwa Onuekwuke "Zulu" Sofola Listen was the first published female Nigerian playwright and dramatist. Sofola was also a university teacher and became the first female Professor of Theater Arts in Africa.
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