12 Notable alumni of Wayne State College
Updated: June 16, 2026 EliteDegrees
Wayne State College is ranked #3,623 in the world and #953 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 12 notable alumni from Wayne State 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 Wayne State College won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. James B. Davis
1935-. (aged 91)
military officer
General James Burr Davis is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) general and was chief of staff, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium.
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2. John S. Loisel
1920-2010 (aged 90)
military officer
Colonel John Simon Loisel was an American air ace, credited with having shot down 11 Japanese aircraft during World War II. Loisel was born in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and joined the United States Army Air Forces in 1941. By age 25, Loisel had spent more time in combat than any other American pilot in World War II, with over three...
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3. Paul Thomas
1962-. (aged 64)
basketball coach
Paul Bernard Thomas is an American college basketball coach who was most recently the women's basketball head coach at Saint Mary's College of California. He previously served as head coach at Hamline and Cal Poly Pomona.
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4. John Henry Kyl
1919-2002 (aged 83)
teacher
politician
journalist
John Henry Kyl was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Iowa's 4th congressional district from 1959 to 1965 and again from 1967 to 1973. He was a member of the Republican Party.
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5. Val Peterson
1903-1983 (aged 80)
diplomat
politician
Frederick Valdemar Erastus Peterson, also known as Val Peterson, was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 26th governor of Nebraska from 1947 to 1953, as director of the Federal Civil Defense Administration from 1953 to 1957, U.S. ambassador to Denmark from 1957 to 1961, and U.S. Ambassador to Finland from 1969 to 1973.
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6. George E. Danielson
1915-1998 (aged 83)
lawyer
judge
politician
George Elmore Danielson was an American Democratic politician and judge from California. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1982.
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7. Brian Wansink
1960-. (aged 66)
nutritionist
Brian Wansink is an American former professor and researcher who worked in consumer behavior and marketing research. He was the executive director of the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) from 2007 to 2009 and held the John S. Dyson Endowed Chair in the Applied Economics and Management Department at Cornell University, where he directed the Cornell Food...
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8. Harry Schmidt
1886-1968 (aged 82)
military officer
Harry Schmidt was a United States Marine Corps general. During World War II, he served as the commanding general of the Fourth Marine Division during the battles of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands and Saipan in the Mariana Islands, and as commanding general of the Fifth Amphibious Corps during the battles of Tinian in the Marianas and Iwo Jima in...
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9. Gale W. McGee
1915-1992 (aged 77)
diplomat
politician
university teacher
Gale William McGee was an American politician, diplomat and historian who served as a United States senator from Wyoming from 1959 to 1977 and as the U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) from 1977 to 1981. To date, he remains the last Democrat to have represented Wyoming in the U.S. Senate.
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10. Duke Erikson
1951-. (aged 75)
singer
guitarist
screenwriter
film producer
record producer
Douglas Elwin "Duke" Erikson is an American musician, songwriter, screenwriter, film producer and record producer, best known as a co-founder and guitarist of the alternative rock band Garbage. Garbage has sold more than 17 million albums worldwide.
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11. Matt Entz
1973-. (aged 53)
American football coach
Matthew John Entz is an American college football coach who is the head football coach at California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), a position he has held since 2025. He also served as the head coach at North Dakota State University from 2019 to 2023. Entz took over from the departing Chris Klieman after Klieman led the 2018 North Dakota...
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12. Roger Wendt
1933-2011 (aged 78)
politician
Roger F. Wendt was a Democratic member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 2nd District from 2003 until 2011, though he stepped down from the Iowa House in February 2010 due to serious illness. He died on March 30, 2011, from lung cancer.
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