24 Notable alumni of West Virginia State University
Updated: June 12, 2026 EliteDegrees
West Virginia State University is ranked #3,457 in the world and #909 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 24 notable alumni from West Virginia State 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 West Virginia State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Ancella Radford Bickley
1930-. (aged 96)
historian
Ancella Radford Bickley is an American historian born in Huntington, West Virginia. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from West Virginia State College, now West Virginia State University in 1950, a master's degree in English from Marshall University (where she was the first full-time African American student) in 1954, and an Ed.D. in English from West Virginia University in...
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2. Arlene Render
1943-. (aged 83)
diplomat
Arlene Render is an American former diplomat. An officer of the United States Foreign Service, she served as the United States Ambassador to the Gambia, Zambia, and Ivory Coast. She was also noted for her role amidst the initial onset of the Rwandan genocide.
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3. William P. Greene, Jr
1943-. (aged 83)
judge
William Parnell Greene Jr. is a former judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
4. Caleb Hanna
1999-. (aged 27)
politician
Caleb Hanna is an American politician who served as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, from 2018 to 2024. Hanna was elected to the office on November 6, 2018, defeating incumbent Dana Lynch. Caleb Hanna lives in Nicholas County, West Virginia.
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5. Larry Carter
1965-. (aged 61)
baseball player
Larry Gene Carter is an American professional baseball pitcher and coach. He is formerly the bullpen coach for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in the San Francisco Giants organization for six years and made his major league debut in 1992.
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6. Harvey D. Williams
1930-2020 (aged 90)
soldier
Harvey Dean Williams Sr. was a United States Army major general. He was the first African-American post commander of Fort Myer, and was the Deputy Inspector General of the U.S. Army in 1980. He commanded artillery units in the Korean War and Vietnam War and his 1978 activism after facing discrimination as an African-American soldier in Augsburg, West Germany made...
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7. James W. Holley, III
1926-2012 (aged 86)
dentist
politician
James W. Holley III was an American politician and dental surgeon. Holley became the first Black mayor of Portsmouth, Virginia, and ultimately the city's longest serving mayor, although both his mayoral terms (separated by a decade) ended with his being recalled from office. Thus he became the only known politician in American history to be twice recalled until Fullerton, California...
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8. Scott Patterson
1958-. (aged 68)
television actor
film actor
actor
baseball player
Scott Robert Patterson is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres.
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9. Will Robinson
1975-. (aged 51)
politician
William J. Robinson was an American college basketball coach and scout. Robinson became the first African-American head coach in NCAA Division I history when he accepted the position at Illinois State University in 1970. He scouted for the Detroit Pistons for 28 years, and worked 22 years for the Detroit Lions as a part-time scout. Robinson, who is a member...
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10. Reggie Branch
1962-. (aged 64)
American football player
Reginald Etoy Branch is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets and East Carolina Pirates.
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11. Charles Calvin Rogers
1929-1990 (aged 61)
military personnel
Charles Calvin Rogers was a recipient of the highest military decoration in the United States, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Vietnam War. A lieutenant colonel at the time, he became the highest-ranking Black soldier in the U.S. military to receive this honor. A career officer who entered the service as a second lieutenant commissioned by ROTC...
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12. Chu Berry
1908-1941 (aged 33)
saxophonist
composer
jazz musician
Leon Brown "Chu" Berry was an American jazz tenor saxophonist during the 1930s. He is perhaps best known for his time as a member of singer Cab Calloway's big band.
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13. Damon Keith
1922-2019 (aged 97)
lawyer
judge
Damon Jerome Keith was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
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14. Leon Sullivan
1922-2001 (aged 79)
religious leader
human rights defender
social activist
Leon Howard Sullivan was a Baptist minister, a civil rights leader and social activist focusing on the creation of job training opportunities for African Americans, a longtime General Motors Board Member, and an anti-Apartheid activist. Sullivan died of leukemia in a Scottsdale, Arizona hospital at the age of 78.
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15. Oscar Holmes
1916-2001 (aged 85)
air traffic controller
university teacher
lawyer
aircraft pilot
chemist
Oscar Wayman Holmes was an American Naval Aviator in World War II and civilian flight controller, the first African-American in each position.
16. Earl Lloyd
1928-2015 (aged 87)
basketball player
basketball coach
Earl Francis Lloyd was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was the first African American player to play a game in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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17. Reggie Walton
1949-. (aged 77)
lawyer
judge
Reggie Barnett Walton is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He is a former presiding judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
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18. Carter Godwin Woodson
1875-1950 (aged 75)
writer
dean
university teacher
opinion journalist
journalist
Carter Godwin Woodson was an American historian, author, journalist, and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He was one of the first scholars to study the history of the Black African diaspora in the United States. A founder of The Journal of Negro History in 1916, Woodson has been called the...
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19. Richard Ojeda
1970-. (aged 56)
army officer
politician
Richard Neece Ojeda II is an American politician and retired United States Army major who served in the West Virginia Senate representing the 7th district from January 2017 until January 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he ran a brief campaign for President of the United States in the 2020 election.
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20. Katherine Johnson
1918-2020 (aged 102)
military flight engineer
teacher
physicist
computer scientist
mathematician
Creola Katherine Johnson was an American human computer whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights. During her 33-year career at NASA and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, she earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped pioneer the use of...
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21. Antoine Fuqua
1965-. (aged 61)
film producer
director
film director
Antoine Fuqua is an American director and producer. Known for his work on film, television, and music videos, and for his work in the action and thriller genres, he was originally known as a director of music videos, and made his film debut in 1998 with The Replacement Killers. His critical breakthrough was the 2001 crime thriller Training Day, winning...
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22. Paul Dooley
1928-. (aged 98)
actor
television actor
screenwriter
film actor
voice actor
Paul Dooley is an American character actor. He is known for his roles in Breaking Away, Popeye, Strange Brew, Sixteen Candles and various Christopher Guest mockumentaries. He co-created the PBS children's show The Electric Company.
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23. Harriet Elizabeth Byrd
1926-2015 (aged 89)
teacher
politician
Harriet Elizabeth Byrd was an American politician and educator from Wyoming who was the first African-American elected to the Wyoming Legislature.
24. Bob Wilson
1926-2014 (aged 88)
basketball player
Robert Primrose Wilson OBE is a former Scotland international football goalkeeper and later broadcaster / anchorman.