12 Notable alumni of Wilkes University
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
Wilkes University is ranked #2,365 in the world and #608 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 12 notable alumni from Wilkes 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 Wilkes University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Ann Bartuska
1953-. (aged 73)
ecologist
biologist
Ann M. Bartuska is an ecologist and biologist. She is a senior advisor at Resources for the Future and a former Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics (REE) at the United States Department of Agriculture and former USDA Chief Scientist.
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2. Donora Hillard Hare
1982-. (aged 44)
poet
writer
Donora Shaw is an American writer and educator. She first gained recognition in institutional critique and trauma studies for her debut full-length collection of poetry, published when she was 27 years old. Her projects have appeared on CNN, WBEZ Chicago, and MSNBC.
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3. Steve Poleskie
1938-2019 (aged 81)
aircraft pilot
designer
Steve Poleskie was an American artist, printmaker, aerobatic pilot, performance artist, and writer. He founded Chiron Press, described as one of the first fine-art screen-printing studios in New York City, and produced prints for artists including Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, Alex Katz, Robert Motherwell, and Helen Frankenthaler.
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4. Daniel Klem
university teacher
ornithologist
Daniel Klem Jr. is an American ornithologist, known for his pioneering research into the mortality of birds due to glass windows. He is the Sarkis Acopian Professor of Ornithology and Conservation Biology at Muhlenberg College. He has been teaching there since 1979.
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5. Ed Weber
1931-2023 (aged 92)
lawyer
politician
Edward Ford Weber was an American lawyer, military veteran and politician from Ohio. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican from 1981 to 1983.
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6. Eddie Day Pashinski
1945-. (aged 81)
politician
Edwin A. "Eddie Day" Pashinski is a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 121st District who was first elected in 2006. His district includes Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes-Barre Township, Ashley, Plains Township and two wards in Hanover Township, all in Luzerne County.
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7. Catherine Chandler
1950-. (aged 76)
translator
Catherine M. Chandler is a Canadian poet and translator, born in Queens, New York City and raised in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, emigrating to Canada in 1971. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Spanish from Wilkes University and a Master of Arts in Education (Culture and Values in Education) from McGill University. She and her husband currently divide...
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8. Bo Ryan
1947-. (aged 79)
teacher
basketball player
basketball coach
William Francis "Bo" Ryan Jr. is an American former college basketball coach. He was the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team of the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 2001 to December 2015. Ryan served as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin–Platteville from 1984 to 1999 and at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee from 1999 to...
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9. Lawrence Hilton Jacobs
1953-. (aged 73)
television director
composer
film producer
film actor
television actor
Lawrence Hilton Jacobs, also credited as Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and Lawrence Hilton-Jacques, is an American actor and singer. Best known for playing Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington in Welcome Back Kotter (1975–1979), he has also appeared in a number of films and television shows, including Claudine (1974), Cooley High (1975), Roots (1977), Bangers and Mash (1983), Alien Nation (1989–1990), The Jacksons: An...
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10. Frank Zane
1942-. (aged 84)
secondary school teacher
bodybuilder
Frank Zane is a retired American professional bodybuilder and author. Known as "the Chemist", Zane is a three-time Mr. Olympia winner, having won the competition every year from 1977 to 1979. He previously reigned as Mr. Universe in 1965, 1968, 1970, 1971 and 1972, and Mr. America in 1966, 1967 and 1968. Typically competing at a bodyweight of less than...
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11. William Evanina
1967-. (aged 59)
manager
William R. Evanina is an American national security official who served as director of the United States National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) until his January 2021 resignation. As director of the NCSC he was the head of national counterintelligence for the U.S. Government. Evanina previously served as director of the Office of the national counterintelligence executive (ONCIX) before it...
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12. Marlon James
1970-. (aged 56)
writer
novelist
Marlon James is a Jamaican writer. He is the author of five novels: John Crow's Devil (2005), The Book of Night Women (2009), A Brief History of Seven Killings (2014), which won him the 2015 Man Booker Prize, Black Leopard, Red Wolf (2019), and Moon Witch, Spider King (2022). He wrote the limited series Get Millie Black.
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