13 Notable alumni of Winston-Salem State University
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
Winston-Salem State University is ranked #2,489 in the world and #648 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 13 notable alumni from Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Earline White Parmon
1943-2016 (aged 73)
politician
Earline W. Parmon was an American politician. Born in Buffalo, New York, Parmon graduated from Winston-Salem State University. She served as a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's seventy-second House district, including constituents in Forsyth County. An education consultant from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Parmon has served five terms in the state House from 2002 to...
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2. Carla Cunningham
1962-. (aged 64)
politician
Carla D. Cunningham is an American politician. She has served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 106th district since 2012. Cunningham is a conservative Democrat.
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3. Charles Parks Richardson
1971-. (aged 55)
business executive
Charles Parks Richardson is an American doctor, an inventor, and serial entrepreneur.
4. Wanda Kay Brown
librarian
Wanda Kay Brown is an American librarian, who was the president of the American Library Association for the 2019–2020 term. She is the director of the C. G. O'Kelly Library at Winston-Salem State University and a leader in state and national library associations. She is the first American Library Association president who is a library director at one of the...
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5. Selma Burke
1900-1995 (aged 95)
sculptor
visual artist
artist
Selma Hortense Burke was an American sculptor and a member of the Harlem Renaissance movement. Burke is best known for a bas relief portrait of President Franklin D. Roosevelt which may have been the model for his image on the obverse of the dime. She described herself as "a people's sculptor" and created many pieces of public art, often portraits...
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6. Cleo Hill
1938-2015 (aged 77)
basketball player
Cleo Hill was an American professional basketball player who was selected by the St. Louis Hawks in the first round (8th overall) of the 1961 NBA draft. A 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) guard from Newark, New Jersey and the Winston-Salem State University, Hill played in the National Basketball Association for one season with the Hawks, in 1961–62, averaging...
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7. Rajah Caruth
2002-. (aged 24)
racing driver
Rajah Kirby Caruth is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro SS for JR Motorsports and the No. 32 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Jordan Anderson Racing.
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8. Maria Howell
singer
television actor
composer
film actor
stage actor
Wanda Maria Howell is an American actress and singer.
9. William Hayes
1985-. (aged 41)
American football player
William Quintin Hayes is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football for the Winston-Salem State Rams.
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10. Louis Farrakhan
1933-. (aged 93)
civil rights advocate
black supremacist
religious figure
anti-vaccine activist
journalist
Louis Farrakhan is an American religious leader who has been the head of the Nation of Islam (NOI) since 1981, an organization which combines black nationalism and Islamic teachings. Prior to the NOI, Farrakhan was a calypso singer who used the stage name Calypso Gene from 1950 to 1955 and a violinist from 1939 to 1955. The longest-serving NOI leader,...
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11. Stephen A. Smith
1967-. (aged 59)
television presenter
film actor
television producer
television actor
actor
Stephen Anthony Smith, also known as Stephen A., is an American television personality, radio host, sports analyst, and actor. He makes frequent appearances as an NBA analyst for ESPN on SportsCenter, NBA Countdown, and the network's NBA broadcasts. He has also hosted The Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN Radio and is a commentator on ESPN's First Take. Smith is...
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12. Earl Monroe
1944-. (aged 82)
basketball player
Vernon Earl Monroe is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams have retired Monroe's number. Due to his on-court success and flashy style of play, Monroe was given the nicknames "Black Jesus" and "Earl the Pearl". Monroe...
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13. 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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