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25 notable alumni U.S. News #382

Notable Alumni of Lamar University

Notable alumni of Lamar University include Janis Joplin (Iconic rock singer-songwriter of her era), G. W. Bailey (Actor in M*A*S*H and Police Academy) and The Big Bopper (American singer and disc jockey).

College data and admissions

Alumni list

Politics and law

  • Brian Babin 1948–

    U.S. Representative from Texas and dentist

    Bachelor of Science · Class of 1973

    Child: Lucas Babin (University of Houston)

  • Jack Brooks 1922–2012

    Texas congressman who served 42 years in the House

    Also attended: The University of Texas at Austin

  • Nick Lampson 1945–

    Former US Representative from Texas

    Master of Education, Bachelor of Science · Class of 1971

  • Elvin Santos 1963–

    Former vice president of Honduras

  • Brian Birdwell 1961–

    Texas state senator, Assistant Secretary of Defense

    Also attended: University of Missouri--Kansas City

Science and academia

Arts and media

Sports

  • Mike James 1990–

    Professional basketball player

    Also attended: Eastern Arizona College

  • Sherwood Stewart 1946–

    Former professional tennis player known for doubles

  • Tamara Abalde 1989–

    Spanish basketball player at the 2008 Olympics

  • Clarence Kea 1959–

    Former professional basketball power forward

  • Midde Hamrin 1957–

    Swedish long-distance runner

  • Kevin Millar 1971–

    Former MLB first baseman and MLB Network analyst

  • Colin Ridgeway 1937–1993

    First Australian in the NFL, Olympic high jumper

  • Tom Sewell 1962–

    Former NBA player for the Washington Bullets

  • David Muoka 2000–

    Hong Kong basketball player for the Stockton Kings

Other fields

  • Karen Silkwood 1946–1974

    Labor union activist and nuclear plant technician

  • Olubukola Mary Akinpelu

    Registered nurse, nurse educator and content creator

    Bachelor of Science in Nursing

    Also attended: Houston City College

  • Florene Miller Watson 1920–2014

    Aviator and educator, early WAFS volunteer

    Also attended: University of Houston

From Wikidata “educated at” records (including people who attended without graduating), ordered by the number of Wikipedia language editions. Degrees and years follow Wikidata and are left out where it has none.

Alumni network

Colleges that share the most alumni with Lamar University (people who attended both).