List of Whittier College alumni

Whittier College is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. Following are some of its notable alumni.

Academia

• Willa Baum, historian and pioneer of oral history ^[1]
• Arturo C. Porzecanski, Wall Street economist and university professor

Business

• Fred D. Anderson, former CFO of Apple Computer
• Peter L. Harris, former CEO of FAO Schwarz, former CEO of the San Francisco 49ers
• Arturo C. Porzecanski, Wall Street economist and university professor
• Steve Matthiasson, California viticulturist and winemaker

Entertainment

• James Adomian, comedian ^[2]
• Andrea Barber, actress known for Full House and Fuller House; ^[3]
• Herschel Daugherty, film, television and theatre director ^[4]
• Ken Davitian, actor
• Bill Handel, radio personality ^[5]
• Nancy Bea Hefley, Los Angeles Dodgers organist
• Cassey Ho, video blogger ^[6]
• Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ^[7]
• Chris Jacobs, actor and television host
• Roger Lodge, television host
• Lupita Nyong'o, (attended) Academy Award winning actress
• Salvador Plascencia, author
• Arthur Allan Seidelman, Emmy Award-winning director
• Williametta Spencer, composer
• Geoff Stults, actor ^[8]
• George Stults, actor ^[8]
• Olive Sturgess, actress ^[9]
• June Squibb, (attended) Academy Award nominated actress
• Linda Vallejo, artist

Law

• Florence-Marie Cooper, former United States federal judge
• Robert D. Durham, justice, Oregon Supreme Court
• Nick Khan, attorney, president of WWE

Literature and journalism

• Harry Adams, photojournalist and photographer who worked for the California Eagle and Los Angeles Sentinel
• Dorothy Baker, author ^[10]
• Charles Bock, author
• Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Newbery Award-winning author
• Jessamyn West, author ^[11]

Medicine

• Albert R. Behnke, U.S. Navy physician who established the U.S. Naval Medical Research Institute
• William F. House, surgeon who developed the cochlear implant
• Connie Redbird Pinkerman-Uri, doctor and lawyer who campaigned against involuntary sterilisation of Native American women

Politics

• Wayne R. Grisham, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Richard Nixon, 37th president of the United States
• George E. Outland, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Gregory Salcido, former mayor of Pico Rivera, California
• Tony Strickland, former California state senator

Religion

• R. Kent Hughes, former pastor of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, author
• David Moyer, bishop in the Traditional Anglican Communion

Sports

• Peter Baron, team manager of Starworks Motorsport
• Ila Borders, first female pitcher to start in a professional baseball game
• Hubie Brooks (attended), former Major League Baseball player
• Jim Colborn, former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Elvin Hutchison, former National Football League player and official
• Gary Jones, former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Steve Jones, former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Brian Kelly, former Major League Lacrosse player
• Wally Kincaid, college baseball coach
• Timo Liekoski, Finnish soccer coach
• Tony Malinosky, former Major League Baseball player
• Chuck McMurtry, former defensive tackle in the American Football League
• Russ Purnell, former special teams coach for the NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars
• Jamie Quirk, former Major League Baseball player
• Gary Roenicke, former Major League Baseball outfielder
• Brendan Schaub (attended), mixed martial artist, stand-up comedian
• Jim Skipper, retired National Football League assistant coach
• Geoff Stults, played football for the Poets, and also professionally in the Austrian Football League; actor
• Don Sutton, Hall of Fame baseball player

References

1. "Baum, Willa K. - Social Networks and Archival Context". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
2. "Whittier Graduate makes List of Up-and-Coming LGBT Leaders | Whittier College". www.whittier.edu. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
3. "Fuller House's Andrea Barber Says She Thought She'd Never Act Again After Full House". www.yahoo.com. November 2, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
4. "Herschel Daugherty, Retired Film, TV Director". Lafayette Journal and Courier. April 2, 1993. p. 14. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
5. "Radio: Bill Handel celebrates 20 years on the airwaves". Whittier Daily News. August 7, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
6. Narins, Elizabeth (August 28, 2017). "Blogilates Cassey Ho Reveals Why She Hid Her Relationship From Fans for 9 Years". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
7. "How Did I Get Here? Cheryl Boone Isaacs". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
8. "Poet Actor on New Hulu Series | Whittier College". www.whittier.edu. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
9. Barnes, Mike (February 27, 2025). "Olive Sturgess, Vincent Price's Daughter in 'The Raven,' Dies at 91". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
10. "Dorothy Baker". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
11. "Jessamyn West Collection: Jessamyn West dies of stroke at age 81". www.yorbalindahistory.org. Retrieved August 7, 2022.

External links

• Official website