Notable Alumni

Notable Alumni Hero Image

How do we know The Furman Advantage works? Just see what our alumni do. Here are just a few of the Furman alumni who are making a difference in the world today. (Above photo: Sarah Reese ’71, left, and Lillian Brock Flemming ’71 were awarded Honorary Doctor of Humanities degrees in 2014.)

Meet Furman Alumni Who Have Changed the World

Richard Riley '54, former U.S. Secretary of Education and South Carolina Governor
Richard Riley '54, former U.S. Secretary of Education and South Carolina Governor
Sarah Reese '71, Opera Singer
Sarah Reese '71, Opera Singer
Clint Demspey '03, U.S. Men's National Soccer team
Clint Demspey '03, U.S. Men's National Soccer team
Eleanor Beardsley '86, National Public Radio Correspondent
Eleanor Beardsley '86, National Public Radio Correspondent
Sam Wyche '66, NFL player and head coach
Sam Wyche '66, NFL player and head coach
Dottie Pepper '87, LPGA player
Dottie Pepper '87, LPGA player

 

  • Eleanor Beardsley ’86, National Public Radio Correspondent
  • Lillian Brock-Flemming ’71, Greenville City Council
  • Mary-Mitchell Campbell ’96, music director and conductor on Broadway
  • Brad Cox ’65, creative of Objective-C, the programming language for Apple devices
  • Ravenel B. Curry III ’63, president and co-founder of Eagle Capital Management
  • Beth Daniel ’78, professional golfer, member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and World Golf Hall of Fame
  • Clint Demspey ’03, U.S. Men’s National Soccer team
  • Hans Einstein ’43, authority on the lung disease Valley Fever, Albert Einstein’s cousin
  • Brad Faxon ’83, professional golfer
  • David C. Garrett ’42, former CEO of Delta Air Lines
  • Kim Jackson ’06, Georgia State Senator, one of only three openly LGBTQ black female state senators in the country
  • Stanford Jennings ’84, National Football League (NFL) player
  • Betsy King ’77, Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) golfer
  • Frances Liglerm’72, renowned inventor recognized in the National Inventors Hall of Fame
  • Keith Lockhart ’81, conductor of Boston Pops
  • Mike McConnell ’66, former director of U.S. National Intelligence
  • Karen Parks ’83, opera singer
  • Dottie Pepper ’87, Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) golfer
  • Richard Riley ’54, former U.S. Secretary of Education and South Carolina Governor
  • Bear Rinehart ’03, lead singer of Need to Breathe
  • Sarah Reese ’71, Metropolitan Opera Soprano
  • Mark Sanford ’83, former Governor of South Carolina
  • George Singleton ’80, novelist
  • Alex Stubb ’93, former Prime Minister of Finland
  • Charles Townes ’35, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in physics, inventor of the maser and laser
  • David Trone ’77, founder of Total Wine & More, U.S. Representative from Maryland’s 6th Congressional District
  • Betsy Bishop Weiss ’89, opera singer
  • Sam Wyche ’66, former National Football League (NFL) quarterback and head coach
  • Walker Zimmerman ’14, Major League Soccer (MLS) player