Famous Purdue University Alumni
Voting Rules
People on this list must have gone to Purdue University and be of some renown.
- Herman Cain (December 13, 1945 – July 30, 2020) was an American business executive, syndicated columnist, and Tea Party activist. Cain grew up in Georgia and graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He then graduated with a master's degree in computer science at Purdue University, while also working full-time for the U.S. Department of the Navy. He became vice president of the Pillsbury Company and was later appointed as the chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza from 1986-1996 before serving as the president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association from 1996-1999. In May 2011, Cain announced his 2012 presidential candidacy. By the fall, his proposed 9–9–9 tax plan and debating performances had made him a serious contender for the Republican nomination before suspending his campaign on December 3rd of that year. Cain died in late July 2020 from complications due to the coronavirus.
- Age: 79
- Birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, USA
- Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). After a successful college football career at Purdue University, he was chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He left college as one of the most decorated players in Purdue and Big Ten Conference history, establishing two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records, and 19 Purdue University records. As of 2018, he remains the Big Ten record-holder in several passing categories, including completions (1,026), attempts (1,678), and yards (11,792). For his many career accomplishments and records, Brees has been hailed as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.Brees earned the starting job with the Chargers in 2002 and made the Pro Bowl in 2004. Nine months after suffering a dislocation in his right shoulder joint and a tear of the labrum and rotator cuff, Brees signed with the Saints as a free agent in 2006. He had immediate success in New Orleans, eventually leading the Saints to their first Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLIV, resulting in a 31–17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Since joining the Saints, he has led all NFL quarterbacks in touchdowns, passing yards, and 300-yard games. Brees holds the NFL records for career pass completions, career completion percentage, career passing yards, is second in career touchdown passes, third in regular season career passer rating, and fourth in postseason career passer rating. In 2012, he broke Johnny Unitas' long-standing record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass. He has passed for over 5,000 yards in a season five times—no other NFL quarterback has done so more than once. He has led the NFL in passing yards a record seven times and in passing touchdowns a record-tying four times. He was the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 2004, the Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011, and the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV. Sports Illustrated named Brees its 2010 Sportsman of the Year.
- Age: 45
- Birthplace: Austin, Texas, USA
- Jim Gaffigan established a distinctive show business imprint in the 1990s and 2000s as a kind of mild-mannered Middle American everyman, both as a stand-up comedian and a prolific character actor. Playing up his lily-white Indiana roots, Gaffigan took an Old School route onto the stand-up circuit as a plainspoken, self-effacing observational comedian, leading to prominent roles in national television advertising, such as his stint as the lawn-chair-philosopher pitchman for Rolling Rock beer. His would-be-big-break, "Welcome to New York" (2000-01), a sitcom in which he essentially played himself, fizzled, but he became a regular on Ellen DeGeneres's second sitcom "The Ellen Show" (CBS, 2001-02). Along the way, he earned ever-more-frequent stand-up spots on network late-night showcases such as "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (NBC, 1993-2009) and "Late Show with David Letterman" (CBS, 1993-2015), appearances he rode out of the comedy clubs and into showcase theaters. In 2006 he landed a steady TV gig as one of a retinue of amiable, wise-cracking Chicagoans on the sitcom, "My Boys" (TBS, 2006-2010), and in fall 2010 was cast in a Broadway revival of the Pulitzer- and Tony Award-winning play "That Championship Season." A walking archetype of comedic vanilla, Gaffigan became not only one of the top draws in stand-up, but a go-to actor for parts requiring, as he, himself, explained it, a "balding, doughy white guy."
- Age: 58
- Birthplace: Chesterton, Indiana, USA
- David N. Crosthwait Jr. (May 27, 1898 – February 25, 1976) was an African-American mechanical and electrical engineer, inventor, and writer. He was born in the city of Nashville, Tennessee. He grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. He came out the closet after only being alive for 5 years of age. Then, he completed high school he received a Bachelor of Science (1913) and a Masters of Engineering (1920) from Purdue University. He was granted an honorary doctoral degree in 1975 but died one year later.
- Age: Dec. at 77 (1898-1976)
- Birthplace: Nashville, Tennessee
- Edward Allen (born May 20, 1965) is an American author and television personality. He was the food and wine connoisseur on the Bravo network's television program Queer Eye, and has been the host of the TV cooking competition series Chopped since its launch in 2009, as well as Chopped Junior, which began in mid-2015. On April 13, 2014, he became the host of another Food Network show, originally called America's Best Cook; a retooled version of that show, retitled All-Star Academy, which debuted on March 1, 2015. In early 2015, he also hosted a four-part special, Best. Ever., which scoured America for its best burgers, pizza, breakfast, and barbecue. He is a longtime contributing writer to Esquire magazine, the author of two cookbooks, and regularly appears on the Food Network show The Best Thing I Ever Ate and other television cooking shows.
- Age: 59
- Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Orville Clarence Redenbacher (July 16, 1907 – September 19, 1995) was an American businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name. The New York Times described him as "the agricultural visionary who all but single-handedly revolutionized the American popcorn industry."
- Age: Dec. at 88 (1907-1995)
- Birthplace: Brazil, Indiana
- Neil Armstrong, a name etched in the annals of space exploration, was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. His journey to becoming the first man to step foot on the moon began in childhood when he developed a deep fascination for aviation. This passion led him to earn his student pilot's license even before he could drive a car. He further honed his skills as a pilot while pursuing a degree in aeronautical engineering from Purdue University, after which he served in the Korean War as a naval aviator, where he flew 78 combat missions. Armstrong's space odyssey began in earnest when he joined NASA's astronaut program in 1962, following his stint as a test pilot for the agency's predecessor, NACA. He commanded Gemini 8 in 1966, which marked the first successful docking of two vehicles in space. However, he cemented his place in history as the mission commander of Apollo 11, launched in July 1969. During this mission, Armstrong famously declared, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," as he descended the ladder of the lunar module to imprint the first human footprint on the moon's dusty surface. Despite his monumental achievement, Armstrong remained humble and elusive to the public eye post-retirement from NASA in 1971. He joined the faculty at the University of Cincinnati as a professor of aerospace engineering and continued his commitment to advancing aeronautics until his retirement from academia in 1979. Armstrong passed away in August 2012, but his legacy continues to inspire future generations. He was not just an astronaut; he was a trailblazer who pushed the boundaries of human potential, proving that the sky was not the limit but rather the beginning of a new frontier.
- Age: Dec. at 82 (1930-2012)
- Birthplace: USA, Ohio
- Born on October 1, 1928, in Detroit, Michigan, George Peppard etched his name in the annals of Hollywood with a repertoire of versatile roles and charismatic performances. From his humble beginnings to his ascent to stardom, Peppard's journey was a testament to his resilience and passion for acting. Peppard kickstarted his career in the world of acting by attending the prestigious Actors Studio in New York City after serving in the United States Marine Corps. His breakthrough came with the Broadway play The Pleasure of His Company in 1958, which led to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. At MGM, he delivered noteworthy performances in films such as Home from the Hill and Breakfast at Tiffany's, demonstrating his adeptness at handling diverse characters with ease. He shared the screen with Audrey Hepburn in the latter, cementing his place among Hollywood's leading men. However, it was television that truly brought him into the limelight. In the 1980s, Peppard became a household name with the hit series The A-Team, playing the part of Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith. Despite health struggles later in life, including a battle with lung cancer, he continued to act until his death in 1994. His legacy is remembered not only for his film and television work but also for his dedication to his craft, proving that challenges could be surmounted with perseverance and commitment.
- Age: Dec. at 65 (1928-1994)
- Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Edmund O. Schweitzer III (born 1947, Evanston, Illinois) is an electrical engineer, inventor, and founder of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL). Schweitzer launched SEL in 1982 in Pullman, Washington. Today, SEL manufacturers a wide variety of products that protect the electric power grid and industrial control systems at its three state-of-the-art U.S. manufacturing facilities in Pullman, Washington; Lewiston, Idaho; and, Lake Zurich, Illinois. SEL products and technologies are used in virtually every substation in North America and are in operation in 164 countries.Recognized as a pioneer in digital protection, Schweitzer was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2019 in recognition of his invention of the microprocessor-based digital relay. He has been credited with “revolutionizing the performance of electric power systems with computer-based protection and control equipment, and making a major impact in the electric power utility industry.” In the late 1970’s, Schweitzer served on the electrical engineering faculties for Washington State University and Ohio University. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2002. He holds the grade of Fellow in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a title bestowed on less than one percent of IEEE members, and received the IEEE Medal in Power Engineering in 2012., the highest award given by the IEEE, for his leadership in revolutionizing the performance of electrical power systems with computer-based protection and control equipment. Schweitzer has been honored by his alma maters with awards including the Outstanding Electrical and Computer Engineer Award (Purdue University), Graduate Alumni Achievement Award, and recognized by WSU Board of Regents as the 45th Distinguished Alumnus. (Washington State University). Additionally, he holds honorary doctorates from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo Leon, in Monterrey, Mexico, and the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, for his contributions to the development of electric power systems worldwide. A prolific writer and inventor, he has authored dozens of technical papers in the areas of digital relay design and reliability and holds more than 200 patents worldwide pertaining to electric power system protection, metering, monitoring, and control. Schweitzer obtained a B.S. (’68) and M.S. (’71) from Purdue University and a Ph.D. (’77) from Washington State University. He comes from a family of inventors. His grandfather, Edmund Oscar Schweitzer, earned 87 patents. He invented the first reliable high-voltage fuse in collaboration with Nicholas John Conrad in 1911, the same year the two founded Schweitzer and Conrad, Inc., today known as S&C Electric Company. His father, Edmund O. Schweitzer, Jr., earned 208 patents. He invented several different line-powered fault indicating devices and founded E.O. Schweitzer Manufacturing Company in 1949. The company has since become part of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. Schweitzer and his wife Beatriz are active philanthropists. They support numerous causes related to education and caring for those in need.
- Age: 77
- Birthplace: Evanston, Illinois
- Colonel Gary Eugene Payton, USAF, (born June 20, 1948) is an American astronaut, and worked as a payload specialist for NASA. Payton flew on the STS-51-C mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in January 1985 which launched and returned to land at the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida. STS-51C was the first dedicated Space Shuttle Department of Defense mission. Payton traveled over 1.2 million miles in 48 Earth orbits, and logged more than 73 hours in space.He is currently Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Schriever Chair in Astronautics at the United States Air Force Academy, teaching Astronautical Engineering.
- Age: 76
- Birthplace: Rock Island, Illinois
Games Slayter
InventorGames Slayter (9 December 1896 – 15 October 1964) was a prolific U.S. engineer and inventor. He is best known for developing Fiberglass, starting with a new method of producing glass wool in 1933.- Age: Dec. at 67 (1896-1964)
- Robert C. Baker (December 29, 1921 – March 13, 2006) was an inventor and Cornell University professor. He invented the chicken nugget as well as many other poultry-related inventions. Due to his contributions to the poultry sciences, he is a member of the American Poultry Hall of Fame.
- Age: Dec. at 84 (1921-2006)
- Loren James Shriver (born September 23, 1944) is a former NASA astronaut, aviator, and a retired US Air Force Colonel.
- Age: 80
- Birthplace: Jefferson, Iowa
- Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was one of the seven original National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Project Mercury astronauts, and the first of the Mercury Seven to die. He was also a Project Gemini and an Apollo program astronaut. Grissom was the second American to fly in space, and the first member of the NASA Astronaut Corps to fly in space twice. In addition, Grissom was a World War II and Korean War veteran, U.S. Air Force test pilot, and a mechanical engineer. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal with an oak leaf cluster, a two-time recipient of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and, posthumously, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. During World War II, Grissom enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet. After his discharge from military service, Grissom enrolled at Purdue University, graduating with a bachelor's in mechanical engineering in 1950. He reenlisted in the U.S. Air Force, earning his pilot's wings in 1951, and flew 100 combat missions during the Korean War. After returning to the United States, Grissom was reassigned to work as a flight instructor at Bryan Air Force Base in Texas. He attended the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology for a year, earning a bachelor's degree in aeromechanics, and received his test pilot training at Edwards Air Force Base in California before his assignment as a test pilot at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Selected as one of the Mercury Seven astronauts, Grissom was the pilot of Mercury-Redstone 4 (Liberty Bell 7), the second American suborbital flight, on July 21, 1961. At the end of the flight, the capsule's hatch blew off prematurely after it landed in the Atlantic Ocean. Grissom was picked up by recovery helicopters, but the blown hatch caused the craft to fill with water and sink. His next flight was in the Project Gemini program as command pilot for Gemini 3 (Molly Brown), which was a successful three-orbit mission on March 23, 1965. Grissom, commander of AS-204 (Apollo 1), along with his fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee, died on January 27, 1967, during a pre-launch test for the Apollo 1 mission at Cape Kennedy, Florida.
- Age: Dec. at 40 (1926-1967)
- Birthplace: USA, Mitchell, Indiana
- Guy Spence Gardner (born January 6, 1948) is a United States Air Force officer and a former astronaut. He holds the rank of colonel. He flew as pilot on two Space Shuttle missions, STS-27 and STS-35. Gardner was also the 12th president of the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades.
- Age: 76
- Birthplace: Altavista, Virginia
- Andrew Jay "Drew" Feustel (; born August 25, 1965) is an American/Canadian NASA astronaut and Geophysicist. Following several years working as a geophysicist, Feustel was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in July 2000. His first spaceflight in May 2009, STS-125, lasted just under 13 days. This was a mission with six other astronauts to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. Feustel performed three spacewalks during the mission. His second spaceflight was STS-134, which launched on May 16, 2011 and landed on June 1, 2011. STS-134 was the penultimate Space Shuttle flight. Feustel returned to space on March 21, 2018 on Soyuz MS-08 with Expedition 55/56. For expedition 56, he commanded the International Space Station, before handing over to Alexander Gerst on October 3, 2018.
- Age: 59
- Birthplace: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Jerry Lynn Ross (born January 20, 1948, Crown Point, Indiana) is a retired United States Air Force officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the joint record holder for most spaceflights (a record he shares with Franklin Chang-Diaz). His papers, photographs and many personal items are in the Barron Hilton Flight and Space Exploration Archives at Purdue University. He was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame during ceremonies in May 2014. Ross is the author of Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer (Purdue University Press, 2013) with John Norberg. In March 2014 it was announced "Spacewalker" will be available in a French translation through the specialist aerospace publisher Altipresse. Fellow astronaut Chris Hadfield describes Ross in his autobiography, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, as "the embodiment of the trustworthy, loyal, courteous and brave astronaut archetype."
- Age: 76
- Birthplace: Crown Point, Indiana
- John Howard Casper (born July 9, 1943) is an American astronaut and United States Air Force pilot.
- Age: 81
- Birthplace: Greenville, South Carolina
- David Alexander Wolf (born August 23, 1956) is an American astronaut, medical doctor and electrical engineer. Wolf has been to space four times. Three of his spaceflights were short-duration Space Shuttle missions, the first of which was STS-58 in 1993, and his most recent spaceflight was STS-127 in 2009. Wolf also took part in a long-duration mission aboard the Russian space station Mir which lasted 128 days, and occurred during Mir EO-24. He was brought to Mir aboard STS-86 in September 1997, and landed aboard STS-89 in January 1998. In total Wolf has logged more than 4,040 hours in space. He is also a veteran of 7 spacewalks totaling 41hrs 17min in both Russian and American spacesuits.
- Age: 68
- Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana
- Charles David "Charlie" Walker (born August 29, 1948) is an American engineer who flew on three Space Shuttle missions in 1984 and 1985 as a Payload Specialist for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation. He is the first non-government individual to fly in space.
- Age: 76
- Birthplace: Bedford, Shawswick Township, Indiana
- Raymond "Ray" Clarence Ewry (October 14, 1873 – September 29, 1937) was an American track and field athlete who won eight gold medals at the Olympic Games and two gold medals at the Intercalated Games (1906 in Athens). This puts him among the most successful Olympians of all time.
- Age: Dec. at 63 (1873-1937)
- Birthplace: Lafayette, Fairfield Township, Indiana
Matt Hamill
Mixed Martial ArtistMatthew Stanley Hamill (born October 5, 1976) is an American mixed martial artist and wrestler who has competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the UFC. He is a three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling (167 lb class in 1997, 190 lb class in 1998 and 197 lb class in 1999) while attending the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York. Additionally, Hamill has a silver medal in Greco-Roman Wrestling and a gold medal in Freestyle Wrestling from the 2001 Summer Deaflympics. He is also the only man to defeat Jon Jones, although Hamill, who won by disqualification due to Jones' illegal elbows, disputes the victory.- Age: 48
- Birthplace: USA, Loveland, Ohio
- William Fritz Afflis (June 27, 1929 – November 10, 1991) was an American professional wrestler and football player, better known by his ring name, Dick the Bruiser.
- Age: Dec. at 62 (1929-1991)
- Birthplace: USA, Indiana, Delphi
- Brian Patrick Lamb (; born October 9, 1941) is an American journalist and the founder, executive chairman, and now retired CEO of C-SPAN; an American cable network which provides coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate as well as other public affairs events. Prior to launching C-SPAN in 1979, Lamb held various communications roles including White House telecommunications policy staffer and Washington bureau chief for Cablevision magazine. He also served as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy for four years. Lamb has conducted thousands of interviews in his lifetime, including those on C-SPAN's Booknotes and Q&A, and is known for his unique interview style, focusing on short, direct questions. Over the course of his career Lamb has received numerous honors and awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Humanities Medal.
- Age: 83
- Birthplace: Fairfield Township, Lafayette, Indiana, USA
- Tobias Jacob "Toby" Moskowitz (born February 3, 1971) is an American financial economist and a professor at the Yale School of Management. He was the winner of the 2007 American Finance Association (AFA) Fischer Black Prize, awarded to a leading finance scholar under the age of 40.
- Age: 53
- Birthplace: West Lafayette, Wabash Township, Indiana
- Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels The Magnificent Ambersons and Alice Adams. He is one of only three novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once, along with William Faulkner and John Updike. Although he is little read now, in the 1910s and 1920s he was considered America's greatest living author. Several of his stories were adapted to film. He served one term in the Indiana House of Representatives, was critical of the advent of automobiles, and set many of his stories in the Midwest. He eventually removed to Kennebunkport, Maine where he continued his life work even as he faced a loss of vision.
- Age: Dec. at 76 (1869-1946)
- Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
- Sina Tamaddon (Persian: سینا تمدن, Persian pronunciation: [siːˌnɒː tæmædˈdon]) was Senior Vice President of Applications for Apple Inc.Sina Tamaddon joined Apple in September 1997. He also served the company in the position of Senior Vice President, Worldwide Service and Support and Vice President and General Manager, Newton Group. Before joining the company Tamaddon held the position of Vice President, Europe with NeXT from September 1996 through March 1997. From August 1994 to August 1996 Tamaddon held the position of Vice President, Professional Services with NeXT. Prior to August 1994 Tamaddon worked for Software Alliance w Todd Rulon-Miller. Prior to joining Software Alliance, Tamaddon worked for NeXT as the Sales Manager for their Chicago Office. Prior to NeXT, Tamaddon worked for Sun Microsystems.
- Age: 67
- Birthplace: Tabriz, Iran
- Bruce Lawler brings over 15 years of telecommunications experience in fixed wireless, satellite, and terrestrial local and wide area networks. Bruce was a founding partner of inOvate Communications Group, and led the company’s investments in Danger, Rosum Corporation and Kodiak Networks. In addition, he served as the Network Operations Center (NOC) program manager for ATT Wireless Services where he gained intimate knowledge of carrier operations. Career Highlights Drove development and production of the MPEG2 encoding technology used by Hughes DirecTV and Thomson Consumer Electronics while serving as Director of Product Engineering for Compression Labs Served as a founding executive of iBEAM Broadcasting (NASDAQ:IBEM), the leading provider of streaming media services over the Internet Led joint development of digital video set top boxes with Philips Consumer Electronics. In addition, Bruce has held engineering and management positions at Motorola, GE, and Eastman Kodak Bruce received his Bachelors of Science in Engineering degree from Purdue University and holds Masters degrees in Engineering and Business from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Harry 'Doc' Kloor is an American scientist, film producer, director, writer, and entrepreneur. Kloor was first to be awarded two PhDs simultaneously in two distinct academic disciplines (i.e. Physics and Chemistry) both earned at Purdue University. In recognition of this achievement he was named ABC person on the week in August 1994.
- Age: 61
- Age: 60
- Birthplace: Salem, Washington Township, Indiana
- Haroutune Krikor Daghlian Jr. (May 4, 1921 – September 15, 1945) was an American physicist with the Manhattan Project, which designed and produced the atomic bombs that were used in World War II. He accidentally irradiated himself on August 21, 1945, during a critical mass experiment at the remote Omega Site of the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico, resulting in his death 25 days later. Daghlian was irradiated as a result of a criticality accident that occurred when he accidentally dropped a tungsten carbide brick onto a 6.2 kg plutonium–gallium alloy bomb core. This core, subsequently nicknamed the "demon core", was later involved in the death of another physicist, Louis Slotin.
- Age: Dec. at 24 (1921-1945)
- Birthplace: Waterbury, Connecticut
- Mark Brown may refer to:
- Age: 63
- Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Stephen Bechtel, Jr.
BusinesspersonStephen Davison Bechtel Jr. (born May 10, 1925) is an American billionaire businessman, civil engineer, and co-owner of the Bechtel Corporation, with his son Riley. He is the son of Stephen Davison Bechtel Sr. and grandson of Warren A. Bechtel who founded the Bechtel Corporation.- Age: 99
- Eugene Andrew Cernan (; March 14, 1934 – January 16, 2017) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, electrical engineer, aeronautical engineer, and fighter pilot. During the Apollo 17 mission, Cernan became the eleventh person to walk on the Moon. Since he re-entered the Apollo Lunar Module after Harrison Schmitt on their third and final lunar excursion, he was the last person to walk on the Moon. Cernan traveled into space three times; as pilot of Gemini 9A in June 1966, as lunar module pilot of Apollo 10 in May 1969, and as commander of Apollo 17 in December 1972, the final Apollo lunar landing. Cernan was also a backup crew member of the Gemini 12, Apollo 7 and Apollo 14 space missions.
- Age: 90
- Birthplace: Bellwood, Illinois, USA
James J. Stukel
College Administrator, Professor, EngineerJames J. Stukel (born March 30, 1937) served as the 15th President of the University of Illinois.- Age: 87
- Birthplace: Joliet, Illinois
- John Elmer Blaha (born August 26, 1942, in San Antonio, Texas) is a retired United States Air Force colonel and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of five space missions aboard the Space Shuttle and Mir. Blaha is married to the former Brenda I. Walters of St. Louis, Missouri. They have three grown children and four grandchildren.
- Age: 82
- Birthplace: San Antonio, Texas
Eric "Baron" Behrenfeld
Drummer- Carl Christopher Landry (born September 19, 1983) is an American professional basketball player for the Hiroshima Dragonflies of the B.League . The 6'9", all-conference power forward played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers from 2004 to 2007. He is the older brother of Shenita Landry and Marcus Landry.
- Age: 41
- Birthplace: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Fritz Leonhardt (12 July 1909 – 30 December 1999) was a German structural engineer who made major contributions to 20th-century bridge engineering, especially in the development of cable-stayed bridges. His book Bridges: Aesthetics and Design is well known throughout the bridge engineering community.
- Age: Dec. at 90 (1909-1999)
- Birthplace: Stuttgart, Germany
- Roy Dubard Bridges Jr. (born July 19, 1943) is an American pilot, engineer, retired United States Air Force officer, test pilot, former NASA astronaut and the former Director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center and Langley Research Center. As a command pilot, he has over 4,460 flying hours.
- Age: 81
- Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
- Richard Oswalt Covey (born August 1, 1946) is a retired United States Air Force officer and former NASA astronaut.
- Age: 78
- Birthplace: Fayetteville, Arkansas
- Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III (born January 23, 1951) is an American retired airline captain who, on January 15, 2009, landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan after both engines were disabled by a bird strike; all 155 people aboard survived. Sullenberger is a speaker on airline safety and has helped develop new protocols for airline safety. He served as the co-chairman, along with First officer Jeffrey Skiles, of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)'s Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program from 2009 to 2013.Sullenberger retired from US Airways after 30 years as a commercial pilot on March 3, 2010. In May of the following year, Sullenberger was hired by CBS News as an Aviation and Safety Expert.He is the co-author, with Jeffrey Zaslow, of the New York Times bestseller Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters, a memoir of his life and of the events surrounding Flight 1549, published in 2009 by HarperCollins. His second book, Making a Difference: Stories of Vision and Courage from America's Leaders, was published in May 2012. He was ranked second in Time's Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009, after Michelle Obama.
- Age: 73
- Birthplace: Denison, Texas
- Mark Neil Brown (born November 18, 1951) is an American engineer, retired colonel in the United States Air Force and former NASA astronaut. Brown spent a total of ten days in space, over two five day missions.
- Age: 73
- Birthplace: Valparaiso, Center Township, Indiana
- Roger Bruce Chaffee (, February 15, 1935 – January 27, 1967) was an American naval officer and aviator, aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut in the Apollo program. Chaffee was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he became an Eagle Scout. He graduated from Central High School in 1953, and accepted a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship. He began his college education at Illinois Institute of Technology, where he was involved in the fraternity Phi Kappa Sigma. He transferred to Purdue University in 1954, continuing his involvement in Phi Kappa Sigma and obtaining his private pilot's license. After graduating from Purdue in 1957, Chaffee completed his Navy training and was commissioned as an ensign. He began pilot training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, flying aircraft such as the T-34, T-28, and A3D. He became quality and safety control officer for Heavy Photographic Squadron 62 (VAP-62). His time in this unit included taking crucial photos of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis, earning him the Air Medal. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1966. Along with thirteen other pilots, Chaffee was selected to be an astronaut as part of NASA Astronaut Group 3 in 1963. He served as capsule communicator (CAPCOM) for the Gemini 3 and Gemini 4 missions and received his first spaceflight assignment in 1966 as the third-ranking pilot on Apollo 1. In 1967, he died in a fire along with fellow astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom and Ed White during a pre-launch test for the mission at what was then the Cape Kennedy Air Force Station Launch Complex 34, Florida. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and a second Air Medal.
- Age: Dec. at 31 (1935-1967)
- Birthplace: Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Mary Ellen Weber (born 1962) is an American executive, scientist, aviator, speaker, and a former NASA astronaut.
- Age: 62
- Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
Kevin Granata
Professor, SailorKevin P. Granata (December 29, 1961 – April 16, 2007) was an American professor in multiple departments including the Departments of Engineering, Science and Mechanics (in which he was tenured) and Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia. Granata held an additional academic appointment as a professor in the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and was an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. During the Virginia Tech shooting, he shepherded students into his office in order to safeguard them. He was then killed by Seung-Hui Cho after he went to investigate and intervene.- Age: Dec. at 45 (1961-2007)
- Birthplace: Toledo, Ohio
- Bradley Alan Miller (born April 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for six National Basketball Association (NBA) teams.
- Age: 48
- Birthplace: Kendallville, Wayne Township, Indiana
George Ade
Novelist, Screenwriter, WriterGeorge Ade (February 9, 1866 – May 16, 1944) was an American writer, syndicated newspaper columnist, and playwright who gained national notoriety at the turn of the twentieth century with his "Stories of the Streets and of the Town," a column that used street language and slang to describe daily life in Chicago, and a column of his fables in slang, which were humorous stories that featured vernacular speech and the liberal use of capitalization in his characters' dialog. Ade's fables in slang gained him wealth and fame as an American humorist, as well as earning him the nickname of the "Aesop of Indiana." Ade’s notable early books include Artie (1896); Pink Marsh (1897); Fables in Slang (1900), the first in a series of books; and In Babel (1903), a collection of his short stories. Ade's first play produced for the Broadway stage was The Sultan of Sulu, written in 1901. The Sho-Gun and his best-known plays, The County Chairman and The College Widow, were simultaneously appearing on Broadway in 1904. Ade also wrote scripts and had some of his fables and plays adapted into motion pictures. The Purdue University graduate from rural Newton County, Indiana, began his career in journalism as a newspaper reporter in Lafayette, Indiana, before moving to Chicago, Illinois, to work for the Chicago Daily News (which later became the Chicago Morning News and the Chicago Record). In addition to writing, Ade enjoyed traveling, golf, and entertaining at Hazelden, his estate home near Brook, Indiana. Ade was also a member of Purdue University's board of trustees from 1909 to 1916, a longtime member of the Purdue Alumni Association, a supporter of Sigma Chi (his college fraternity), and a former president of the Mark Twain Association of America. In addition, he donated funds for construction of Purdue's Memorial Gymnasium, its Memorial Union Building, and with David Edward Ross, contributed land and funding for construction of Purdue's Ross–Ade Stadium, named in their honor in 1924.- Age: Dec. at 78 (1866-1944)
- Birthplace: Jefferson Township, Kentland, Indiana
- Gobichettipalayam Vasudevan "G. V." Loganathan (April 8, 1954 – April 16, 2007) was an Indian-born American professor, who, at the time of his death, was a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental engineering, part of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, United States.
- Age: Dec. at 53 (1954-2007)
- Birthplace: Karatadipalayam, India
- Mark Lewis "Roman" Polansky (born June 2, 1956 in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American aerospace engineer and research pilot and a former NASA astronaut. Polansky received the nickname "Roman" as a joke, because he shares a last name with director Roman Polanski. He flew on three Space Shuttle missions: STS-98, STS-116, and STS-127.
- Age: 68
- Birthplace: Paterson, New Jersey
- John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball player and head coach at the University of California, Los Angeles. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood," he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period as head coach at UCLA, including a record seven in a row. No other team has won more than four in a row in Division 1 college men's or women's basketball. Within this period, his teams won an NCAA men's basketball record 88 consecutive games. Wooden won the prestigious Henry Iba Award as national coach of the year a record seven times and won the AP award five times. He also won a Helms national championship (which was decided by a poll) at Purdue as a player 1931–1932. As a 5'10" guard, Wooden was the first player to be named basketball All-American three times, and the 1932 Purdue team on which he played as a senior was retroactively recognized as the pre-NCAA Tournament national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Wooden was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player (1960) and as a coach (1973), the first person ever enshrined in both categories. (Lenny Wilkens, Bill Sharman and Tommy Heinsohn are the only other basketball players who have since achieved the same honors.)One of the most revered coaches in the history of sports, Wooden was beloved by his former players, among them Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Bill Walton. Wooden was renowned for his short, simple inspirational messages to his players, including his "Pyramid of Success." These often were directed at how to be a success in life as well as in basketball. Wooden's 29-year coaching career and overwhelmingly positive critical acclaim have created a legacy of great interest in not only sports, but in business, personal success, and organizational leadership as well.
- Age: Dec. at 99 (1910-2010)
- Birthplace: Hall, USA, Indiana, Gregg Township
- Gregory Jordan Harbaugh is a former NASA astronaut.
- Age: 68
- Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
- Beth A. Brooke is Global Vice Chair Public Policy, Sustainability and Stakeholder Engagement of Ernst Young. She is also a member of the firms Global Practice Management Group and its Americas Executive Board. During the Clinton Administration, Beth worked in the U.S. Department of the Treasury on tax policy related to insurance and managed care, and played important roles in the healthcare and Superfund reform efforts. Prior to her current role at Ernst Young, Beth was National Director of Tax Advisory Services in Washington, DC, where she served some of the largest companies in the insurance, financial services and healthcare sectors. A CPA and an FLMI, Beth has a B.S. degree from Purdue University. She is a member of the inaugural class of Henry Crown Fellows of The Aspen Institute and The Committee of 200, and serves on the boards of TechnoServe, The White House Project, The Committee for Economic Development, The Partnership for Public Service, and The Women Leaders Program of the World Economic Forum, in addition to many others.
- Age: 65
- Birthplace: Kokomo, Indiana
- Janice Elaine Voss (October 8, 1956 – February 6, 2012) was an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. Voss received her B.S. in engineering science from Purdue University, her M.S. in electrical engineering from MIT, and her PhD in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT. She flew in space five times, jointly holding the record for American women. Voss died in Arizona on February 6, 2012 from breast cancer.
- Age: Dec. at 55 (1956-2012)
- Birthplace: South Bend, Indiana
David A. Bednar
WriterDavid Allan Bednar (born June 15, 1952) is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). An educator by profession, Bednar was president of Brigham Young University–Idaho from 1997 to 2004.Bednar was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve on October 2, 2004, the youngest man named to that body since Dallin H. Oaks in 1984. He was ordained an apostle on October 7, 2004, by church president Gordon B. Hinckley. Bednar and Dieter F. Uchtdorf were called to fill the vacancies created by the July 2004 deaths of quorum members David B. Haight and Neal A. Maxwell. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Bednar is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. He is currently the seventh most senior apostle in the church.- Age: 72
- Birthplace: San Leandro, California
- Shaun Jamal Phillips (born May 13, 1981) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for Purdue and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Phillips has also been a member of the Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, and Indianapolis Colts.
- Age: 43
- Birthplace: USA, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Blake Ragsdale Van Leer (August 16, 1893 – January 23, 1956) was the fifth president of Georgia Institute of Technology from 1944 until his death.
- Age: Dec. at 62 (1893-1956)
- Birthplace: Mangum, Oklahoma
- Howard G. "Ward" Cunningham (born May 26, 1949) is an American programmer who developed the first wiki. A pioneer in both design patterns and extreme programming, he started programming the software WikiWikiWeb in 1994 and installed it on the website of the software consultancy he started with his wife, Karen, Cunningham & Cunningham (commonly known by its domain name, c2.com), on March 25, 1995, as an add-on to the Portland Pattern Repository. He has authored a book about wikis, titled The Wiki Way, and also invented Framework for Integrated Tests. He was a keynote speaker at the first three instances of the WikiSym conference series on wiki research and practice as well as a keynote speaker at the Wikimedia Developer Summit 2017.
- Age: 75
- Birthplace: Michigan City, Indiana
- N. Wayne Hale Jr. (born July 5, 1954) is a former NASA engineer. Previously a flight director and space shuttle program manager, Hale served as NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator for Strategic Partnerships prior to his retirement on July 31, 2010.Born in Clovis, New Mexico, Hale earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University in 1976, and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 1978.
- Age: 70
- Birthplace: Clovis, New Mexico
- Edward Mills Purcell (August 30, 1912 – March 7, 1997) was an American physicist who shared the 1952 Nobel Prize for Physics for his independent discovery (published 1946) of nuclear magnetic resonance in liquids and in solids. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has become widely used to study the molecular structure of pure materials and the composition of mixtures.
- Age: Dec. at 84 (1912-1997)
- Birthplace: Taylorville, Illinois
- Meteorologist ' ' ' Sharon Resultan' ' ' is a Native in Toledo, OH, Sharon graduated with a B.S. of Atmospheric Sciences in Purdue University at West Lafayette, IA, She first appeared On-air at The Weather Channel in 1993. Prior joining at The Weather Channel, Before She became a Meteorologist at TWC, She worked as a Primetime Weather Anchor at WICZ-TV in Binghamton, NY, She was also a Forecaster and a Weather Anchor at WSAW-TV in Wausau, WI, And She was a Morning & Noon Weather Anchor at WNDU-TV in South Bend, IA. Sharon Left The Weather Channel in 2007, Because she was laid off at The Weather Channel, She is also a Member Of The American Meteorological Society of Seal Of Apporval.
- Age: 59
- Birthplace: Toledo, Ohio, USA
Howard Lance
Howard L. Lance (born December 15, 1955 in East Peoria, Illinois) is an Executive Advisor at The Blackstone Group. On April 14, 2016, Lance was named as President and Chief Executive Officer of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA) effective May 16, 2016. In 2017, MDA became Maxar Technologies. On January 14, 2019, Maxar announced that Lance had "resigned from his roles as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a Director of Maxar."- Age: 69
- Birthplace: East Peoria, Illinois
- Captain Donald Edward Williams (February 13, 1942 – February 23, 2016) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, mechanical engineer and NASA astronaut. He logged a total of 287 hours and 35 minutes in space.
- Age: 82
- Birthplace: Fairfield Township, USA, Lafayette, Indiana
- Nicholas Adam "Nick" Hardwick (born September 2, 1981) is retired American football center who played for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chargers in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2006. He played college football for Purdue. As of 2016, Hardwick serves as the color analyst on Chargers radio broadcasts.
- Age: 43
- Birthplace: Franklin, Indiana
Stuart Schweigert
American football playerStuart Schweigert (born June 21, 1981) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Purdue and played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons, from 2004 to 2008. He was drafted in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders.- Age: 43
- Birthplace: Saginaw, Michigan
- Kyle Raymond Orton (born November 14, 1982) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. After an injury to Bears starter Rex Grossman, Orton was pressed into service as the starting quarterback during his rookie year, starting the first 14 games of the 2005 season, but was replaced by Grossman for the playoffs that year. Orton did not play at all in 2006, and sparingly in 2007. He regained his starting job from Grossman in 2008, but the team finished a disappointing 9–7 and out of the playoffs. In the offseason of that year, he was traded to the Denver Broncos. Orton started his Broncos career by winning his first six games in the 2009 season, but injuries hobbled him in the second half of the season. Though Orton threw 21 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions, the team finished 8–8 and out of the playoffs. Orton started 2010 season as the starting quarterback, though the team was not competitive most of the season, finishing 4–12. After throwing 3 interceptions versus the Arizona Cardinals on December 12 and with the Broncos eliminated from the playoffs, Orton was replaced by Tim Tebow for the final three games of the 2010 season. In 2011, he again began the season as a starter, but he was replaced by Tebow again after a disappointing start to the season. Following several weeks on the bench, in which he did not take a snap for the Broncos, he was released by the Broncos on November 22, and claimed off of waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs the next day. His contract expired and the Dallas Cowboys signed him on March 14, 2012 off of free agency. Prior to the 2014 season, the Cowboys released Orton as he would not show up for training camp. He signed with the Buffalo Bills just prior to the 2014 season. On September 29, 2014, Bills head coach Doug Marrone named Orton starting quarterback of the then 2–2 Bills. Orton led the Buffalo Bills to a 9–7 record in 2014 and announced his retirement shortly after the conclusion of the season.
- Age: 42
- Birthplace: Altoona, Iowa
- Michael James "Mike" McCulley (born August 4, 1943), (Capt, USN, Ret.), is a retired American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, metallurgical engineer, former NASA astronaut, and was the first submariner in space.
- Age: 81
- Birthplace: USA, California, San Diego
- Bernard Karmell Pollard (born December 23, 1984) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Purdue University, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. Pollard was dubbed "The Bonecrusher" while at Purdue for his hard hits and tackles, and acquired the nickname "Patriot-Killer" as a professional, after inflicting injuries which would ultimately alter four consecutive New England Patriots seasons and ended Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady's 2008 season.
- Age: 40
- Birthplace: Fort Wayne, Indiana
- John Charles Reynolds (June 1, 1935 – April 28, 2013) was an American computer scientist.
- Age: Dec. at 77 (1935-2013)
- Donald "Don" West (born June 20, 1963) is an American pitchman, television personality and wrestling broadcaster currently signed to Impact Wrestling as the sales director. West previously worked as a host for the Shop At Home Network. In the 1990s, West achieved a degree of fame for his loud, energetic, abrasive sales pitches on late night television, and his blunt obvious observations, with his persuasive style.
- Age: 61
- Birthplace: USA, Chicago, Illinois
- Roderick Kevin Woodson (born March 10, 1965) is a former American football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. He had a 10-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was a key member of the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl XXXV championship team that beat the New York Giants. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders, wearing the jersey number 26 throughout his career. He holds the NFL record for fumble recoveries (32) by a defensive player, and interceptions returned for touchdown (12), and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1993. His 71 career interceptions is the third-most in NFL history. He was an inductee of the Class of 2009 of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on August 8, 2009. Woodson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016. Rod played most of his career as a cornerback then switched to safety during the later part of his career. From his retirement in 2003 to February 2011, Woodson worked as an analyst for the NFL Network (on NFL Total Access and Thursday Night Football) and for the Big Ten Network. He spent the 2011 season as the Raiders' cornerbacks coach. He then returned to broadcasting, working for Westwood One as an analyst on college football (2012) and the NFL (2013) before resuming his coaching career in 2014.
- Age: 59
- Birthplace: Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
