<p>Off the top of my head:
Michael Dell - University of Texas
Lyndon Johnson - Texas State</p>
<p>I don’t believe Walter Cronkite actually graduated from UT. UT has a lot of “attended” - and an “ex-students” association.</p>
<p>Washington State University
Edward R. Murrow
Paul Allen
Gary Larson
etc.</p>
<p>Sam Walton - University of Missouri</p>
<p>University of Houston:
Rod Canion - co-founder of Compaq Computers
Mary Kay Ash - founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
Tom Delay… well, nevermind</p>
<p>giddy_up</p>
<p>The OP didn’t specify graduates (although he did ask for “state schools,” then went on to say not top 50,so I guess UT doesn’t actually belong here anyway). You’re right that Cronkite didn’t graduate from UT (and neither did Michael Dell). </p>
<p>From the NYT Obituary:</p>
<p>“Mr. Cronkite attended the University of Texas for two years, studying political science, economics and journalism, working on the school newspaper and picking up journalism jobs with The Houston Press and other newspapers. He also auditioned to be an announcer at an Austin radio station but was turned down. He left college in 1935 without graduating to take a job as a reporter with The Press.”</p>
<p>Tom Delay was famously booted out of Baylor University. The legend is that was annoyed that the school wasn’t as conservative as he wanted it to be. Do they allow dancing on campus yet?</p>
<p>**UCLA **</p>
<p>Famous “smart people” include:</p>
<p>Nobel laureates
Ralph Bunche - Peace, 1950
Bruce Merrifield - Chemistry, 1984
Elinor Ostrom - Economics, 2009
Glenn T. Seaborg - Chemistry, 1951
William Sharpe - Economics, 1990 </p>
<p>Other famous “smart” alumni:
Vinton Cerf, M.S. 1970, Ph.D. 1972 - Internet pioneer; recipient of the Turing Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom; frequently called the “Father of the Internet” </p>
<p>Walter Cunningham, B.A. 1960, M.A. 1961 - astronaut; lunar module pilot </p>
<p>Glenn S. Dumke, Ph.D. 1942 - historian, chancellor of the California State University </p>
<p>Charles Elachi, M.S. 1983 - director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory </p>
<p>Thomas Everhart, M.S. 1955 - physicist and former president of CalTech </p>
<p>Birut</p>
<p>Tim Russert–John Carroll University (BA) and Cleveland-Marshall College of Lw
Mary Matalin–Western Illinois University (BA) Hofstra (JD)
James Carville–Louisana State (BA and JD)</p>
<p>None of those are ranked in the top 50 national universities nor are the law schools in the top 50 US law schools.</p>
<p>SUNY Nobel Laureates:</p>
<p>Robert J. Aumann
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2005
Stony Brook University</p>
<p>Paul C. Lauterbur
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2003
Stony Brook University</p>
<p>J. M. Coetzee
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2003
University at Buffalo (1968-1971)</p>
<p>Robert F. Furchgott
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1998
SUNY Downstate Medical Center</p>
<p>Ronald H. Coase
The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences 1991
University at Buffalo (1951-1958)</p>
<p>Herbert A. Hauptman
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1985
University at Buffalo</p>
<p>Robert Woodrow Wilson
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1978
SUNY Adjunct Professor</p>
<p>Chen Ning Yang
The Nobel Prize in Physics 1957
Stony Brook University</p>
<p>I realize you said no musicians, but come on…it’s Janis Joplin…</p>
<p>Janis Joplin -UTexas at Austin</p>
<p>J.K Rowling</p>
<p>Stephen king</p>
<p>Leo Tolstoy</p>
<p>Hugh Hefner…UIUC</p>
<p>Nixon: Whittier College.</p>
<p>Wolf Blitzer
John Hewitt (co-founder of Jackson Hewitt)
Harvey Weinstein
All went to University at Buffalo.</p>
<p>also the band moe. formed there!</p>
<p>Joe and Jill Biden went to the University of Delaware… state school!</p>
<p>On a related topic, here is a list of famous/successful people who were expelled from college:
[The</a> 9 Most Successful People EXPELLED From College](<a href=“The 9 Most Successful People EXPELLED From College | HuffPost College”>The 9 Most Successful People EXPELLED From College | HuffPost College)</p>
<p>Great list, jym!</p>
<p>Not sure if this one has been mentioned:</p>
<p>Richard Schrock, graduated from UC, Riverside; now Frederick G. Keyes Professor in the Department of Chemistry at MIT and 2005 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.</p>
<p>Just since 2000:</p>
<p>Dale T. Mortensen, 2010 Nobel laureate, economics—Willamette University
Thomas A. Steitz, 2009 Nobel laureate, chemistry—Lawrence University
Carol W. Greider, 2009 Nobel laureate, medicine – UC Santa Barbara
Robert H. Grubbs, 2005 Nobel laureate, chemistry—University of Florida
Richard R. Schrock, 2005 Nobel laureate, chemistry—UC Riverside
Robert Aumanm, 2005 Nobel laureate, economics—City College of New York
H. David Politzer, 2004 Nobel laureate, physics—University of Michigan
Linda B. Buck, 2004 Nobel laureate, medicine—University of Washington
Peter Agre, 2003 Nobel laureate, chemicstry—Augsburg College
Paul Lauterbur, 2003 Nobel laureate, medicine—Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western)
Raymond Davis, Jr, 2002 Nobel laureate, physics—University of Maryland
John Fenn, 2002 Nobel laureate, chemistry—Berea College
Vernon L. Smith, 2002 Nobel laureate, economics—Friends University
Jack Kilby, 2000 Nobel laureate, physics—University of Illinois
Alan J. Heeger, 2000 Nobel laureate, chemistry—University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Daniel McFadden, 2000 Nobel laureate, economics—University of Minnesota</p>
<p>And I probably missed a few.</p>
<p>Wow, University of Michigan is lower ranked college!! Since when? It is consintently in top 10 for Med. School, one of the top Business school, I bet list can go on and on. It is so selective! If we list colleges like this one here, then it is not an accurate list by far.</p>
<p>Larry Page and Gerald Ford went to UMich.</p>
<p>Steve Wozniak went to Berkeley.</p>