In Music ...
Norah Jones
Grammy winning vocalist
Brave Combo
Two-time Grammy winning polka band known for its eclectic mix of pop, jazz, rock and other musical styles with polka; featured on "The Simpsons" and "Prairie Home Companion"
Eli Young Band
Academy of Country Music-winning Eli Young Band members, James Young ('02), Chris Thompson ('04), Mike Eli ('04) and Jon Jones ('04), formed their country quartet as UNT students.
Pat Boone
Singer with gold records in the 1950s and 1960s for "Ain't That a Shame" and "I'll Be Home" and starred in several movies, including State Fair.
Bob Dorough
Jazz musician, composer and music director of Schoolhouse Rock; wrote and performed "Conjunction Junction," "Three is a Magic Number," and other well-known songs in the series.
Bobby Fuller (1942-1966)
Late singer of "I Fought the Law;" inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Don Henley
Grammy-winning singer and musician; member of The Eagles and solo artist; environmental activist
Sara Hickman
Well-known Texas folk singer and songwriter; children’s advocate
Ray Wylie Hubbard
Country western singer
Tom "Bones" Malone
Trombonist; member of the original Saturday Night Live band for 10 years; backed John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd for the Blues Brother act; currently serves as the principal arranger and trombonist for the Late Show with David Letterman
Lou Marini
Saxophonist; original member of the Saturday Night Live band and for 10 years; backed John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Blue Lou" in the Blues Brothers and Blues Brothers 2000; also played in the band for Night Line with David Brenner
Lyle Mays
Composer and keyboardist for the Pat Metheny Group; won seven Grammy Awards with the group and has been nominated four times for his own work
Roy Orbison (1936-1988)
Singer and guitarist; songs included "Pretty Woman" and "Crying
Emily Pulley
Soprano with the Houston Grand Opera and the New York Metropolitan Opera.
Patricia Racette
Soprano with the Santa Fe Opera and the New York Metropolitan Opera.
In Film and Television ...
Thomas Haden Church
Academy award nominee for Sideways; won an Emmy award for the movie Broken Trail
Lewis Abernathy Jr.
Actor and director; played Lewis Bodine in Titanic; also wrote many of the final scenes for the film
Joe Don Baker
Acting credits include The Natural, Fletch, The Living Daylights and Goldeneye. Best known for role as Buford Pusser in Walking Tall
Joan Blondell (1906-1979)
Academy Award nominee for The Blue Veil; also starred in Public Enemy and Grease
Kim Flores
Director; acclaimed for her short films Vocessitas/Little Voices and Maid! Madonna! Whore!
Ann Sheridan (1915-1967)
Actress; movies include King's Row and Angels with Dirty Faces; roles in films with Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Cary Grant and Errol Flynn
Peter Weller
Actor; starred in Robocop and Buckaroo Bonzai
Noble Willingham (1931-2004)
Actor, appeared in Walker, Texas Ranger
In Art and Architecture ...
Jesús Bautista Moroles
Renowned granite sculptor; works are part of museum collections in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Osaka, Japan, and the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C.
Jean Andrews
Author and artist; known worldwide as "The Pepper Lady," wrote and illustrated American Wildflower Florilium, Peppers: The Domesticated Capsicums, The Pepper Trail: History and Recipes From Around the World and The Peppers Cookbook: 200 Recipes From The Pepper Lady's Kitchen.
Michael Faircloth
Fashion designer; designer to First Lady Laura Bush
O'Neil Ford (1905-1982)
Influential architect in Texas vernacular; designer of the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio and the Little-Chapel-in-the-Woods at Texas Woman's University
Kerry Gammill
Cartoonist; created Superman, Indiana Jones and ROM comic strips
G. Harvey
Popular oil painter and sculptor specializing in Southwestern art
Buddy Hickerson
Nationally syndicated cartoonist; creator of "The Quigmans"
T. Lewis
Illustrator for the nationally syndicated cartoon "Over the Hedge
In Writing and Journalism ...
Larry McMurtry
Wrote Lonesome Dove, which won the Pulitzer Prize, and numerous other bestsellers including The Last Picture Show and Terms of Endearment; co-wrote the screen adaptation of Brokeback Mountain. He shared the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay and an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Mike Cochran
Journalist, author
David Lindsey
Mystery writer with 13 books in print.
Bill Moyers
Television journalist; former chief correspondent for CBS Reports and senior news analyst for CBS News; former press secretary for President Lyndon Baines Johnson
Howard Swindle (1945-2004)
Journalist, author, Pulitzer Prize winner
In Business ...
Dr. Phil McGraw
Self-help expert
Rhys Best
President of Lone Star Steel in Dallas
Mike R. Bowlin
Former chairman of ARCO in Los Angeles
Bonnie Boynton
Owner of Boynton Enterprises, a fashion design company
Frank D. Bracken
Former president of Haggar Company in Dallas
Roy Gene Evans
Chairman of the Board, Grand Bank of Dallas
Norman Miller
President of Interstate Batteries
Sam Moon
Owner of Sam Moon Trading Company
George F. Jones Jr.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc.
Chief Executive Officer, Texas Capital Bank
Ronald Waranch
California developer, winner of the Horatio Alger Award
Linda Hefner
Executive Vice President of Merchandising and Replenishment for Sam's Club
Wende Zomnir
Creative director for Urban Decay
In Sports and Entertainment ...
"Mean" Joe Greene
NFL Hall of Fame and defensive lineman for the five-time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s
Dave Barnett
ESPN sportscaster
Shirley Cothran Barret
Miss America 1975
Phyllis George
Miss America 1971; broadcaster with NFL Today; entrepreneur
Don January
Golfer; member of the PGA Senior Tour
Billy Maxwell
Golfer, member of the PGA Senior Tour
Ray Renfro (1930-1997)
Football player for the Cleveland Browns
Ron Shanklin (1948-2003)
Football player and All-Pro for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Brian Waters
2009 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and six-time Pro Bowler
In Health and Science ...
Hyun–Soon Chong
Professor and cancer researcher at the Illinois Institute of Technology
Thom Alcoze
Professor and forestry researcher at Arizona State University
Frank Spencer
Retired chair of surgery, New York University
In Government and Politics ...
Mary Suhm
City Manager, City of Dallas
Euline Brock
Former Mayor, City of Denton
Michael Burgess
U.S. House of Representatives, 26th District of Texas
Jane Nelson
Texas State Senator, Senate District 12
John Creuzot
District court judge in Dallas
Jim Hightower
Judge and politician; former Texas state commissioner for agriculture
Ray Roberts
Former U.S. Congressman