Adventurers

First Americans to reach Mt. Everest summit

Barry Bishop (1932–94), A&S ’54, was a member of the first American team to reach the summit of Mt. Everest and the official glaciologist and climatologist on Sir Edmund Hillary's 1960-61 Himalayan exploration. He also served as vice president of the National Geographic Society and chairman of research. Through the years, he had participated in research expeditions around the world with prominent scientists such as Jane Goodall and Mary Leakey. In 1994, he died in an auto accident at age 62.

LINK: See the UC Magazine story commemorating the historic climb's 50th anniversary.

Marc Scheineson summits Mount Kilimanjaro

Marc Scheineson, A&S ’77, JD ’80, made it to Mount Kilimanjaro's highest peak, which is also the higest mountain in the entire Afircan contentent, during Octobger 2010. The Washington, D.C., lawyer was dealing with a midlife crisis when he relized his answer involved a trip to Tanzania to raise money for Norwood/Hope Center, a school for autistic and learning-disabled children in England.

LINK: Read the UC Magazine story about his climb.

Comedians

Favorite game-show panelist

Julius "Nipsey" Russell (1918-2005), att. '36, best known as a guest panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the '90s, especially "Match Game," "Password," "Hollywood Squares," "To Tell the Truth" and "Hollywood Squares." Because  he often made up poems on the shows, he developed the reputation as the "the poet laureate of television." He also had a leading role in the film version of "The Wiz."

Internationally known "Funny Indian"

Rajiv Satyal, Eng. ’00, is known as the “Funny Indian.” After giving up a successful career as a Procter & Gamble marketing manager, he has performed his standup comedy act on three continents and opened for such famous comedians as Tim Allen and Dave Chappelle. In January 2012, the U.S. State Department sent Satyal, who is a Hindu, and a Muslim comedian on a seven-city goodwill tour of India to help bring people of different religious and cultural backgrounds together. Called “Make Chai Not War,” the tour received international media attention, including coverage by the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, the Times of India and National Public Radio.

Editors

Author of "The Elements of Style"

William Strunk Jr. (1869-1946), A&S 1890, was author of "The Elements of Style," a revered book found on the desk of most writers and editors. In 1918, he originally self-published the book to aid his students at Cornell University where he had earned his PhD and ended up teaching for 46 years. He also hoped the book would "speed up his grading by allowing him to mark the number of the rule that had been violated on a student’s essay rather than writing out an explanation," says his great-niece Susan Beach. His most famous student was E.B. White, who updated the book after his professor's death in 1959 and published it under both of their names. After more than 50 years in print, the updated version has sold more than 10 million copies. Strunk also worked in Hollywood as an adviser on the MGM production of "Romeo and Juliet" in 1935.

Cincinnati's WPA Guide editor

Harry Graff, A&S '33, M (A&S) '34, was the editor of the local WPA Guide, titled "Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors." The 1943 book was the final volume in the prestigious American Guide Series. Graff, who was the regional supervisor for the WPA Federal Writers' Project, then state director, edited selections for the book, wrote some of the content and selected photos. Later, he opened the PR/advertising firm Harry W. Graff Inc. in New York, helped several international airlines develop U.S. routes and wrote several books on travel management. A high school valedictorian, he enrolled at UC at age 16.

Engineers

Golden Gate Bridge builder

Joseph Strauss (1870–1938), Eng 1892, HonDoc '30, engineered and built the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. As the chief engineer, Strauss hired the staff and championed for funding to get the bridge built.

Of U.S. Naval Observatory fame

P. Ken Seidelmann, Eng '60, M (A&S) '62, D (A&S) '68, is director of astrometry at the U.S. Naval Observatory; co-discoverer of Calypso, the 25th satellite of Saturn; a former member of the Wide Field/Planetary Camera Team of the Hubble Space Telescope; a research professor at the University of Virginia. Author of more than 100 scientific papers and editor of "Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac," Seidelmann modernized almanacs in his field and introduced electronic almanacs. The minor planet 3217 (a main-belt asteroid discovered in 1980) is named after him. (See his website.)

Inspiration for "Saving Private Ryan"

Arnold Spielberg, Eng '49, a  computer-engineering pioneer, holds 12 patents and is an amateur filmmaker who bankrolled the first feature film production of his son, Steven. (He was also a World War II vet who inspired his son's movie "Saving Private Ryan.") Spielberg designed the first computerized point-of-sale system in the world for RCA in 1953. Later he fathered GE's series 200 computers.

Led Chinese astronautical industry

Liang Sili, PhD (Eng) '49, a specialist in missile-control systems, led efforts to establish the Chinese astronautical industry.

Radio hosts

"Married with Microphones"

Janeen Coyle, CCM '81, has been co-hosting Cincinnati's WGRR (103.5) morning show, "Chris and Janeen: Married with Microphones," with her husband, Chris O'Brien, since 1995. The couple met in 1979 at Cincinnati's WKRQ, where Janeen was working while attending UC. Their son, Dylan, is a graduate of UC's College-Conservatory of Music. Janeen also worked at WLW and WKRC. (10-2012)

Famous chaplain went down with ship

Alexander Goode, A&S '34, was one of four Army chaplains of different faiths who went down with the Army transport ship Dorchester in 1943. The rabbi stood on deck with a Roman Catholic priest, a Methodist miniter and a Dutch Reformed pastor to distribute lifejackets, help terrified soldiers into lifeboats and offer prayers to calm their fears. They never attempted to leave the ship. They were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross in 1944 and a special Congressional Medal for Heroism in 1960. (Read his full UC Magazine story.)