List of Pomona College people
Encyclopedia
Here follows a list of notable people associated with Pomona College
in Claremont, California
, including notable graduates, dropouts, and past and present faculty.
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
in Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
, including notable graduates, dropouts, and past and present faculty.
Government
- Ellen BardEllen BardEllen M. Bard was a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.Bard was a 1971 graduate of Pomona College. She also earned a M.S. degree from the Boston University School of Public Communication in 1972 and another M.S...
, class of 1971 - member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives - Judge James M. CarterJames Marshall CarterJames Marshall Carter was a United States federal judge.Born in Santa Barbara, California, Carter received an A.B. from Pomona College in 1924 and a J.D. from the University of Southern California Law School in 1927. He was in private practice in Los Angeles, California from 1928 to 1940...
, class of 1924 - US Federal Judge from California - Bernard ChanBernard ChanBernard Charnwut Chan , GBS JP is a Hong Kong politician and businessman. He is the grandson of Chin Sophonpanich, the late founder of Bangkok Bank, and is a practicing Roman Catholic...
, class of 1988 - Hong Kong politician and businessman - Alan CranstonAlan CranstonAlan MacGregor Cranston was an American journalist and Democratic Senator from California.-Education:Cranston earned his high school diploma from the old Mountain View High School, where among other things, he was a track star...
, class of 1936 - Democratic Senator from California (1969–93) (transferred) - Myrlie EversMyrlie Evers-WilliamsSynopsisEarly LifeLife with MedgarMedgar Evers MurderLife After Medgar'NAACP/ HonorsAccomplishmentsWhoopi Goldberg played her in Ghosts of Mississippi...
, class of 1968 - activist, first full-time chairman of the NAACP - Julian NavaJulian NavaJulian Nava is an American educator and diplomat.Nava was born to Mexican immigrants in 1927 and is one of 8 children in Los Angeles, California. Nava grew up in the barrio of East L.A. In 1945, he volunteered for the Air Corps of the United States Navy...
, class of 1951 - first Mexican-American to become the US Ambassador to Mexico - Stephen ReinhardtStephen ReinhardtStephen Roy Reinhardt is a circuit judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, with chambers in Los Angeles, California. He was appointed in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter.-Education and practice:...
, class of 1951 - 9th Circuit federal judge - Cruz ReynosoCruz ReynosoCruz Reynoso is a civil rights lawyer, professor emeritus of law, and the first Chicano Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court . He also served on the California Third District Court of Appeal...
, class of 1953 - former member of the California Supreme Court
Art
- Chris BurdenChris BurdenChristopher "Chris" Burden is an American artist working in performance, sculpture, and installation art.-Education:Burden studied for his B.A...
, class of 1969 - artist - Judy Fiskin, class of 1966 - photographer and video artist
- Mary GrandPreMary GrandPréMary GrandPré is an American illustrator and writer, best known for her cover and chapter illustrations for the American editions of the Harry Potter books, published by Scholastic...
- illustrator, best known for her work on the US editions of the Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
books - Roger Edward KuntzRoger Edward KuntzRoger Edward Kuntz was an American landscape painter and a member of the Claremont Group of painters - professors and graduates of Pomona College, Scripps College, and the Claremont Graduate School.- Life and work :...
, class of 1948 - landscape painter - Barbara T. SmithBarbara T. SmithBarbara Turner Smith is an American artist known for her performance work in the late 1960s. She studied painting, art history and religion as an undergraduate at Pomona College, being graduated in 1953, and she received her MFA from University of California, Irvine in 1971...
, class of 1953 - artist - James StrombotneJames StrombotneJames S. Strombotne is an American painter. He was born in Watertown, South Dakota, but was raised and educated in Southern California, receiving his Bachelor of Arts from Pomona College in 1956 and his Master of Fine Arts from the Claremont Graduate School in 1959...
, class of 1956 - painter - James TurrellJames TurrellJames Turrell is an American artist primarily concerned with light and space. Turrell was a MacArthur Fellow in 1984. He is represented by The Pace Gallery in New York...
, class of 1965 - artist
Film and television
- Robert BlalackRobert BlalackRobert Blalack is a visual effects artist. His career begain with the composite optical photography on Star Wars: Episode IV for which he shared the 1978 Academy Award for "Best Effects and Best Visuals". He also shared the 1984 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement - Special Visual...
, class of 1970 - Academy Award Visual Effects (Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
')', and Emmy Visual Effects (The Day AfterThe Day AfterThe Day After is a 1983 American television movie which aired on November 20, 1983, on the ABC television network. It was seen by more than 100 million people during its initial broadcast....
) - Richard Chamberlain, class of 1956 - actor, most notably in Dr. KildareDr. KildareDr. James Kildare is a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived 1970s television series...
(1961–66) - Rosalind ChaoRosalind ChaoRosalind Chao is a Chinese American actress. Chao's most prolific roles have been as a star of CBS' AfterMASH portraying South Korean refugee Soon-Lee Klinger for both seasons, and the recurring character Keiko O'Brien with 27 appearances on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: The...
, class of 1978 - actor - Art ClokeyArt ClokeyArthur "Art" Clokey was a pioneer in the popularization of stop motion clay animation, beginning in 1955 with a film experiment called Gumbasia, influenced by his professor, Slavko Vorkapich, at the University of Southern California.After the Gumbasia project, Art Clokey and his wife Ruth came up...
, class of 1943 - animator and creator of GumbyGumbyGumby is a green clay humanoid character created and modeled by Art Clokey, who also created Davey and Goliath. Gumby has been the subject of a 233-episode series of American television as well as a feature-length film and other media... - Roy E. DisneyRoy E. DisneyRoy Edward Disney, KCSG was a longtime senior executive for The Walt Disney Company, which his father Roy Oliver Disney and his uncle Walt Disney founded. At the time of his death he was a shareholder , and served as a consultant for the company and Director Emeritus for the Board of Directors...
, class of 1951 - executive at The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, nephew of Walt DisneyWalt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O... - Ted FieldTed FieldFrederick Woodruff "Ted" Field is an American media mogul and entrepreneur and film producer.-Biography:Field was born in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, the son of Katherine Woodruff Fanning, an editor of the Christian Science Monitor, and Marshall Field IV, who owned the Chicago Sun-Times. He is...
, class of 1979 - media mogul and film producer - Paul Guay, class of 1979 - screenwriter (Liar LiarLiar LiarLiar Liar is a 1997 American comedy film written by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Jim Carrey. Carrey was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical...
, Heartbreakers) - Allison JonesAllison JonesAllison Jones is a popular casting director who is credited for helping to bring together realistic ensemble casts for such television shows as Freaks and Geeks , Curb Your Enthusiasm, United States of Tara, Parks and Recreation, Arrested Development , and the US version of The Office.She has...
, emmy award winning casting director - Joel McCreaJoel McCreaJoel Albert McCrea was an American actor whose career spanned 50 years and appearances in over 90 films.-Early life:...
, class of 1928 - film actor (Sullivan's TravelsSullivan's TravelsSullivan's Travels is a 1941 American comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges. It is a satire about a movie director, played by Joel McCrea, who longs to make a socially relevant drama, but eventually learns that comedies are his more valuable contribution to society. The film features...
, Foreign CorrespondentForeign correspondentForeign Correspondent may refer to:*Foreign correspondent *Foreign Correspondent , an Alfred Hitchcock film*Foreign Correspondent , an Australian current affairs programme...
) - Joe MenoskyJoe MenoskyJoe Menosky is a television writer known for his work on the various Star Trek series. Menosky joined the writing staff for Season 4 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and also wrote for several episodes for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager...
, class of 1979 - television writer (Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
franchise) - Lynda ObstLynda ObstLynda Rosen Obst is a feature film producer. She was born in New York and is a graduate of Pomona College in Claremont, CA. She worked as an editor at The New York Times before moving to Los Angeles with her then-husband David Obst...
, class of 1972 - film producer - Viveca PaulinViveca PaulinViveca Paulin is a Swedish actress, born in Askim, Gothenburg Municipality, Sweden, who married American comedic actor Will Ferrell in August 2000. She attended Pomona College, graduating in 1991. The couple have three sons, Magnus Paulin Ferrell, born March 7, 2004, Mattias Paulin Ferrell, born...
, class of 1991 - actor, wife of comedian Will FerrellWill FerrellJohn William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega... - Scott PaulinScott PaulinScott Paulin is an American actor and television director.-Career:His work includes appearances in well-known television series like House M.D., ER, Cold Case, 24 and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
, class of 1971 - actor, husband of actor Wendy PhillipsWendy PhillipsWendy Phillips is an American actress, noted for playing David Selby's last wife, Lauren Daniels, during the final season of Falcon Crest and for playing Gerald McRaney's wife, Claire Greene, on both Touched by an Angel and Promised Land... - Melissa Jo Peltier, class of 1983 - television writer and producer (Dog Whisperer with Cesar MilanDog WhispererDog Whisperer with Cesar Millan is a reality television series that features Cesar Millan's work with problem dogs. In the United States, the program airs exclusively on the Nat Geo WILD channel with season 8 expected to premiere in 2012....
) - Kelly PerineKelly PerineKelly Perine is an American television actor and a comedian. Perine attended Lake Forest Academy near Chicago, Illinois, where he studied stage acting. He spent his undergraduate years at Pomona College in Claremont, California. After graduating, he studied at the University of California,...
, class of 1991 - television actor - Jim TaylorJim Taylor (writer)Jim Taylor is an American producer and screenwriter, best known as the writing partner of Alexander Payne. They are credited as co-writers of six films released between 1996 and 2007:Citizen Ruth ,...
, class of 1984 - Academy Award-winning screenwriter (SidewaysSidewaysSideways is a 2004 comedy-drama film written by Jim Taylor and Alexander Payne and directed by Payne. Adapted from Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, Sideways follows two forty-something year old men, portrayed by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, who take a week-long road trip to...
); frequent writing partner of Alexander PayneAlexander PayneAlexander Payne, born Alexander Constantine Papadopoulos is an American film director and screenwriter. His films are noted for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society.- Early life :... - Robert TaylorRobert Taylor (actor)Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
, class of 1933 - film actor (Quo VadisQuo Vadis (1951 film)Quo Vadis is a 1951 epic film made by MGM. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, from a screenplay by John Lee Mahin, S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, adapted from Henryk Sienkiewicz's classic 1896 novel Quo Vadis. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and the cinematography...
, IvanhoeIvanhoeIvanhoe is a historical fiction novel by Sir Walter Scott in 1819, and set in 12th-century England. Ivanhoe is sometimes credited for increasing interest in Romanticism and Medievalism; John Henry Newman claimed Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the middle ages," while...
) - Robert TowneRobert TowneRobert Towne is an American screenwriter and director. His most notable work may be his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for Roman Polanski's Chinatown .-Film:...
, class of 1956 - Academy Award-winning screenwriter (Chinatown; nominated for The Last DetailThe Last DetailThe Last Detail is a 1973 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby with a screenplay adapted by Robert Towne from a novel of the same name by Daryl Ponicsan. The film became known for its frequent use of profanity.-Plot:...
and ShampooShampoo (film)Shampoo is a 1975 satirical film written by Robert Towne and directed by Hal Ashby. It stars Warren Beatty, Julie Christie and Goldie Hawn, with Lee Grant, Jack Warden, Tony Bill and in an early film appearance, Carrie Fisher....
) - David S. WardDavid S. WardDavid Schad Ward is an American film director and screen writer.-Life and career:Ward was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Miriam and Robert McCollum Ward. Ward has degrees from Pomona College , as well as both USC and the UCLA Film School...
, class of 1967 - film director (Major LeagueMajor League (film)Major League is a 1989 American satire comedy film written and directed by David S. Ward, starring Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes, James Gammon, and Corbin Bernsen. Made for US$11 million, Major League grossed nearly US$50 million in domestic release...
) and Academy Award-winning screenwriter (The StingThe StingThe Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
) - Frank Wells, class of 1952 - president, The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
- John Whitney, Sr.John Whitney (animator)John Whitney, Sr. was an American animator, composer and inventor, widely considered to be one of the fathers of computer animation.-Life:...
- early computer animation filmmaker - George C. WolfeGeorge C. WolfeGeorge Costello Wolfe is an American playwright and director of theater and film. He won a Tony Award in 1993 for directing Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and another Tony Award in 1996 for his direction of the musical, Bring in 'da Noise/Bring in 'da Funk.-Early life and...
, class of 1976 - playwright and film director (Nights in RodantheNights in RodantheNights in Rodanthe is a 2008 American/Australian film adaptation of the novel with the same name by Nicholas Sparks. The film stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane in their third screen collaboration after Unfaithful and The Cotton Club . The film is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for "some sensuality" and...
) - Anthony ZerbeAnthony ZerbeAnthony Jared Zerbe is an American stage, film and Emmy-winning television actor. Notable film roles include the post-apocalyptic cult leader Matthias in The Omega Man, a 1971 film adaptation of Richard Matheson's 1954 novel, I Am Legend; Milton Krest in the 1989 James Bond film Licence to Kill;...
, class of 1958 - actor (Will PennyWill PennyWill Penny is a 1968 western film directed by Tom Gries starring Charlton Heston and Donald Pleasence. It was based upon an episode of the 1960 Sam Peckinpah television series The Westerner called "Line Camp," which was also written and directed by Tom Gries...
, The Omega ManThe Omega ManThe Omega Man is a 1971 American science fiction film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Charlton Heston. It is based on the novel I Am Legend by American writer Richard Matheson...
, Licence to KillLicence to KillLicence to Kill, released in 1989, is the sixteenth entry in the Eon Productions James Bond series and the first one not to use the title of an Ian Fleming novel. It marks Timothy Dalton's second and final performance in his brief tenure in the lead role of James Bond...
)
Music
- Chris CainChris Cain (We Are Scientists)Chris Cain is the bassist and backing vocalist of New York-based band We Are Scientists. He was born in Montreal, Canada, and grew up in Utah. He went to Rowland Hall-St...
, class of 1999 - musician, We Are ScientistsWe Are ScientistsWe Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist... - Kris KristoffersonKris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, class of 1954 - writer, singer-songwriter, actor, and musician - Douglas LeedyDouglas LeedyDouglas Leedy is an American composer, performer and music scholar.-Biography:Born in Portland, Oregon, Leedy studied with Karl Kohn at Pomona College and at the University of California, Berkeley, where he was in a composition seminar with membership including La Monte Young and Terry Riley...
, class of 1959 - composer and music scholar - David MurrayDavid Murray (jazz musician)David Murray is an American jazz musician. Murray plays mainly tenor saxophone and sometimes bass clarinet. He has recorded prolifically for many record labels since the mid-1970s.-Biography:...
, class of 1977 - jazz musician - Keith Murray, class of 1999 - musician, We Are ScientistsWe Are ScientistsWe Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist...
- Eric Friedl, musician, The Oblivians, owner Goner RecordsGoner RecordsGoner Records is an independent record label and record store co-owned by Eric Friedl of The Oblivians and Zac Ives and is based in Memphis, Tennessee. It is known for releasing albums by punk and garage rock bands such as the King Khan & BBQ Show and the late Jay Reatard...
- Robert ShawRobert Shaw (conductor)Robert Shaw was an American conductor most famous for his work with his namesake Chorale, with the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Shaw received 14 Grammy awards, four ASCAP awards for service to contemporary music, the first Guggenheim Fellowship...
, class of 1938 - conductor - Lucy SheltonLucy SheltonLucy Shelton is an American soprano best known for her performance of contemporary music. She graduated from The Putney School in 1961 and Pomona College in 1965.-External links:* musician profile...
, class of 1965 - soprano - Vladimir UssachevskyVladimir UssachevskyVladimir Kirilovitch Ussachevsky was a composer, particularly known for his work in electronic music.-Biography:...
, class of 1935 - composer
Journalism and non-fiction writing
- H. Arnold Barton, class of 1953 - historian
- Paul FussellPaul FussellPaul Fussell is an American cultural and literary historian, author and university professor. His writings cover a variety of genres, from scholarly works on eighteenth-century English literature to commentary on America’s class system...
, class of 1945- cultural and literary historian - Bill KellerBill KellerBill Keller is a writer for the The New York Times, of which Keller was the executive editor from July 2003 until September 2011. On June 2, 2011, Keller announced that he would step down from the position to become a full-time writer...
, class of 1970 - Pulitzer PrizePulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning journalist and executive editor of The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization... - Verlyn KlinkenborgVerlyn KlinkenborgVerlyn Klinkenborg is an American non-fiction author. Since 1997, he has been a member of the editorial board of The New York Times. His books include The Rural Life, Making Hay, The Last Fine Time, and Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile...
, class of 1974 - non-fiction writer - Doug McConnellDoug McConnellDoug McConnell is a television journalist who has focused on environmental issues, with programs on the air continuously since 1982. He has created, produced and hosted many series, special programs, and news projects for local, national and international distribution...
, class of 1967 - television journalist - Mary SchmichMary SchmichMary Theresa Schmich is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.Born in Savannah, Georgia, the oldest of eight children, Schmich grew up in Georgia, attended high school in Phoenix, Arizona, and earned a B.A...
, class of 1975 - columnist for the Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
Writing
- Vikram ChandraVikram ChandraVikram Chandra is an Indian writer. His first novel, Red Earth and Pouring Rain, won the 1996 Commonwealth Writers' Prize, Best First Book....
, class of 1984 - Indian writer - Garrett HongoGarrett HongoGarrett Hongo is a Yonsei, fourth-generation Japanese American academic, poet and academic. The work of this Pulitzer-nominated writer draws on Japanese American history and own experiences.-Educational background:...
, class of 1973 - Japanese-American poet - Ved MehtaVed MehtaVed Parkash Mehta is a writer who was born in Lahore, British India to a Hindu family. He lost his sight at the age of four as the result of an attack of cerebrospinal meningitis...
, class of 1956 - writer - Louis MenandLouis MenandLouis Menand is an American writer and academic, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Metaphysical Club , an intellectual and cultural history of late 19th and early 20th century America....
, class of 1973 - writer, most notably of The Metaphysical ClubThe Metaphysical ClubThe Metaphysical Club was a conversational philosophical club that future Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., psychologist William James, and polymath Charles Sanders Peirce formed in January 1872 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and dissolved in December 1872. Upon Peirce's arrival at... - Douglas PrestonDouglas PrestonDouglas Preston is an American author who has written seventeen popular techno-thriller and horror novels, four alone and the rest with Lincoln Child...
, class of 1978 - thriller and horror novelist - Richard PrestonRichard PrestonRichard Preston, born August 5, 1954 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., is a New Yorker writer and bestselling author perhaps best-known for his books about infectious disease epidemics and bioterrorism, although he has written other non-fiction works...
, class of 1976 - writer - William Irwin ThompsonWilliam Irwin ThompsonWilliam Irwin Thompson is known primarily as a social philosopher and cultural critic, but he has also been writing and publishing poetry throughout his career and received the Oslo International Poetry Festival Award in 1986. He describes his writing and speaking style as "mind-jazz on ancient...
, class of 1962 - poet, cultural historian, cultural critic
Other
- Don DaglowDon DaglowDon Daglow is an American computer game and video game designer, programmer and producer. He is best known for designing a series of pioneering simulation games and role-playing games, as well as the first computer baseball game and the first graphical MMORPG, all between 1971 and 1995...
, class of 1974 - video game designer and producer - Eddie DombrowerEddie DombrowerEddie Dombrower is an American computer game and video game designer, programmer and producer. He is best known as the co-creator of the seminal baseball games Earl Weaver Baseball and Intellivision World Series Baseball...
, class of 1980 - video game designer and producer - John PaytonJohn PaytonJohn A. Payton is a well-known African-American civil rights attorney. In 2008, Payton was appointed the sixth president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Prior to this, he was a Partner at the law firm Wilmer Hale for twenty years. -Early life and education:Payton grew up in...
- civil rights attorney and president of NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Religion
- Gladwyn M. ChildsGladwyn M. ChildsGladwyn Murray Childs was an American minister, missionary and anthropologist.-Early life:He was born in Endeavor, Wisconsin on 29 December 1896. He received his bachelor's degree from Pomona College, a BD and MA from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, where he knew William...
, class of 1919 - minister - Charles E. FullerCharles E. FullerCharles Edward Fuller was an American Christian clergyman and a radio evangelist.Charles Fuller was born in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from Pomona College in 1910, he worked in the citrus packing business in southern California until 1918...
, class of 1910 - clergyman and radio evangelist - Fr. Seraphim (Eugene) RoseSeraphim RoseSeraphim Rose, born Eugene Dennis Rose , was an American hieromonk of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia who co-founded the St. Herman of Alaska Monastery in Platina, California. He also translated Orthodox Christian texts and authored several polemical works...
, class of 1956 - Russian Orthodox hieromonkHieromonkHieromonk , also called a Priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholicism....
Business
- Roy E. DisneyRoy E. DisneyRoy Edward Disney, KCSG was a longtime senior executive for The Walt Disney Company, which his father Roy Oliver Disney and his uncle Walt Disney founded. At the time of his death he was a shareholder , and served as a consultant for the company and Director Emeritus for the Board of Directors...
, class of 1951 - executive at The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
; nephew of Walt DisneyWalt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O... - Charles ScrippsCharles ScrippsCharles E. Scripps was chairman of the board of the E. W. Scripps Company, a media conglomerate founded by his grandfather, Edward W. Scripps...
, class of 1943 - chairman of the board of the E. W. Scripps CompanyE. W. Scripps CompanyThe E. W. Scripps Company is an American media conglomerate founded by Edward W. Scripps on November 2, 1878. The company is headquartered inside the Scripps Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its corporate motto is "Give light and the people will find their own way."On October 16, 2007, the company...
Science
- Steven ClarkeSteven ClarkeSteven G. Clarke, an American biochemist, is a director of the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA biochemistry department. Clarke heads a laboratory at UCLA's department of chemistry and biochemistry...
- biochemist - Roger RevelleRoger RevelleRoger Randall Dougan Revelle was a scientist and scholar who was instrumental in the formative years of the University of California, San Diego and was one of the first scientists to study global warming and the movement of Earth's tectonic plates...
, class of 1929 - scientist and scholar; one of the first to study global warmingGlobal warmingGlobal warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, and mentor to Al GoreAl GoreAlbert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
at Harvard
Athletics
- Darlene Hard, Tennis PlayerDarlene HardDarlene Hard is an American former amateur tennis player. Known for her volleying ability and strong serves, she captured singles titles at the French Championships in 1960 and the U.S...
- Will LeerWill LeerWill Leer is an elite American mid-distance runner. He graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, California in May 2007.-High school career:...
, professional track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete specializing in the 1500 meters
Academia
- Chen Han-sengChen Han-sengChen Han-seng was a Chinese sociologist and considered a pioneer of modern Chinese social science, and also a member of legendary Soviet master-spy Richard Sorge's Tokyo ring;He was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu...
, class of 1920 - Chinese sociologist - David KeirseyDavid KeirseyDavid West Keirsey , is an internationally renowned psychologist, a professor emeritus at California State University, Fullerton, and the author of several books...
, class of 1947 - psychologist - John V. LombardiJohn V. LombardiJohn Vincent Paul Maher Lombardi is an American university professor and administrator. Lombardi currently serves as the president of the Louisiana State University System, a position he has held since 2007. He is a native of California, and earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees...
, class of 1963 - fifth president of the Louisiana State University SystemLouisiana State University SystemThe Louisiana State University System is budgetarily the largest public university system in Louisiana. John V. Lombardi is the system's president... - Vijay PrashadVijay PrashadVijay Prashad is the George and Martha Kellner Chair in South Asian History and Professor of International Studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. He is the author of eleven books, most recently The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World...
, class of 1989 - history professor at Trinity College (Connecticut) - Michael StarbirdMichael StarbirdMichael P. Starbird is a Professor of Mathematics and a University of Texas Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his B.A from Pomona College and his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of...
, class of 1970 - mathematics professor, University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
Notable dropouts
- John CageJohn CageJohn Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
, musician and poet - David OssmanDavid OssmanDavid Ossman is an American writer and comedian, best known as a member of The Firesign Theatre.-Career:...
, writer and comedian best known as a member of the Firesign Theatre - Twyla TharpTwyla TharpTwyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer, who lives and works in New York City.-Early years:Tharp was born in 1941 on a farm in Portland, Indiana, and was named after Twila Thornburg, the "Pig Princess" of the 89th Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana.she spend hours working on it to help her...
, EmmyEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
and TonyTony AwardThe Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
award-winning dancer and choreographer - Marianne WilliamsonMarianne WilliamsonMarianne Williamson is a spiritual activist, author, lecturer and founder of The Peace Alliance, a grass roots campaign supporting legislation currently before Congress to establish a United States Department of Peace. She is also the founder of Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that...
, author and spiritual teacher - Frank ZappaFrank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
, then a resident near Pomona College in San Bernardino County, would occasionally bring samples of his scores to Prof. Karl KohnKarl KohnKarl Georg Kohn is an American composer, teacher and pianist.- Biography :Kohn began playing the piano as a child in Vienna and, after he, at the age of 13, immigrated to the United States, continued his education in New York City and at Harvard where he studied composition with Walter Piston,...
. This was not part of a normal undergraduate program, nor was it some form of school-sanctioned visiting student arrangement, but simply informal private lessons. By 1970, Pomona publications referred to Zappa having studied there, and Kohn's name appears on the cover of Freak Out! (1966) under the heading "These People Have Contributed Materially In Many Ways To Make Our Music What It Is. Please Do Not Hold It Against Them". Zappa contributed to the renovation of Pomona's Bridges Hall of Music, and one of the seats in the hall bears a plaque with his name.
Notable faculty
- James GrantJames Grant (artist)James Edward Grant was a painter and sculptor most active from the late 1950s into the early 1970s. Best known for his sculptural work in plastics, this work by no means defined him, but was rather a natural endpoint of an exploration into increased dimensionality—starting from abstract canvases,...
– painter, sculptor - Karl KohnKarl KohnKarl Georg Kohn is an American composer, teacher and pianist.- Biography :Kohn began playing the piano as a child in Vienna and, after he, at the age of 13, immigrated to the United States, continued his education in New York City and at Harvard where he studied composition with Walter Piston,...
– composer - Robert MezeyRobert MezeyRobert Mezey is an American poet, critic and academic. He is also a noted translator, in particular from Spanish, having translated with Richard Barnes the collected poems of Borges....
– poet - David Foster WallaceDavid Foster WallaceDavid Foster Wallace was an American author of novels, essays, and short stories, and a professor at Pomona College in Claremont, California...
– novelist, author of Infinite JestInfinite JestInfinite Jest is a 1996 novel by David Foster Wallace. The lengthy and complex work takes place in a semi-parodic future version of North America, and touches on tennis, substance addiction and recovery programs, depression, child abuse, family relationships, advertising and popular entertainment,... - Jonathan LethemJonathan LethemJonathan Allen Lethem is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was published in 1994. It was followed by three more science fiction novels...
- novelist, author of Fortress of SolitudeFortress of SolitudeThe Fortress of Solitude is the occasional headquarters of Superman in DC Comics. Its predecessor, Superman's "Secret Citadel", first appeared in Superman #17, where it was said to be built into a mountain on the outskirts of Metropolis... - Salvador PlascenciaSalvador PlascenciaSalvador Plascencia is an American writer, born 1976 in Guadalajara, Mexico.The Plascencia family eventually settled near Los Angeles in the city of El Monte when he was eight years old. Plascencia holds a B.A. in English from Whittier College and an MFA in fiction from Syracuse University...
- novelist, author of The People of PaperThe People of PaperThe People of Paper is the debut novel of Salvador Plascencia. It was first published as a part of the Rectangulars line of McSweeney's Books. In form the novel owes a debt to a wide variety of experimental fiction from the magical realism of Latin American writers, to the Beat writings of William S... - Susana Chavez-SilvermanSusana Chavez-SilvermanSusana Chávez-Silverman, born in Los Angeles, California, is a U.S. Latina writer and professor of Romance Languages and Literature at Pomona College in Claremont, California.-Education:...
- writer