University of Illinois | 150 Years & Beyond

Gary Urton

Harvard professor

Won 2000 'Genius' grant

Don Lowe

Earth sciences professor

Stanford University

Bruno Breitmeyer

Professor emeritus

University of Houston

Fontaine Richardson

Computer science pioneer

UI Engineering HOF

Luvvie Ajayi

Best-selling Nigerian author

'16 LAS Young Alum of Yr.

Gail Storey

Award-winning author

National Outdoor Book Award

Jim McNeely

Won 2001 Grammy

Jazz pianist, composer

Chris Landreth

Award-winning animator

2004 Oscar for ‘Ryan’

Brad Hopkins

13-year NFL tackle

2-time Pro Bowler

Martin Eberhard

Co-founder, former CEO

Tesla Motors

E.J. Corey

Won Nobel in chemistry

UI professor, 1951-59

Mike Small

Illini golf coach

13-time Big Ten Coach of the Year

Britney Robbins

Founder/CEO, Gray Matter Experience

No. 2 on CS Magazine's 2020 Most Influential Chicagoans list

Lynn Price

Social entrepreneur

Alumni Humanitarian Award

Russel Simmons

CTO and co-founder

Yelp

Mary Eggers Tendler

Illini Athletics HOF

Volleyball coach, Elon

Bob Epstein

NBC News executive

Emmy, Peabody winner

Mary McDowell

Polycom CEO

Distinguished Alumni Award

Donald Johanson

Paleoanthropologist

Discovered Lucy skeleton

Russell Dupuis

Chair, Electro-Optics

Georgia Tech

Bruce Blair

Nuclear security expert

Won 1999 'Genius' grant

Parisa Tabriz

'Browser Boss'

Google

Steve Stricker

PGA Tour star

2013 Byron Nelson Award

Tatyana McFadden

Record-breaking Paralympian

17 Summer Games medals