Reflection #35 (Only 1041 to go!): Fame, If You Win It...

     My wife and I watch the TV detective show, Mentalist, and when we told our daughter, JoAnn, about it, she noted that the female lead, Robin Tunney, attended Ignatius in the mid-'80's.   She transferred after her sophomore year. Still, it's always fun to find out that a "celebrity" walked our hallowed halls.
     When I brag about St. Ignatius to some of my friends, I will often "drop" a celebrity name.    Since these friends are kind of old, the one name they'll recognize is Bob Newhart (George Robert Newhart in the 1947 class picture). This is usually followed by our recalling famous Newhart monologues. Then we talk about our medications. (Staying focused is a bit of a problem; some of us them are really old.)
     In my last blog, referring to Andre Braugher's character talking about the Jesuits, I "googled" his name to check some facts. From there I did a little "daisy-chaining" from his entry to Saint Ignatius, then to "notable alumni", and I found a list of notable alumni.
     The list is interesting, but somewhat inconsistent...or at least incomplete. Because of the length of the list, I modified it a bit, based on which names I recognized.
          Among the actors and radio and journalism personnel included:
            Bob Newhart (1947) Jack Higgins (1972), Sun-Times editorial cartoonist Vyto Ruginis (1974) Michael Wilbon (1976), sportswriter and television Casey Siemaszko (1979) and personality Nina Siemaszko (1988). Andre Braugher (1980) Sonari Glinton (1992) Reporter NPR

      I don't know if Tony D'Souza ('92) counts as a journalist.    He is a author who has written books about his experiences in the Peace Corp.    Does that count?    Similarly, Chris MacNamara (also '92) has been published in the Tribune, though his "real" job is something else.
     There were a lot of political figures, but when one considers the number of lawyers that Ignatius produces, that's not terribly surprising. Also listed are a few priests who have risen to position of prominence, but I was surprised by the omission of Fr. Bradley Scaeffer, SJ (‘67) who was the President of the Jesuit Conference, a very prestigious position within the order.
     While the list includes John Mulaney ('00), who wrote for Saturday Night Live, missing were playwright James Yoshimura (‘68) and his brother, set designer Leo Yoshimura ('65).    Folks like Richard Driehaus(‘60) and Melody Hobson (‘87) fall into somewhat non-generic categories. While I get a broom to sweep up the names that I dropped, if you’re interested in the complete list, go to the “wikipedia” entry for Saint Ignatius Chicago (not our website), then find "notable alumni".
     Also, if you go to the list and think of a name that was omitted (maybe your own?) and deserve a “shout out“, either email me at james.spalding@ignatius.org or by some other means, and let me know.   I'd love to compile a more complete list.
     In a future “reminiscences”, I’d like to mention some alumni who have significant achievements in areas that do not bring "celebrity" status to them.