The Frazier Alumni Pavilion and Plaza
Texas Tech University , often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public , coeducational , research university located in Lubbock, Texas . Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College , it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the sixth largest student body in the state of Texas. It is the only school in Texas to house an undergraduate institution, law school , and medical school at the same location. Initial enrollment in 1925 was 910 students; as of 2009, the university has 30,049 students from more than 110 countries, all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia . Since its first graduating class in 1927 of 26 students, Texas Tech has awarded more than 221,000 degrees, including 45,000 graduate and professional degrees to its alumni. The Texas Tech Alumni Association , with over 27,000 members, operates more than 120 chapters in cities throughout the United States and the world.
Throughout Texas Tech's history, alumni have played prominent roles in many different fields. Among the university's Distinguished Alumni is Demetrio B. Lakas , President of the Republic of Panama from 1969 to 1978. Three United States Governors, Daniel I. J. Thornton , Governor of Colorado from 1951 to 1955, John Burroughs , Governor of New Mexico from 1959 to 1961, and Preston Smith , Governor of Texas from 1968 to 1972, are graduates of the university. Five astronauts, including Rick Husband , the final commander of Space Shuttle Columbia and recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor . U.S. Marine Corps Major and Medal of Honor recipient, George H. O'Brien, Jr. , is a distinguished alumnus. Richard E. Cavazos is a two-time Distinguished Service Cross recipient and the first Hispanic and Mexican American to advance to the rank of four-star general in the U.S. Army. The school's influence on the business world is seen in such people as General Motors Chairman and CEO Edward Whitacre, Jr. , Finisar CEO Jerry S. Rawls , Belo Corporation CEO Dunia A. Shive, and ExxonMobil board member Angela Braly , ranked by Fortune magazine as the most powerful woman in business. Others among the university's alumni are folk rocker John Denver , country singer Pat Green , and actor George Eads . John Hinckley, Jr. , who attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1981, attended the university sporadically from 1973 to 1980.
Alumni
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"— " indicates that class year is unknown.
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Arts and literature
Stephen Graham Jones Jim Marrs
Business
Education
Walter B. Huffman David J. Schmidly
Entertainment
G.W. Bailey Todd Brunson Dayna Devon George Eads
Government, law, and public policy
Name
Class year
Notability
References
Jodey Arrington
1994 (B.S.), 1997 (M.P.A.)
Former Chief of Staff, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ; current Chief of Staff, Texas Tech University System ; Distinguished Alumni, MPA Program
Bob Bullock
1955
Former Lieutenant Governor of Texas ; former Texas Comptroller
John Burroughs
1929
Former Governor of New Mexico
Dustin Burrows
2004
Texas State Representative , District 83 (2014– )
Waggoner Carr
1940
Former Texas Attorney General
Joel Carson III
1994
U.S. Circuit Court Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
John Carter
1964
United States Representative , Texas District 31
Lauro Cavazos
1949 (B.S.), 1951 (M.S.)
Former Texas Tech University president ; former U.S. Secretary of Education
Tim Cole
(did not graduate)
First person in Texas to be posthumously acquitted of a crime based on DNA evidence; namesake of the Tim Cole Compensation Act of Texas
Louis Conradt
—
Attorney
Kilmer B. Corbin
—
Former Texas State Senator , District 28
Tom Craddick
1965
Texas State Representative , District 82
Samuel Ray Cummings
1967
United States District Court Judge , Northern District of Texas
James G. Denton
1938
Associate Justice, Texas Supreme Court
Robert L. Duncan
1976
Texas State Senator , District 28
William Royal Furgeson, Jr.
1964
United States District Court Judge , Western District of Texas
Ruben Garcia Jr.
1973
Former Executive Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Millard Hall
—
Journalist and political consultant; served as press secretary to Texas Governor Preston Smith ; instrumental in the creation of the Texas Film Commission
Kent Hance
1965
Former United States Representative , Texas District 19 ; Texas Tech University System Chancellor
Harvey Hilderbran
1983
Texas State Representative , District 53 from Kerrville
John Hinckley, Jr.
(did not graduate)
Attempted assassin of United States President Ronald Reagan
John Hodgson
1984
Kentucky state representative
Phil Johnson
1975
Texas Supreme Court Justice , Place 8
Delwin Jones
1949
Texas State Representative , District 83
Robert A. Junell
1969
Senior status United States District Court Judge , Western District of Texas
Jim Keffer
1975
Texas State Representative from District 60
Demetrio B. Lakas
1963
Former President of the Republic of Panama
Pete Laney
1965
Former Texas State Representative
W. Mark Lanier
1984
Attorney
Tom Martin
1970
Former Mayor of Lubbock, Texas
Jim McReynolds
1987 (J.D.)
Texas State Representative , District 12
Tibor P. Nagy
1972
Former United States Ambassador to Ethiopia , Guinea
Randy Neugebauer
1972
United States Representative , Texas District 19
Charles Perry
1984
Texas State Senate , District 28
Edward Rappaport
1988
Deputy Director, National Hurricane Center
Ron Reynolds
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from Missouri City since 2011
Lionel Rivera
1979
Mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado
Bill Sarpalius
1972
Former Texas State Senator , District 31 ; former United States Representative , Texas District 13
Clay Sell
1989
Former Deputy Secretary, United States Department of Energy
Preston Smith
1934
Former Governor of Texas
John T. Smithee
1976 (J.D.)
Texas State Representative , District 86 from Amarillo
Burt Solomons
1977
Texas State Representative , District 65
Paul Stanley
1985
Former Tennessee State Senator , District 31
Charles Stenholm
1961 (B.S.), 1962 (M.S.)
Former United States Representative , Texas District 17
Karen Tandy
1974, 1977
Former Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration
Elmer Tarbox
1939
Texas State Representative , District 76
Mac Thornberry
1980
United States Representative , Texas District 13
Dan Thornton
1932
Former Governor of Colorado
T. John Ward
1964
United States District Court Judge , Eastern District of Texas
Elizabeth Watson
1971
Former Chief of police , Houston Police Department
Joseph M. Watt
1971
Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice , 9th District
Jeff Wentworth
1972 (J.D.)
Texas State Senator , District 25
John C. White
1946
Former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee
Kent Hance John Hinckly, Jr. Randy Neugebauer Charles Stenholm
Journalism and media
Scott Pelley Emily Jones
Military
Richard E. Cavazos Wendy M. Masiello
Music
Name
Class year
Notability
References
Josh Abbott
—
Singer, songwriter
Jerry Allison
—
Drummer (Buddy Holly and The Crickets , Jerry Allison and The Crickets)
Ponty Bone
—
Wade Bowen
—
Singer, songwriter
John Denver
1961
Singer, actor
Ralna English
—
Singer
Jimmy Dale Gilmore
—
Singer
Susan Graham
1983
Mezzo-soprano
Pat Green
1997
Singer
William Clark Green
Singer, Songwriter
Jack Huddle
—
Musician
Virgil Johnson
—
Musician
Bob Livingston
—
Singer, songwriter
Lloyd Maines
—
Music producer, musician and songwriter
Natalie Maines
(did not graduate)
Singer, songwriter
Cory Morrow
1992
Singer, songwriter
Timothy Rhea
—
Director of bands at Texas A&M University
Doug Smith
—
Jordan Randall Smith
—
conductor
Lane Turner
—
Singer, songwriter
John Denver Susan Graham Bob Livingston Natalie Maines
Science, technology and medicine
Joseph Acaba Charles Bassett Rick Husband
Honorary
Tom C. Clark Susan Polgar
Sports
Texas Tech University alumni have also made contributions to field of sports. Former Red Raiders have gone on to compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball League (NBA), National Football League (NFL), PGA Tour , and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Approximately 94 alumni have been selected to the MLB Draft , 19 alumni have been selected in the NBA draft , 149 alumni have been selected in the NFL draft , and 9 alumni have been selected in the WNBA draft . Texas Tech alumni have also gone on to coach collegiate and professional teams.
See also