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| Bob Allen (KTRK and KHOU) |
As a product of the Houston Independent School District, I'm saddened by the news concerning the takeover as you are.
But this is not an education blog by any means. Seriously, have you really ever read what I write here with a critical eye. Keep it that way or you will be disappointed.
Now on with the show. Poking around the district's website, I found a page called "Distinguished HISD Alumni."
I thought it would be interesting to see who from the media world graduated from the Houston school district. This list is expanded to also include the entertainment world.
This is a post that I will take heat for because some readers will say, "you didn't mention x or y who went to this or that HISD school!"
Hey, don't blame me, I didn't come up with the list. Nor did I write the summaries.
That aside, even I learned a lot from the page. By now, most know that Houston brought Uncle Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather to the media world, but we have a lot of other big names if you add in music and entertainment into the mix. HSPVA takes up most of this space naturally.
Austin High School
Mark James (né Francis Zambon) (1959) — GRAMMY-award-winning songwriter who made his mark with songs like “Hooked on a Feeling,” “Suspicious Minds,” and “Always On My Mind,” which were made famous (respectively) by singers B. J. Thomas, Elvis Presley, and Willie Nelson; inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2014.
Bellaire High School
Jeff Cohen (1972) — executive vice president and editor of The Houston Chronicle newspaper from 2002 - 2012.
Wayne Dolcefino (1974) — Longtime award winning KTRK abc13 investigative reporter. Now runs Dolcefino Consulting. Before that Johnston Junior High.
Richard Linklater (1979) — independent film-maker, actor, and director who came to fame in the early 1990s; known for his edgy depictions of youth culture and modern life; inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in 2007
Cindy Pickett (1965) — actress whose career on both the large and small screens spans more than 30 years; perhaps best known for her role as the lead character´s mother in the movie, Ferris Bueller´s Day Off, Pickett has also appeared on TV shows such as Murder, She Wrote, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, Medium, and CSI: Miami
Dennis Quaid (1972) — actor, best known for his roles in feature films like Inner Space, The Right Stuff, and The Big Easy
Randall Rudy "Randy" Quaid (1969) — actor, best known for his quirky roles in oddball comedy films like Kingpins, Independence Day, and National Lampoon´s Vacation
Brent Spiner (1967) — actor and classmate of Randy Quaid; perhaps best known for his character "Data" on the TV series, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Donald Yearnsley "Trey" Wilson III (1966) — stage and film actor whose career spanned more than 25 years at the time of his death in 1989; appeared in feature films such as Bull Durham, Twins, and Raising Arizona and TV shows such as Dallas and Spenser: for Hire
Davis High School
Kenny Rogers (1956) — country music singer, gained fame in the 1980´s for songs like The Gambler, We´ve Got Tonight, and Lady
Furr High School
Carolyn Campbell (1974) — TV Reporter for Channel 11 (KHOU-TV)
High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Lisa Hartman Black (1974) — actress, best known for her work on TV-series soap opera Knots Landing; married to country music singer Clint Black; also attended Long Middle and Sharpstown High Schools
Shelley Carrol (1982) — professional jazz musician (saxophone) and band leader; has recorded albums both solo (A Distant Star, 2001) and with the Duke Ellington Orchestra (1997) — with whom he has toured; his music has also been featured on the televesion series, Melrose Place and Evening Shade
Justin Stewart Furtsenfeld (1994) — lead singer, guitar-player, and lyricist of the rock band "Blue October," which has appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Late Night with Conan O´Brien
Jorge Garza (1987) — opera singer, has performed with the Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Baltimore Opera, the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Santa Fe Opera, and the Orchestra de Lyon in France
Robert Glasper (1997) — professional musician (piano); founding member of the Robert Glasper Trio, which released its debut album, Mood, in 2003; has also played in the bands of Christian McBride, Terence Blanchard, Mark Whitfield, Russell Malone, Nicholas Payton, Tim Warfield, Kenny Garrett, Charles Tolliver, Louis Hayes and Bilal
Everette Harp (1979) — jazz musician (saxophonist), best known for his self-titled debut album and second release, Common Ground
Andre Hayward (1989) — professional jazz musician (trombone); member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; has performed with Roy Hargrove on the album Of Kindred Souls and with Dave Holland on the album What Goes Around; also backed up stars like Rosemary Clooney, Eartha Kitt, Diane Schuur, and Joe Williams
Sara Hickman (1981) — singer/songwriter, known for albums Equal Scary People, Shortstop, and Necessary Angels, the second of which yielded the adult-contemporary hit I Couldn't Help Myself
Beyoncé Knowles, (2000*) — lead singer of pop group Destiny´s Child, known for her debut multi-platinum solo album, Dangerously In Love, and group releases, Destiny´s Child and Survivor
Jason Moran (1993) — acclaimed jazz pianist with six solo albums to his credit and guest appearances on more than a dozen other artists´ albums; signed to Blue Note Records in 1997 while still a senior at the Manhattan School of Music
Matthew Mullenweg (2002) — co-founder and developer of WordPress, an open-source blogging software first released in 2003. He also founded Automattic, the parent company of websites such as VaultPress (a backup service) and Akismet (a spam filter) in 2005. He was named one of PC World's "Top 50 People on the Web" in 2007, and one of Inc.'s "30 under 30" and Business Week's "25 Most Influential People on the Web" in 2008.
(Evelyn) Renée O´Connor (1989*) — actress, best known for her role as "Gabrielle" on the TV show Xena: Warrior Princess
Eutimio "Tim" Ruiz, Jr. (1993) — bass player for the Houston-based Tejano band La Mafia, which performed at the inaugural gala of President Bill Clinton in 1997, won 12 Tejano Music Awards, eight Premio Lo Nuestro awards, and two Grammy awards (1996 and 1998) for best Tejano album
Kendrick Scott (1998) — professional musician (drums); has played with jazz masters such as Terence Blanchard, Kenny Garrett, Stefon Harris, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, and Dianne Reeves; music was also featured in the soundtrack to the 2004 movie, She Hate Me
Mark Seliger (1977) — chief photographer for Rolling Stone and Us magazines since 1993; has also worked for GQ and Conde Nast
Mark Simmons (1993) — professional musician (drums); has performed on albums by Walter Beasley (Tonight We Love, 1997), Joey McIntyre (Stay the Same, 1999), Bobby Lyle (Straight and Smooth, 2004) , and Al Jarreau (Accentuate the Positive, 2004)
Ed Smart (1980) — professional musician (composer/arranger); his music has been featured on the prime time TV shows American Idol, Picket Fences, The Practice, and Touched by an Angel; composed music for award-winning documentary Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream; has worked with Beyoncé Knowles, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Amy Grant, and Michael W. Smith.
Helen Sung (1989) — professional musician (piano); has performed or recorded with such jazz stars as Benny Golson, Slide Hampton, Steve Turre, Buster Williams, and legendary composer and saxophonist Wayne Shorter; featured on Blue Note recording artist Lonnie Plaxico´s album, Mélange
Camille Zamora (1988) — Professional opera singer; Zamora has performed with a number of ensembles and artists, including the London Symphony and Plácido Domingo. She has been recognized with a 2013 Congressional Citation and been named one of CNN’s Most Intriguing People. Zamora is also a contributor to The Huffington Post and the co-founder of Sing for Hope, a charity created to honor the memory of a close friend who died of HIV/AIDS.
Houston High School
Jeff Hunt (1980) — chief executive officer of global public-relations firm, GCI Group, one of the largest PR firms in the world; also president and CEO of both GCI Read-Poland in Texas and GCI Latin America
Jack Valenti (1937) — author, politician, and entertainment icon; aide to former president Lyndon Baines Johnson; became head of the Motion Picture Association of America in 1966 and spearheaded the creation of the movie-rating system that still exists today
Jones High School
Rosiland A. Jordan (1984) — White House Correspondent for NBC News in Washington, D.C.; reporting for NBC Nightly News and The Today Show
Jo Beth Williams (1966) — actress/producer/director, nominated for Emmy awards (1984 "Adam"), (1988 Baby M), and (1995 Frasier episode); Academy Award (1995 On Hope); and Golden Globe award (1989 Baby M)
Lamar High School
Lauren Anderson (1982) — prima ballerina from 1990 to 2006 with The Houston Ballet (the first African-American promoted to that position); has been a guest performer in shows in Chicago, Chile, Moscow, and New York
Marsha Dorsey Outlaw (1981) — professional visual artist who has worked with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and Michelle Barnes’ Community Artists Collective. Her murals and mosaics grace a number of public spaces around Houston, including Peggy Park in the Third Ward, and Piney Point Elementary School’s SPARK park.
Linda Ellerbee (1962) — author, journalist, award-winning television producer; wrote and anchored NBC News Overnight; also attended River Oaks Elementary and Lanier Middle Schools
Robert Foxworth (1960) — actor, best known for his roles on TV series Falcon Crest and Six Feet Under
Kelendria Trené "Kelly" Rowland (1999*) — member of the R&B musical group Destiny´s Child, whose albums have gone multi-platinum with hits like Survivor and Independent Woman; her debut solo album in 2002 went gold, and featured the hit song Dilemma, recorded with rap artist Nelly
Jaclyn Smith (1964), actress, best known for her role in 1970´s TV series Charlie´s Angels
James Marcus Smith (1956) — also known by his stage-name, "P. J. Proby," Smith is a singer, songwriter, and actor who has worked with such luminaries as country-music legend Johnny Cash and rock-n-roll phenomenon Elvis Presley
Tommy Tune (1957) — Tony award-winning Broadway performer, actor, dancer, singer, performer, choreographer, and director
Sherri Williams (1990) — Channel 39 News anchor
Marvin Zindler (1939*) — reporter at Channel 13 KTRK-TV station in Houston. His infamous investigation in La Grange was the inspiration for a Broadway musical; also attended Pershing Middle School
Lee High School
H. Clay Dahlberg (1965) — professional artist who creates primarily Western-themed sculpture. His work has earned the Best in Show distinction from the Texas Cowboy Artists Association and has been exhibited at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Center.
Jeff Filgo (1985) — television producer/screenwriter who has worked on That 70?s Show, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Billy Gibbons (1968) — guitarist in rock band ZZ Top
Melanie Hauser (1971) — freelance sports writer, award-winning columnist, and feature writer who has worked for the Austin-American Statesman and The Houston Post and contributed to Sports Illustrated and other publications; one of the most respected golf journalists in the country
Randal "Randy" Lemmon (1980) radio personality on KPRC Talk Radio (950); hosts Randy Lemmon´s GardenLine
Ron Stone, Jr. (1981) — author and contributing reporter to KPRC-TV, Channel 2; collaborated on award-winning TV series The Eyes of Texas with his father, Ron Sr.; writer and producer at Stonefilms of Texas
John P. White (1991) — actor who has appeared in a number of Hollywood films, including Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Can?t Hardly Wait, and Galaxy Quest, as well as several television series, such as Chicago Hope and Party of Five
Stiles White (1987) — writer or production coordinator on a number of Hollywood films, including Galaxy Quest, The Sixth Sense, Inspector Gadget, and Pearl Harbor
Madison High School
Peter Brett Cullen (1974) — stage, screen, and television actor for more than 25 years; nominated by Soap Opera Digest for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1980s TV show Falcon Crest; has also played in movies (Apollo 13), TV mini-series (The Thorn Birds), and made appearances on prime-time shows (Desperate Housewives, The West Wing, Ally McBeal)
Milby High School
Miguel "Mike" Barajas (1973) — KRIV-TV FOX News anchor
Michael Berryhill (1963) — freelance writer; previously worked for The Houston Chronicle and The Houston Press
T. G. Waggoner (1938) — an early television wrestler, better known in the 1950´s as "Gorgeous George"
Reagan High School
Larry Hovis (1954) — actor; remembered for his role as Sergeant Carter on the 1960´s TV sitcom Hogan´s Heroes, as well as stints on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and Rowan & Martin´s Laugh-In
Dan Rather (1950) broadcast journalist, former CBS Evening News anchorman; also attended Love Elementary and Hamilton Middle Schools
San Jacinto High School-closed in 1971
Richard J.V. Johnson (1948) — chairman and publisher of The Houston Chronicle daily newspaper
Walter Cronkite (1933) — former CBS Evening News anchorman
Scarborough High School
Karen Dufilho-Rosen (1987) — Academy Award-winning producer of Pixar animated short films Geri´s Game (1997) and For the Birds (2000). Head of Pixar´s "shorts" department; produced outtakes for A Bug´s Life, Toy Story 2, and Monsters, Inc. Also responsible for 2003 Academy Award-nominated short film Mike´s New Car.
Sharpstown High School
Clarence Bagby (1982) — journalist and community activist; founder of the Houston Lesbian and Gay Community Center
Robert Earl Keen (1974) — Texas singer/songwriter
Sterling High School
Yolanda Adams (1979) — award-winning gospel singer; received Grammy awards in 1999 and 2001 for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album, 13 Stellar Awards
Carlotta “Monique” Nation (1982) — Award-winning Houston television personality for KRIV-TV Fox 26 who covered a number of high-profile crime stories, including the execution of convicted killer Karla Faye Tucker in Huntsville and the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. in Jasper; recognized by the Young Women’s Christian Association as one of its Women of Achievement in 2000 and Young Minority Achievers in 2001; tied for first-place prize from Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her commentary on the Jasper case (1999) and second-place prize for her coverage of a fire (1997)
Waltrip High School
Shelley Duvall (1967) — actress/producer, known for her role as Olive Oyl in the film Popeye, and her Tall Tales and Bedtime Stories children´s TV series
Patrick Swayze (1971) — actor/dancer, known for his roles in the movies Dirty Dancing and Ghost. Also attended Oak Forest Elementary and Black Middle Schools
Washington High School
Jennifer Holliday (1978) — Tony Award-winning singer/actress, perhaps best known for her breakout performance in the Broadway show Dream Girls in 1981
Westbury High School
Robert "Bob" Allen (1964) — Houston´s Channel 13 (KTRK) Sports Director; also attended Lamar High School
Michael Strahan (1990*) — professional football player (defensive end) for the New York Giants
Wheatley High School
Lonnie Bernard Rochon (1945) — became the first black disc jockey in Houston, working as "The Rambler" at KNUZ and later KCOH. After stints in New York and St. Louis, ended his radio career as an on-air personality and community affairs director at KDAY in Los Angeles.
Joseph Leslie "Joe" Sample (1957) — jazz musician for more than 40 years; successful both as a solo artist (with albums like The Pecan Tree) and as a piano player for The Crusaders for more than 30 years
Worthing High School
Ralph Cooper (1966) — KCOH Radio (1430 AM) Sports Rap host, veteran sports broadcaster and sports writer; also attended Grimes ES and Attucks MS
Terri Ellis (1982) — founding member of the girl group EnVogue; recorded a string of hits in the early 1990s, including My Lovin' (Never Gonna Get It), Free Your Mind, and the theme song on the movie soundtrack to Set It Off starring Queen Latifah
Yates High School
Debbie Allen (1967) — actress/dancer /director/producer, often remembered for her role as "Lydia Grant" in the 1980s TV drama series Fame
Phylicia Allen Rashad (1966) — actress/producer, perhaps best known for her role opposite famed comedian Bill Cosby as Claire Huxtable on the 1980´s sitcom The Cosby Show
Kim Gagné (1982) — two-time Emmy Award winner and supervising producer of “The Steve Harvey Show”; also started the show “City Under Siege” for FOX-TV, “The Defenders” and “Great Day Houston with Whitney Casey” for KHOU-TV Channel 11
Conrad O. Johnson (1933) — known as "Prof;" world-renowned jazz saxophonist and leader of the Conrad Johnson Orchestra; patented his own model of a saxophone ligature (the CJ Ligature); established the Conrad Johnson Music & Fine Arts Foundation and the Conrad Johnson School of Music, a Magnet program for aspiring jazz musicians (housed at Kashmere High School)
Roland Martin (1987) — nationally syndicated columnist, commentator for the TV One Cable Network, and host and managing editor of “Washington Watch with Roland Martin,” a one-hour Sunday morning news show; also a CNN analyst who was named by Ebony magazine in 2008, 2009, and 2010 as one of the 150 Most Influential African-Americans in the United States
David McGee (1981) — professional artist whose work has been included in either group or curated exhibits in such esteemed institutions as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Harvard University, and the Menil Collection; has received numerous grants and awards for his work, and had solo exhibitions in Texas, New York, Rhode Island, and North Carolina
* = the person attended but did not graduate from that school
