Alumni

Meet Our Alumni

Cranbrook Schools has an international community of alumni, famous and anonymous, who are actively shaping the world—globally or locally, publicly or quietly. We invite you to meet some of our remarkable alumni by exploring the stories below. Check back often to see what new stories we will be sharing.
Alumni Stories
shaping the world one story at a time

In Memoriam

List of 1 items.

  • Ward Just

    Class of 1953
    Journalism


The Alumni Office is sad to report that beloved Cranbrook alumnus Ward Just passed away on December 19, 2019 at age 84.

A renowned reporter, war correspondent, author of 19 novels and numerous short stories, Ward Just was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, a finalist for the National Book Award, was a recipient of the O. Henry Award. He was also an important voice in the conversation about the Vietnam War and Washington politics.

Alumni! Help us share more of your stories with the world.

Nominate your fellow alumni to be recognized here or elsewhere by emailing us at alumni@cranbrook.edu.

Our Alumni

List of 1 items.

  • Jay Adelson

    Class of 1988
    Tech/Cybersecurity
    CEO of Simple GEO


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Aubrey Agee

    Class of 1992
    Business
    Senior Program Administrator of the Blackstone LaunchPad

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Juan Alejos

    Class of 1979
    Medicine
    Director of Pediatric Heart Transplant/UCLA

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Alice Aspen March

    Class of 1949
    Radio/Television
    Host of national radio show, Attention Matters

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Michael Barone

    Class of 1962
    Politics
    Pundit and Political Commentator


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Bob Bemer

    Class of 1936
    Technology
    Computer pioneer, co-inventor of ASCII, named COBOL


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Charles Bigelow

    Class of 1963
    Design
    Type designer Lucida typeface
    Former professor of typography at Stanford University
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Sven Birkerts

    Class of 1969
    Humanities
    Author, Director of the Bennington College Writing Seminars

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Selma Blair

    Class of 1990
    Film
    Actor Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, and more

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Carole Glueck Brookins

    Class of 1961
    Law
    Member U.S. Council on Foreign Relations

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Shelley Buchanan

    Class of 1954
    Politics
    Former White House Staff member, wife of Pat Buchanan

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Robbie Buhl

    Class of 1982
    Sports
    Professional racecar driver
    Driving Skills Instructor

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Darnell Carr-Newsum

    Class of 1973
    Marketing
    Vice President, GfK MRI

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Abby Cohen

    Class of 2009
    Biomedical Engineering
    Inventor and CEO Sparo Labs


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Joel E. Cohen

    Class of 1961
    Mathematics
    Mathematical biologist
    Recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship Genius Award
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • John Cohen

    Class of 1994
    Film
    Producer Angry Birds, Despicable Me

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Clifford Colwell

    Class of 1955
    Medicine
    Inventor of the "e-knee" prosthesis

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Pero Dagbovie

    Class of 1989
    Higher Education
    Associate Dean of History, Michigan State University

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • June Daisley Lockhart

    Class of 1938
    Fine Arts
    Sculptor

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Pete Dawkins

    Class of 1955
    Sports
    Heismann Trophy winner, Rhodes Scholar, former Army Brigadier General
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Jeffrey Dearth

    Class of 1968
    Journalism
    Former president and publisher of The New Republic magazine

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Amy Denio

    Class of 1979
    Music
    Auto-didact Musician
    Grammy Award nominee

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Dan Dickerson

    Class of 1976
    Sports
    Play-by-play announcer for the Detroit Tigers

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Rob Edwards

    Class of 1981
    Film
    Writer and Producer, Disney's Treasure Planet and Disney's Princess and the Frog
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Daniel Ellsberg

    Class of 1948
    Journalism
    Scholar, Anti-War Activist, Government Official

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Mary Fisher

    Class of 1966
    Political Activism
    Founder of Family AIDS Network


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Renee Elise Goldsberry

    Class of 1989
    Theater
    Tony Award Best Actress for Hamilton (orig. cast)
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Bing Gordon

    Class of 1968
    Technology
    CEO Emeritus of Electronic Arts (EA)

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Cicely Guenther Winter

    Class of 1966
    Music
    Co-founder of the Institute of Oaxacan Historic Organs
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Beth Hagenlocker

    Class of 1982
    Non-profit
    Co-founder, Detroit Creativity Project
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Martha Henry

    Class of 1955
    Film & Theater
    Leading actress at Stratford Festival in Canada
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Hank Hoffman

    Class of 1959
    Military/Aviation
    USAF fighter pilot, commercial pilot
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Christopher Ilitch

    Class of 1983
    Business
    President and CEO of Ilitch Holdings

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Jonny Imerman

    Class of 1994
    Non-profit
    Founder and Chief Mission Officer of Imerman Angels

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Ward Just

    Class of 1953
    Journalism
    Pulitzer Prize finalist, National Book Award finalist, multiple O. Henry Award winner
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Glenn Kessler

    Class of 1988
    Film & Television
    Screenwriter and Producer


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Todd Kessler

    Class of 1990
    Film & Television
    Screenwriter, producer, director

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Brad Keywell

    Class of 1987
    Business
    Co-founder of Groupon, co-founder and director of MediaBank
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Michael Kinsley

    Class of 1968
    Journalism
    Journalist/Commentator
    Founder of Slate, former editor at the Los Angeles Times
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Florence Knoll Bassett

    Class of 1934
    Design
    Style pioneer, Former head of Knoll, National Medal of Arts
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Kathryn Kolbert

    Class of 1970
    Law
    Civil Rights Lawyer
    Former president of People for the American Way
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Ivan Krstic

    Class of 2004
    Tech/Cybersecurity
    Head of Apple Security Engineering and Architecture

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Alexi Lalas

    Class of 1988
    Sports
    Professional soccer player
    Former president of LA Galaxy
    Fox Sports commentator
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Barbara Lea

    Class of 1947
    Music
    American Jazz Singer


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Brad Leithauser

    Class of 1971
    Humanities
    Poet, Author
    MacArthur Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • James Maas

    Class of 1956
    Social Science
    CEO Sleep for Success
    Coined the term "power nap"

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Ronald Machen

    Class of 1987
    Law
    U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Bruce McCaul

    Class of 1957
    Physics
    President of Oxigraf, Inc.
    Former CEO of Molectron Corp

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Thomas McGuane

    Class of 1958
    Humanities
    American author of Ninety-Two in the Shade, The Missouri Breaks and many more
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Mimi McLoughlin

    Class of 1962
    Journalism
    Reporter & Editor, Newsweek
    Editor, US News & World Report

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Scott McNealy

    Class of 1972
    Technology
    Co-founder and CEO of Sun Microsystems

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Cathy Olkin

    Class of 1984
    Aerospace
    Planetary scientist, Southwest Research Institute
    "New Horizons" mission to Pluto
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Shelley Padnos

    Class of 1971
    Business/Sustainability
    Executive VP of PADNOS


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Bill Prady

    Class of 1977
    Television
    Writer & Producer of The Muppets, Big Bang Theory, Dharma & Greg
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Shelly Prillerman Harrell

    Class of 1978
    Psychology
    Graduate level professor at Pepperdine University
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Sorayouth Prompoj

    Class of 1969
    Politics
    Diplomat, Thailand's Ambassador to Germany
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • David Rochkind

    Class of 1998
    Photography
    Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, founder Ground Media
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Ann Romney

    Class of 1967
    Philanthropy
    Author, Activist, Former First Lady of Massachusetts

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Mitt Romney

    Class of 1965
    Politics
    U.S. Senator for Utah, Former Governor of Masschusetts, 2012 GOP presidential nomineee
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Shima Roy

    Class of 1992
    Law
    International Litigation Attorney, named "Top Minority Lawyer Under 40"
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Laurie Rubiner

    Class of 1980
    Politics
    Chief of Staff for Richard Blumenthal

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Rick Schaden

    Class of 1982
    Business
    Co-founder of Smashburger
    Former CEO of Quiznos

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Ari Schwartz

    Class of 1989
    Politics/Technology
    Senior policy advisor for the National Institute for Standards & Technology
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Trabian Shorters

    Class of 1985
    Non-profit
    Vice President of Communities for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Douglas Sills

    Class of 1978
    Theater & Television
    Tony nominee Best Lead Actor in a Musical for The Scarlet Pimpernel
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Alan K. Simpson

    Class of 1950
    Politics
    United States Senator 1979-1997


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Kris Sirchio

    Class of 1983
    Business
    CEO of North American Breweries

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Elissa Slotkin

    Class of 1994
    Politics
    U.S. Representitive for Michigan's 8th District

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Paige Smith

    Class of 2004
    Design
    Senior Designer, Lilly Pulitzer

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Raymond Sokolov

    Class of 1959
    Journalism
    Cookbook author
    Food editor, New York Times
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Pamela Stump

    Class of 1946
    Art
    Sculptor, Civil Rights Advocate

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • William Talman

    Class of 1932
    Film and Television
    Actor, best known for Perry Mason
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Robert Taubman

    Class of 1972
    Business
    CEO of Taubman Centers


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Darryl Taylor

    Class of 1970
    Dentistry/Education
    Director of Horizons-Upward Bound
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Casey Wellman

    Class of 2006
    Sports
    Professional Hockey player
    Minnesota Wild, Washington Capitals
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Tim Westergren

    Class of 1984
    Music/Technology
    Founder of Pandora® internet radio, Music Genome Project®

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Edmund White

    Class of 1958
    Journalism
    Award-winning author, Activist



    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Elizabeth Whittaker-Walker

    Class of 1999
    Education/Activism
    Founder of Raymond Whittaker Design

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Tod Williams

    Class of 1961
    Architecture
    Award-winning architect, designer of Cranbrook's Williams Natatorium

    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Bob Woodruff

    Class of 1979
    Journalism/Philanthropy
    Co-anchor and correspondent
    ABC World News Tonight
    Founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation
    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Taro Yamasaki

    Class of 1964
    Photojournalism
    Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for photojournalism


    Read More

List of 1 items.

  • Natalie Zemon Davis

    Class of 1945
    Humanities
    Author/Historian
    President of the American Historical Association
    Read More

Contact Us

PO Box 801
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
(248) 645-3000

Important Links

Connect