Purdue University takes pride in its notable alumni. I'm sure you've heard of a majority of the most famous ones: Neil Armstrong, Orville Redenbacher, and Captain Sully Sullenberger, just to name a few. Along with these outstanding alumni, Purdue has also been home to a number of other famous and notable people that you may have never heard of.
1) Bob Peterson
Peterson received his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue, and then moved forward to direct, write, and perform as a voice actor for Pixar. While at Purdue, Peterson even designed a comic for Purdue's official newspaper, The Exponent.
2) Harold Gray
Gray is the oldest of our mentioned alumni, graduating from Purdue with an engineering degree in 1917. Due to losing both parents before he even graduated high school, Gray had to serve as a construction worker to pay his full college tuition. He surely went on to make enough to compensate, however, for he created the original "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip, first issued in 1924.
3) George Peppard
America best knows this man for his role as Paul Varjak, the heartthrob in the classic movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Peppard studied Civil Engineering at Purdue University and was also a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity during his time there. It's not a surprise Peppard was an icon of the '60's, with his striking good looks, acting skills, and famous movie quotes, like the ever popular, "I don't want to put you in a cage, I want to love you!," from his timeless film with Audrey Hepburn.
4) Eric Dill
Every teenage American girl in the year 2005 was familiar with the hit single, "Just The Girl" by The Click Five. Eric Dill is the frontman of this band and the man we can single-handedly thank for all of our jam sessions to this glorious, early 2000s song. Dill graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Industrial Technology, and resides in Noblesville, Ind. today.
5) Jim Gaffigan
You may recognize this man for his notable stand-up comedy, usually referring to America's eating habits and his own paleness. Gaffigan plays a large role in the comedy business, having made appearances on Comedy Central, late night talk shows, major TV sitcoms, and Netflix with two of his stand-up performances, "Mr. Universe" and "Beyond the Pale." Gaffigan attended Purdue University and was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
6) Robert C. Baker
This man received his doctorate degree from Purdue University and carried on to invent the chicken nugget. Baker was known as the "George Washington Carver of Poultry" in his day. He was way ahead of the poultry sciences game, considering he published his chicken nugget recipe in the 1950s and McDonald's didn't add it to their menu until 1980.
As you can see, Purdue University has quite a lot to be proud of. Its outstanding alumni have made advances on nearly every front, ranging from film to music to food. With the notable contributions these former boilermakers have made, it's truly exciting to picture the possibilities we will see in the future.
