Southern Methodist University celebrated homecoming, this past weekend, and even below freezing temperatures and one more loss on the scoreboard could not keep
spirits down. Leading the parade of, “Dynamic Duos: Better Together,” floats down the Boulevard was grand marshal
Brian Baumgartner. Most would probably recognize him as Kevin Malone from, The Office. Baumgartner graduated from
SMU in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in acting from the Meadows School of the
Arts, before moving to Minneapolis and Los Angeles to pursue
television and film. He was
just one of many notable SMU alumni and attendees. Below are my current top
four.
Laura
Bush
This one is
pretty obvious. She is one of only 44 women who can say she was the First
Lady of the United States and that is pretty awesome, much less exclusive. Bush graduated from SMU in 1968 with a
bachelor’s degree in education before becoming a second grade teacher. She met George W. Bush in 1977, and the couple
married later that same year. George W.
Bush became the 43rd president in 2001 and, as First Lady through 2008,
Bush focused on children’s education and women’s health. The George W. Bush Presidential Center opened
on SMU's campus in April of last year, and it is not uncommon for students to
have a Laura Bush sighting, whether it be at a sporting event or in class.
Payne
Stewart
On the complete list
of notable SMU alumni and attendees, athletes are, by far, the longest
section. The most underrated and
tragic SMU alumni might just be pro golfer, Payne Stewart. Stewart played collegiate golf at SMU and
graduated with a degree in business in 1979. He went on to win the PGA Tour 11 times, including three major
tournaments: the PGA Championship (1989) and the U.S. Open twice (1991 and1999). On October 25, 1999, just four months after
his second U.S. Open victory, Stewart was killed in a
small business jet that was flying from Orlando to Houston for the Tour
Championship. Stewart was also planning
to visit Dallas to discuss building a new home-course for the SMU golf
team. In 2001, Stewart was inducted into
the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Lauren
Graham
SMU, “You’ve
been Gilmored!” Lauren Graham received her Master of Fine Arts in acting
performance from SMU in 1992. She currently stars as Sarah
Braverman on NBC’s Parenthood, but is best known for her portrayal of
Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls. The
Warner Brothers Network dramedy series, which ran from Oct. 2000 to May 2007, has
recently been making headlines because all seven seasons were added to
Netflix -- affecting fangirl GPAs everywhere GPAs -- and a reunion has been confirmed for next year’s ATX Television Festival.
Blake
Mycoskie
Technically, Mycoskie never graduated from SMU, but he did attend, and has since become such a successful entrepreneur and all-around cool guy that it would not be right to leave him off this list. Mycoskie entered SMU on a partial tennis scholarship in 1995 and began studying dual majors in business and philosophy. After suffering from an Achilles tendon injury his sophomore year, Mycoskie left SMU and launched his first business, EZ Laundry. Ten years and multiple startups later, Mycoskie created his most successful business to date: TOMS Shoes. TOMS Shoes, which executes a “One For One” business model, donates a new pair of shoes for every pair of shoes sold. By 2013, TOMS Shoes were sold globally in more than 1000 stores, and has donated more than 10 million pairs of shoes to people in need.
