Over the past few weeks there have been a number of articles about what makes Bowling Green State University so special. Most recently, "17 Reasons Why BG Is Better Than UT" and "30 More Reasons Why BG Is Better Than Toledo" were published, and if these aren't reasons enough to prove what an amazing university we are, here are five more!
There have been many greats people who have roamed and wandered through our beautiful campus, including professional athletes, critically acclaimed actors, software developers, politicians, and many others. We have graduates who hold gold medals, have played on professional sports teams, are CEO's of major companies and who grace our TV screens on a weekly basis.
Once you're a falcon, you're always a falcon, and falcons fly high.
James Pickens, Jr.
Mr. Pickens may or may not be a household name, but I'm sure most everyone has heard of Dr. Richard Webber, ex-Chief of Surgery on the critically acclaimed, Emmy-winning, prime-time medical drama Grey's Anatomy. "Dr. Webber" graduated from BGSU in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in fine arts. It wasn't until he began attending BG, that Pickens became interested in acting. He starred in a student-produced play, and the rest is history.
Scott Hamilton
Not only is Scott Hamilton an Olympic gold medalist, sports commentator, and philanthropist, he is also a falcon! Hamilton holds a 1994 honorary degree from BGSU. At the age of 13, he began his professional ice skating training and began competing at the national level. As a result of his tremendous accomplishments, Hamilton was formally inducted into BGSU's Dallas-Hamilton Hall of Fame, and he continues to give back to the university. You can even see one of his signed figure skates in the ice arena, and one of the town's street names is dedicated to him!
Nick Mileti
Just like many of us, Nick Mileti wanted to attend a college that was far enough away from home, but still close, so he chose BGSU, of course. Mileti graduated with a degree in law, but soon found himself enjoying sports. He purchased Cleveland Arena and is the former owner of the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Cleveland Crusaders. He is said to have "hired more Bowling Green grads than the university itself," which is why the Mileti Alumni Center is named after him!
Shantanu Narayen
"Can you send that to me as a PDF attachment?" How many times throughout our educational careers have we heard this one? Well, you can thank Mr. Narayen for that! Shantanu Narayen is the current CEO of Adobe. He graduated from BGSU with a master's degree in computer science and has made astonishing contributions to the tech world. Maybe if we're lucky, he'll connect with some fellow falcons on LinkedIn.
Eva Marie Saint
A prominent actress in the Golden Age of television, Eva Marie Saint is an Academy Award winning star. Some of her great works include North by Northwest and On the Waterfront. The Wolfe Center for the Art's black-box theater is dedicated to and named after her. She is a graduate of the class of 1946 and currently resides in Santa Monica, California. Isn't it every falcon alumni's dreams to escape the cold, harsh winters of "Blowing Green."
