10 Famous UNH Alumni
We’ve all got celebrities or famous people whose activities we pay attention to, whether they’re movie stars or musicians, artists or authors. You’d be surprised how many of those celebrities, athletes, and artists come from UNH. That might give a whole new sense to the phrase “people just like you”, because in this case, these people really were just like you. They were UNH students, too. Which means, hey! – you could someday be like they are now: famous! Here’s a list of ten famous UNH alumni. Dream big! Start by taking a look at where these people are now.
1. Jennifer Lee
The famous producer of Disney’s Frozen graduated from UNH in 1992. She is the first woman ever to have directed a Disney Animated Studios feature film. Before this she also worked on Wreck-It-Ralph, released in 2012, and since she’s worked on Zootopia, released in 2016. There are also rumors that she’s working on possible upcoming Disney films A Wrinkle In Time and Frozen 2. To learn more about her current and upcoming projects or keep track of her work, follow her on social media: Twitter – @alittlejelee, Facebook – @directorjenniferlee (unofficial).
2. Rod Langway
This professional ice hockey player attended UNH but dropped out in 1977 when he was drafted. He played for both the Montreal Canadiens and the Washington Capitals during his career, becoming known as the “Secretary of Defense” in hockey, during which time he won the Norris Trophy for top defense player of the NHL two years in a row. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002. Langway retired from playing hockey in November of 1997 and continued to coach a few different teams through the 2004 season. For more information, find his Facebook fan page listed under Rod Langway.
3. Marcy Carsey
This Alpha Cho Omega sorority sister graduated from UNH in 1966. Since then she’s become famous by producing various well-known television shows of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. These include, but are not limited to, That 70’s Show, Roseanne, and The Cosby Show. She’s also won many Television awards for her work. She still is an owner of the Carsey-Werner production company. To keep up with her work or for more information, follow her Facebook fan page listed under Marcy Carsey or her Pinterest fan page here.
4. Chad Kackert
This 2010 graduate played professional football as a running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars before switching to play for the Toronto Argonauts. In the 100th Grey Cup game, what can be considered the Superbowl of the Canadian Football League, he won the MVP title. He apparently is still playing for the Toronto Argonauts. To keep up with his work, follow him on Facebook, both on his fan page under Chad Kackert and @ckackert, on Twitter – @chadkackert, and on Instagram – @chadkackert.
5. Ronald Noble
This former Secretary General of Interpol, from 2000 to 2014, has also won many political honors and awards since his UNH graduation in 1979. He has also worked in other political positions and founded a security company run out of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. He now continues to work and manage this company. For more information on his life and work, check out his Facebook fan page under Ronald Noble or his Facebook page – @ronald.noble.1806 (he seems to have joined Facebook on March 31, 2016), his Twitter – @RKNGlobal, or his YouTube channel.
6. Carlton Fisk
Since he was drafted by the Red Sox during his sophomore year at UNH, in January of 1967, he never graduated. He played professional baseball for both the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox during his career. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. Fisk retired in 1993. Follow him on Twitter – @carltonfisk, on his official website here or on his Facebook fan page listed as Carlton Fisk.
7. Lori Robinson
The first woman ever to head Combatant Command in the US Air Force graduated from UNH in 1981. She got the job a year or so ago and holds the position to this day. She is also a Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Norther Command (USNORTHCOM) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There was an article in the UNH school paper about her last academic year. To find more information you can also follow her Facebook fan page under Lori Robinson or her official Facebook – @lori.robinson.564813.
8. Barbara Marois
This 1986 UNH alum scored the game-winning goal that earned her US women’s field hockey team 5th place in the 1996 Summer Olympics, which took place in Atlanta, Georgia. She was inducted to the TEAM USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. She currently works as a coach for the York Middle School girls’ field hockey team, whose team name is also “The Wildcats”. For more information, check out her Facebook fan page under Barbara Marois.
9. James A. Thomson
After graduation from UNH in 1967, this alumnus spent part of his career as the President and CEO of the RAND Corporation from 1989 to 2011. According to the RAND Corporation’s website, the business is a “research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous.” He is currently the Chairman of the Board at the LA Regional Foodbank. Follow him on Twitter – @thomson0145, through his Facebook fan page under James Thomson (executive), or on his “about” section of the RAND website here.
10. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
This alum graduated from UNH not as an undergraduate student, but as a PhD candidate. That is, she received her PhD from UNH in 1980. She is most well known for having written the article containing the now-iconic phrase “Well behaved women seldom make history” and for writing the book A Midwife’s Tale, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1991. She currently works as a Professor of History at Harvard. To follow her various current projects, you can go to the following websites:
• http://history.fas.harvard.edu/people/laurel-thatcher-ulrich
• http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/authors/ulrich/
• http://dohistory.org/about/site.html
• https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/presidential-addresses/laurel-thatcher-ulrich
• https://www.macfound.org/fellows/481/, http://www.pbs.org/video/2365006872/
Or you could follow her on Facebook – @laurelthatcher.ulrich, or check out her Facebook fan page under Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.
