Notable Alumni
Clayton C. Anderson was inducted into the Nebraska Alpha chapter at Hastings College in 1980. Anderson was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1998 and began training that year. Prior to being assigned to spaceflight, Anderson served as an aquanaut during the NEEMO 5 mission aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory, living and working underwater for fourteen days. He was a member of the 2007 Expedition 15 crew and spent 152 days aboard the International Space Station.
Leigh Hildebrand was inducted into the Missouri Delta chapter at Westminster College in 1997. As senior assistant parliamentarian to the U.S. Senate, Hildebrand advises the presiding officer of the Senate on all aspects of Senate procedure and interprets the standing rules and orders, relevant constitutional and statutory provisions, precedents and unanimous consent agreements. She enjoys holding one of the few non-partisan positions on the Hill and being able to truly focus on what is best for the Senate as an institution. She received her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law. In 2013, she was chosen to receive the Alpha Chi Distinguished Alumni Award.
Reuben Ironhorse Kent was inducted into the Nebraska Delta chapter at Peru State College in 2013. He is a member of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and he has displayed his flute-playing and artwork in venues across the country. His works have been featured in several art books and have appeared in collections including the Smithsonian American Indian Art Museum, the Institute of American Indian Arts, the Heritage Museum at Pine Ridge, SD, and the Southern Plains Indian Museum.
Dan Rather was inducted into the Texas Omicron Chapter at Sam Houston State University in 1952. Rather is a journalist and served twenty-four years as news anchor for the CBS Evening News. He is now managing editor and anchor of the television news magazine Dan Rather Reports. He has won numerous Emmy Awards and several Peabody Awards.
Carl E. Stewart was inducted into the Louisiana Gamma chapter at Dillard University in 1970. Stewart is the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Appointed by President Clinton in 1994, Stewart previously sat on Louisiana’s Second Court of Appeals, and served as an accomplished judge, attorney, prosecutor, and professor. He has been honored multiple times for his commitment to community service, including the Boy Scouts of America’s highest awards for volunteer service. Stewart is the first African American to serve on the Fifth Circuit as it is currently constituted.
Sarah Ragle Weddington, Alpha Chi alumnus from McMurry University, White House Dir. of Political Affairs in the Carter Administration, and co-counsel representing Norma McCorvey ("Jane Roe") in the U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. (image: Carter White House Photographs Collection; National Archives, Washington, D.C.)
Dr. Mary Wheat Gray was inducted into the Nebraska Alpha chapter at Hastings College in 1959. Gray is a statistician and lawyer whose areas of research include applications of statistics to human rights, economic equity, legal issues, and education. She is the founder of the Association for Women in Mathematics and is a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Mentoring. She is the author of two books and over eighty articles, and has lectured throughout the world.