Life > March 20, 2008

By CeCe Brooks | Life editor

We all know about Tim Duncan, Chris Paul, Brian Piccolo, Arnold Palmer and all of those freaking athletes, but with our small size and location, we do not often hear about notable alumni outside of the sports realm.

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There are a few. Granted there haven’t been any US Presidents or major Hollywood players, but there have been those that have brought attention to the University by making their mark on the world. In a society where celebrities are not usually those behind the scenes, you may not know all of these names, but each of these alums has accomplished a lot since their Demon Deacon days.

Lee Norris: This name may not seem familiar, but if you look at the characters he’s played, I’m sure one of them will jog your memory – Chuckie Lee Torkelson (The Torkelsons), Stuart Minkus (Boy Meets World) and Marvin “Mouth” McFadden (One Tree Hill). Looking at all those names you notice he never gets cast as the Johns or Michaels. Lee Norris is the University’s most recent and probably most notable alum in the acting field. Norris came to the University in 2000 after he had already gained notoriety for The Torkelsons and Boy Meets World and started his most recent role as Mouth during his senior year.

Marc Blucas: Sci-fi fans may know him as Riley Finn on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, others may know him for his roles in Summer Catch (he’s the guy who liked “big” girls), First Daughter and most recently, The Jane Austen Book Club. Interestingly, Blucas did not study theatre at the University, but he was a basketball player. He even deferred going to law school at Wake in order to play professionally in England for the Manchester Giants.

Justin Guariglia: Guariglia is a noted photojournalist for National Geographic Traveler Magazine who specializes in photographs of Asia. Most recently he published Shaolin: Temple of Zen, which gives the first photographs ever of the Shaolin Temple and their Kung Fu traditions. Next up for Guariglia is another book called Planet Shangai which will depicts people who wear pyjamas in the old and hidden streets of Shanghai.

Al Hunt: Hunt is a former Wall Street Journal reporter, who is now executive Washington editor for Bloomberg News. During his 35 years of working the Wall Street Journal, Hunt worked as reporter for Congress and national politics and wrote the “Politics and People” column. Hunt has received several awards for his journalistic efforts such as the William Allen White foundation’s national citation, the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism and a Raymond Clapper award. Hunt currently serves on the university’s board of trustees, among other boards and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania in addition to his “day job.”

Justin W. Lee: Lee is the founder of the Gay Christian Network web site, a non-profit organization that supports gay, bisexual and transgender Christians in addition to conventional missionary work. Lee has been on the Dr. Phil show and mentioned in a New York Times articles, both relating to his unique and often criticized work as a gay evangelist. Lee is known by many progressive Christian groups and is often included as a guest or speaker at Christian conferences.

Dave Willis: Willis is one half of the multi-talented duo that created and currently produce, direct and voice the cult-favorite Adult Swim cartoon “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.”

Carol Barbee: Barbee is a former actress who appeared on shows like JAG and Ellen who now works as a television writer and producer. Her credits include Judging Amy, Jericho and Providence.

Stephanie Birkett: Birkett is currently an assistant on The Letterman Show, occasionally making appearances. Birkett came to work for Letterman after she decided to leave the news world after her stints at CBS News and 48 Hours.

Joe Lawson: Ever wondered who came up with those caveman commercials for GEICO? Be proud to know that it was University grad Joe Lawson. Fortunately for Lawson, the commercial has been so popular that ABC created a sitcom of it, which he now writes and executive produces.

Eddie Timanus: Timanus is a blind USA Today sportswriter who gained fame as a contestant on Jeopardy! Timanus also later appeared again on Jeopardy! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.