For more than 110 years, the University of Wisconsin-Superior has prepared people to launch careers and make contributions to our society. Many have gone on to play influential roles in education, business, science, the arts, law and government. Here are links to websites about several well known UW-Superior alumni:
Helen "Missy" Adams, educator
A kindergarten teacher in Cumberland, Wis., she was named the 1961 National Teacher of the Year.
--Biographies and photos of National Teachers of the Year
--As part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the National Teacher of the Year Program each National Teacher was asked to submit a letter "for the future." Helen Adams' letter is sixth in this compilation.
John W. Beecroft, editor
A 1922 graduate of Superior Normal School, he was the influential editor of the nationwide Literary Guild Book Club from 1936 to 1961.
--John W. Beecroft's biography and recommended readings about his career
Major Richard Bong, aviator
This Wisconsin farm boy became the most celebrated U.S. fighter pilot of World War II and earned the Congressional Medal of Honor.
--Major Richard Bong's biography
--The Richard I Bong World War II Heritage Center in Superior
Esther Bubley, photojournalist
After spending 1938 and 1939 at Superior State Teachers College, she moved to Washington, D.C., and began a career that led her to prominence as one of the country's premier women photojournalists.
--Esther Bubley, photojournalist
--Esther Bubley biography on the Library of Congress website
Dr. Oscar Krisen Buros, professor
Dr. Oscar Krisen Buros (1905-1978) was a world-famous professor of educational and psychological measurement at Rutgers University in New Jersey from 1932 to 1960. He edited and compiled the first eight Mental Measurements Yearbooks, which were published annually beginning in 1938. He was born and raised in Superior, and attended Superior Normal School (UW-Superior's original name) from 1922 to 1925, graduating from the Three-Year High School Training Course. Buros also served in the U.S. Army during World War II as the captain (later major) in charge of testing in the Army Specialized Training Program. The Buros Institute of Mental Measurements is located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
--Buros Institute of Mental Measurements
David DiFrancesco, inventor
A talented photographer, he is one of the founders of Pixar Animation Studios and an Academy Award-winning developer of imaging technology. He was recognized with an honorary doctoral degree from UW-Superior in 2000.
--Pixar Studios home page
Gordon MacQuarrie, writer
After attending Superior State Teachers College in the early 1920s, he went on to become the most popular outdoors writer from the 1930s to the early 1950s.
--GordonMacQuarrie.com
General Charles C. McDonald, aviator and leader
A 1956 graduate of Wisconsin State College-Superior, he rose through the Air Force ranks to hold a wide range of commands, including the globe-spanning Air Force Logistics Command.
--General McDonald's biography
Fritz Scholder, artist
This internationally acclaimed artist completed his freshman year of art studies at Wisconsin State College-Superior, and was recognized with an honorary doctoral degree from UW-Superior in 1993. Mr. Scholder passed away Feb. 15, 2005.
--Fritz Scholder home page
--Fritz Scholder's biography in Artcylopedia
Arnold Schwarzenegger, actor and governor
The world-famous bodybuilder, actor, businessman, and California governor earned his undergraduate degree from UW-Superior in 1979 and received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the university in 1996.
--California Governor's homepage