These are Marquette alumni we want you to know
1 ) Steve Rushin| ’88
Steve Rushin called himself “too shy” to ask for Marquette Tribune assignments when he was in school. Instead, he mostly wrote on his own and in classes, receiving feedback from professors and developing a writing style that landed him a job with Sports Illustrated shortly after graduation in 1988.
“I think your writing style becomes a combination of all the people you read growing up,” Rushin says.
Rushin has published two nonfiction books, a novel and received numerous accolades for all of his work, including being named National Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in 2006. “Road Swing,” his first book, published in 1998, was named one of the “Best Books of the Year” by Publishers Weekly and one of the “Top 100 Sports Books of All Time” by Sports Illustrated.
2) Gail Collins | ’76
Since graduating from Marquette in 1976 Gail Collins has worked hard to gain a twice-weekly column in the New York Times. Before becoming a columnist and author, she bounced around the northeast, working as both a reporter and columnist for publications in New York and Connecticut, including the Hartford Advocate, New York Daily News and Newsday. She has now established herself as a renowned columnist at the Times and as an author. She writes on a range of issues in both her column and in books such as her most recent two, “As Texas Goes” and “When Everything Changed,” which were published in 2012 and 2010, respectively
3) Don Manzullo | ’70
U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL) pointed out major lessons he took away from Marquette Law School after graduating in 1970.
“Back then we were told (as lawyers) that you always try to resolve something, that going to court is the last thing that you should do,” Manzullo says. “What I learned at Marquette is that the other half of my job is to be a counselor. I took that very seriously.”
After serving 10 terms in the House of Representatives Manzullo will be leaving Congress this year after losing a primary election. Even though he’s used to landslide victories over his two decades in Washington, Manzullo is not stuck on the loss. “You either get better or bitter,” he says.
Manzullo is now the President and CEO of the Korean Economic Institute, a policy organization that promotes active communication between the US and South Korea.
4) Ralph Metcalfe | ’36
Known as the fastest human from 1932 to 1934, Ralph Metcalfe tied the world record for the 100-yard dash, NCAA record in the 100-yard and set the world record for the 220-yard, a record that still holds today. In 1932 he made it to the Los Angeles Olympics. There, he won Silver in the 100-meter, in a photo finish, and a Bronze in the 200-meter. He won Gold in 1936 in the 4×100 meter dash during the Berlin Olympics, along with Silver in the 100 meter, when he came second to Jessie Owens. His work was immortalized in 1975, when he was inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
He also served as a Chicago Alderman for four years and was elected into the House of Representatives for the first district of Illinois. While serving in congress, he helped found the Congressional Black Caucus. He served in the House until his death in 1978.
5) Pat Donohue | ’75
While at Marquette in the ‘70s, Pat Donohue began performing guitar in front of audiences wherever he could. Now a Grammy award winning fingerstyle guitar player, Donohue has had songs covered by fellow Grammy award winners such as Kenny Rogers and Chet Atkins.
“It’s always nice to have a famous artist cover one of your songs,” Donohue says. “It gives you credibility.” He cited “A Prairie Home Companion,” a weekly, live, nationally syndicated radio variety show, as one of his main gigs for a while now, to which roughly four million listeners tune in each week. Donohue has also released three records since winning a Grammy for his work on “Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar” in 2004, including his most recent record, “Nobody’s Fault,” released in 2011.
6) Eli Federman | ’06
In 2006, then Marquette student Eli Federman organized a protest urging the Department of Justice to investigate the immigration status of Ted Junker, a former SS officer, and his possible Nazi war crimes. The Junker story has disappeared, but Federman’s activism has only grown since.
“At Marquette, I found that the Jesuit values of relentlessly searching for truth and valuing knowledge resonated with my Judaism,” Federman says. “I really felt at home.”
While Federman serves as senior vice president and chief communications officer of 1SaleADay, a deal-a-day Internet retailer founded by his brother, he has also has numerous commentaries on civil rights, gender equality, sexual abuse and police-community relations published throughout the web.