Our very own UW-Eau Claire served as stomping grounds for more than a few notable individuals. They may not be the movie stars or recording artists everyone loves to talk about, but they did make an impact ...

1. Ann Devroy

Devroy was respected – and feared – by politicians and fellow journalists alike during her career covering the White House for USA Today and The Washington Post in the 1980s and ’90s. After her untimely death from cancer in 1997, a scholarship and forum were created in her memory at UWEC.

2. T. Keith Glennan

Glennan helped NASA earn its wings. As the space agency’s first administrator (1958-61), he oversaw the consolidation of various space projects under the NASA umbrella. A native of North Dakota, Glennan attended UWEC (OK, so he’s not technically an alum) and graduated with an engineering degree from Yale. His stint as NASA chief ended just a few months before Alan Shepard became the first American in space.

3. Joseph Ball

Ball was a 34-year-old newspaper reporter when he was appointed to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota in 1940. A Republican who opposed the New Deal and labor unions, he nonetheless backed FDR’s preparations for World War II and even endorsed the Democratic president in 1944. Ball who attended (but didn’t graduate from) UWEC when it was Eau Claire State Normal School, lost his seat in 1948.

4. Sona Mehring

Mehring, a 1983 Blugold computer science graduate, worked for and founded a number of software and tech companies before creating CaringBridge in 1997. The website, which serves as a social network for those facing medical crises, gets as many as half a million visitors a day.

5. Claudia Buch

UWEC is well known for sending students abroad and bringing international scholars here. Among the latter group is Buch, who earned an MBA from UWEC in 1989. Since then, Buch has compiled impressive academic and publishing credentials, culminating two years ago when she became only the second woman in history appointed to the German Council of Economic Experts, a group of five economists who advise the German government and president.