The Technograph

We go through this college life without even thinking about where we are. This little university of ours has a grand history that we typically just ignore. Many students don’t recognize the importance of our past and how it affects our future. We are walking in the shadow of giants. Some of the world’s most beneficial inventions and advancements have been created and developed by individuals working on this campus.

We have had 24 Nobel Laureates and 19 Pulitzer Prize winners, either alumni or faculty members. We have 21 alumni that have gone on to be university presidents or vice-presidents. Five alumni have become astronauts. Some of the most famous products and inventions that have come out of UIUC include: the transistor, the LED, the air-conditioner, Cheese-Whiz, Playboy magazine, ergonomic chairs, nylon, first synthetic rubber (Neoprene), Mosaic (the world’s first Internet web browser), the “yellow-line” used on TV football broadcasts, YouTube, PayPal, the Harlem Globetrotters, the plasma display, the pH meter, the Sears Tower, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization, Delta Air Lines, the Lincoln Memorial, the Catholic Worker Movement, the United Nations Building, REO Speedwagon, Madison Square Garden, Mathmatica, the Mortal Combat video game series, the first film with incorporated sound, Microsoft Flight Simulator, THX, the original NCSA HTTP web server, Siebel Systems, CDW, the Infomercial, the soap opera, Black Entertainment Television, and DSL (broad band Internet connection), just to name a few.

Some of our business alumni have gone on to lead major corporations including McDonald's, the Phoenix Suns, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Goldman Sachs, El Pollo Loco, Universal City Hollywood, Eastman Kodak, International Paper, the Charlotte Bobcats, Emeritus, General Motors, General Electric, and AT&T.

Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson; United States Air Force Chief of Staff Lew Allen, Jr.; 2005 Academy Award for Best Director for Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee; Tony Award-winning actress Lynne Thigpen from Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiago?; Andy Richter, actor and former Conan O'Brien sidekick even attended UIUC briefly; film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Shalit; TV personalities Suze Orman and Douglas Wilson; writers Robert Novak and Henry Petroski; all graduated from Illinois.

The Fighting Illini also has a number of world famous alumni athletes that have moved on to professional sports including Red Grange, Dick Butkus, Scott Spiezio and Steve Stricker.

This is only a short list, but it is easy to see that this school has made a huge impact on society. Just imagine how life would be like without the transistor; without the Internet; without Cheez-Whiz! These developments are what make this university a world-class institution. This school is looked upon highly from those in every industry. We have to recognize the greatness of which we are a part and make sure that the bar stays high and only moves up. I believe that it is important as students that we recognize our history and respect those who got their start here at Illinois.

It is our peers of today that will create the next big thing of tomorrow. It may be you, or it may even be the person sitting next to you. Introduce yourself.

Tagged with: authority, elder, Illinois, Illini, tradition, Nobel, YouTube, Mosaic, PayPal, alumni