Hundreds of students graduate from Gustavus every year. These Gustavus graduates go on to hold a wide array of occupations, volunteer for a wide spectrum of organizations, and find their purpose in life in a variety of ways. Some of these alums even achieve state-wide or nation-wide fame. The timeline below illustrates some of the most famous people to once grace the halls of Gustavus Adolphus College.
Adolph Olson Eberhart Grad. 1895 Minn. Governor from 1909-1915
Luther Youngdahl Grad. 1919 Minn. Governor from 1947-1951
Harold LeVander Grad. 1932 Minn. Governor from 1967-1971
Paul Granlund Grad. 1952 Sculptor. He worked at a studio in the art building and built the bronzes scultures around campus as a gift to the college.
Patsy O’Connell Sherman Grad. 1952 Co-inventor of 3M Scotchguard
James M. McPherson Grad. 1958 Pulizter Prize-winning historian Author, Battle Cry of Freedom
Bill Holm Grad. 1965 Minn. Poet, Writer
Steve Heitzeg Grad. 1982 Emmy award-winning composer. Famous for using natural instruments, such as stones, chimes, and sea glass.
Kurt Ploeger Grad. 1985 Professional Football Player/Gustavus Athletic Hall of Fame.
Peter Krause Grad. 1987 American actor, known for Parenthood & Dirty Sexy Money
Kurt Elling Grad. 1989 Grammy award-winning jazz vocalist
Steve Zahn Grad. 1990 American actor and comedian, known for Daddy Day Care & Sahara.
Margaret Anderson Kelliher Grad. 1990 Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2007-2011
Eric Butorac Grad. 2003 Professional Tennis Player 2011 Austrialian Open Doubles Semi-finalist
Ryan Hoag Grad. 2003 Professional Football Player The Bachelorette contestant
Adam and Chris Rupp Grad. 2002, 2004 Co-founders of Home Free, an a capella group Won The Sing-Off in 2013
