Famous Overseas Alumni and Military BRATs

REGINALD McKNIGHT

AUTHOR 

Born in Germany , Reginald McKnight’s father was in the Air Force.  A short story author and novelist, McKnight is the Hamilton Holmes Professor at the University of Georgia ,

In 1988, McKnight won the Drue Heinz literature prize for his short story collection, “Moustapha’s  Eclipse.”  His other works include “I Get on the Bus.” a novel and another short story collection, “The Kind of Light that Shines on Texas .”

RICK ATKINSON

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER, AUTHOR, REPORTER

Rick Atkinson is an Army Brat.  His father served 28 years in the US Army officer corps.

Rick Atkinson won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 1982 for his series of articles on the West Point Class of 1966.    His books include:   “The Long Gray Line, The American Journey of West Point’s Class of 1966” and   “Crusade : The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War.” Atkinson is currently a staff writer for the Washington Post.

RICK RENZI (1958- )

REPRESENTATIVE (R-AZ)

Representative Renzi is an Army Brat He was born at Fort Monmouth , New Jersey. He is a proud graduate of Buena High School in Sierra Vista, Arizona, where his father, U.S. Army Major General Gene Renzi (retired), served at Ft. Huachuca.

ROBERT DAVENPORT

AUTHOR

Robert Davenport author of “The Celebrity Almanac;” “Roots of the Rich and Famous;” “The Rich and Famous Baby Name Book;” Pet Names of the Rich and Famous;” “The Encyclopedia of War Movies;” “The Celebrity Birthday Book;” “Hereditary Society Blue Book;” and “The Davenport Genealogy” is a military and overseas brat.

Davenport attended London Central High School and is a LCHS Class of 1968 graduate. His father, CDR Harry Augustus Davenport III, was deputy commander, US Coast Guard Europe.


ROBERT DUVALL

FILM & TELEVISION ACTOR

Robert Duvall is a Navy Brat.  A fact he confirmed in a 1998 interview with Charlie Rose on PBS.

He stated that he father was “a Navy Chief Petty Officer, a blue water sailor who was often at sea for long periods of time.”  He also stated that he grew up in Maryland and Virginia.

ROBERT HAYS

FILM & TELEVISION ACTOR

Robert Hays is an Air Force Brat and an Overseas School Alumnus. He attended Izmir American School in Izmir, Turkey during the Seventh Grade.

Hays graduated in 1965 from Bellevue High School, Bellevue, Nebraska, home high school of Offutt AFB.

His most memorable films were ‘Airplane’ and ‘Homeward Bound’ and their sequels.

ROBERT M. KIMMITT

US AMBASSADOR TO GERMANY

Ambassador Kimmitt is an Army Brat and an Overseas School Alumnus.  He attended Baumholder High School in Germany and was a member of the Class of 1965

ROBIN ROBERTS

ABC Television Sports Commentator

Robin Roberts is an Air Force Brat, the daughter of Colonel Lawrence E. Roberts, Sr. of the Tuskegee Airmen.

“I’m a military brat, actually an Air Force Brat – and proud of it.”
—Robin, while co-hosting the 112th Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena 01/01/2001


RONALD GEORGE

NFL PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYER

Ronald George is a DoDDS Brat and an Overseas School Alumnus.  His mother was a DoDDS school teacher. Ron George is the first professional athlete to have attended DoDDS schools all twelve years. He is a 1988 graduate of Heidelberg High School.

Originally drafted as a linebacker by the Atlanta Falcons in 1993 he played for the Falcons four years, followed by a year with the Minnesota Vikings.  George has spent the last two years with the Kansas City Chiefs.

He earned All-America and All-PAC 10 honors as a senior at Stanford University.

RYAN O’NEAL (1941-    )  

ACTOR 

Patrick Ryan O’Neal graduated from Munich American High School in 1959. His father, a Hollywood writer, worked for Radio Free Europe.   He began his acting career in the German series, “Tales of the Vikings” in 1959.

O’Neal is known for his role in Peyton Place . His list of movies is long and his role in “Love Story” brought him an Oscar nomination.

SARAH BIRD

AUTHOR

Sarah Bird is an Overseas School Alumnus and an Air Force Brat. Her father was an Air Force Lt. Col. She attended school overseas at Yokota in Japan. She is best known for her books “The Virgin of the Rodeo,” “Alamo House: Women Without Men, Men Without Brains,” The Boyfriend School and “The Mommie Club.”

SCOTT M. PARAZNSKI, M.D.

NASA SPACE SHUTTLE ASTRONAUT

Dr. Paraznski is an Overseas School Alumnus. He attended Junior High School in Dakar, Senegal and Beruit, Lebanon and attended High School at Tehran American School and the American Community School of Athens, Greece, where he graduated in 1979.

Info from: Official NASA Bio on the NASA WWW Homepage

SCOTT SHANNON

DJ

Michael Scott Shannon, best known for creating the “morning zoo” format in radio, was an Army Brat. He was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the National Radio Hall of Fame.

SENATOR JOHN CORNYN, III (1952- )

Senator John Cornyn III (born February 2, 1952) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States Senator for Texas since 2002. He was the Republican Senate Majority Whip for the 114th and 115th Congresses. Cornyn also previously served as Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2007 to 2011.  Cornyn was born in Houston, the son of Atholene Gale Cornyn (née Danley) and John Cornyn II, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He attended the American School in Japan after his family moved to Tokyo in 1968, and graduated from it in 1969.

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL (1972-   )  

PRO BASKETBALL PLAYER 

Shaquille (better known as Shaq) O’Neal attended Fulda Am. High School in Germany when his stepfather, Army Sergeant Phillip Harrison, was stationed in Wildflecken. He graduated from Cole HS in San Antonio , TX where he was named a High School Player of the Year.

Shaq has played for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. His awards are too numerable to list. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in the NBA in 1996 when he was also on the U.S. Olympic basketball team which won gold.

O’Neal has appeared in motion pictures and recorded original rap. In 2007, he had his own TV show which encouraged weight loss in young people.

SHARON TATE

FILM ACTRESS

Sharon Tate was an Army Brat and an Overseas School Alumnus. Her father was a career Army Officer. She graduated from Vicenza American High School in 1961, where she was Homecoming Queen 1960 and a cheerleader. She lived in Verona and commuted to school daily.

After high school she went to New York to the Powers Modeling School & Agency and then on to movies. Her tragic death at the hands of the Charles Manson “cult family” gave her an infamous ending her classmates would prefer to forget.

SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (1955- )

SENATOR (D-Rhode Island)

Senator Whitehouse is a Diplobrat and an Overseas Brat. His father, Charles Whitehouse, was a Marine Corps pilot in World War II who later became U.S. Ambassador to Laos and Thailand – Sheldon grew up all over the globe, experiencing first-hand the power of American statesmanship to foster better relationships throughout the world.

Senator Sheldon was elected to his first term in the U.S. Senate in 2006.

Senator Whitehouse’s official website is: http://whitehouse.senate.gov/

STEPHEN MANSFIELD (1958-)

Stephen Lee Mansfield (born 1958) is an American author who writes about history, modern culture, religion and men’s issues. His books have appeared on the New York Times best-seller list.  Mansfield was born in Columbus, Georgia, the son of a U.S. Army officer, Eldon L. Mansfield Jr. His family lived on military posts around the United States, though the majority of his early years were spent in Germany, particularly in Berlin during the years when that city was divided into communist and free sectors.

STEPHEN STILLS

MUSICIAN, SINGER, SONGWRITER

Stephen Stills of the bands Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, and Nash was an overseas Military Brat and purportedly attended school in the Panama Canal Zone among other places.

STEVE KERR (1965-  ) 

NBA PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER

Steve Kerr, a member of the Chicago Bulls Basketball team is an Overseas School Alumnus. He was born in Beirut,Lebanon.  While in sixth grade he attended Cario American College in 1976-77.  He had previously attended the American School of Beirut.

He is one of the leading three point shooters in NBA history.  He is currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs. He previously played with the Chicago Bulls (1993-1998); Cleveland Cavaliers (1989-1993) and the Phoenix Suns  (1988-89).

SUSAN BLAKELY

FILM & TELEVISION ACTRESS

Susan Blakely is a Army Brat and an Overseas School Alumnus. She was born September 7, 1948 in Frankfurt, Germany. She attended Seoul American High School in Korea where she was a member of the Class of 1966. She was a SAHS cheerleader her sophomore year 1963-64. Her credits include: roles in the “Savages” and “The Lords of Flatbush.” Her most memorable career projects were the mini-series “Rich Man, Poor Man” and a CBS three hour mini-series entitled, “Will There Really Be a Morning” which was a presentation of Frances Farmer’s autobiography.

 

SYLVIA NASAR (1947-   )

JOURNALIST/WRITER

Born in Bavaria , Sylvia Nasar graduated from Marshall High School in Ankara , Turkey in 1965.

Her biography of John Nash, “A Beautiful Mind,” won the National Book Award in 1998 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It inspired the Ron Howard motion picture of the same name.

She was an economics reporter for the New York Times and is currently Knight Chair in Business at Columbia University in New York .

TAMERA MOWRY & TIA MOWRY (1970-   )

TELEVISION ACTRESSES

Identical twins, Tamara and Tia Mowry were born in Gelnhausen , Germany . Their full names are Tamara Davette and Tia Dashon. Both of their parents were in the Army.

They started doing talent shows at a very early age. Tia was a dancer and Tamara a singer. In 1988 Tia won the Little Miss Texas title. They starred in Sister, Sister from 1994 to 1998.

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