Notable Alumni

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Henry J. Brabham ’46

Mr. Brabham is one of the original founder/owners of the East Coast Hockey League of which the Stingrays are now a part of. Each year, the regular season record winner is awarded the Brabham Cup, named in honor of Henry. Mr. Brabham owns four hockey clubs throughout the east coast, including the Johnstown Chiefs.

Dr. John B. Buse ‘76

elected President of the American Diabetes Association in 2007. As an endocrinologist, Dr. Buse also serves as Chief of the Endocrinology Division of the Department of Medicine at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine in Chapel Hill. In addition, he is an active clinician with a UNC-based diabetes practice in Chapel Hill. Dr. Buse received his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Dartmouth College and his Medical and Doctoral degrees from Duke University. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in endocrinology at the University of Chicago.

Mr. Stephen T. Colbert ’82

TV personality and host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” Following graduation from PG, Stephen went on to study drama at Northwestern and later became part of the renowned Second City improv group in Chicago. He spent 11 years with Second City before moving to New York City to work on Comedy Central’s “Exit 57.” Colbert later worked on “the Dana Carvey Show” and “The Daily Show.” Stephen resides in New Jersey with his wife Evie, and their three children.

Katherine A. Crouch ’91

author of the New York Times Bestseller Girls In Trucks. Published in April 2008, this is Katie’s first book and is loosely set in Charleston, SC. Katie studied writing while attending Brown University and later on received her MFA from Columbia University. It took her five years to write Girls In Trucks. Katie resides in San Francisco and is currently working on her next book.

Shepard Fairey ’88

Shepard Fairey was raised in Charleston, South Carolina. Fairey became obsessed with art in 1984 at the age of 14. At that time he started to place his drawings on skateboards and T-shirts. In 1992, Fairey graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. He first became known for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign. His work became more widely known in the 2008 United States Presidential Election, specifically his Barack Obama "HOPE" poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Commander Anne G. Hammond ’82

currently Commander Hammond is Deputy, Diversity Directorate at US Navy. Following graduation from Porter-Gaud School, she attended the United States Naval Academy and later earned an MS and MBA at the Naval Postgraduate School. In 2003, she earned an MS in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. Anne also serves as the officer representative for U.S Naval Academy’s Women’s Swimming and Diving Team.

Jeffrey S. Kalinsky ’80

Kalinsky earned a degree in communications from George Washington University, Washington, D.C. He worked in his family’s Atlanta Bob Ellis shoe store where legend has it he sold his first shoes when he was five years old. Kalinsky was next employed at Bergdorf Goodman and Barney’s before opening a Bob Ellis shoe store with his father. In 1994, he opened Jeffrey Atlanta, a boutique with designer labels and highly personalized service. He was known to fly shoppers to his boutique — “gift with purchase,” he called it — and bring select clients to designer showrooms for custom fittings. He became Nordstrom EVP in 2008, a position in which he has leveraged his formidable designer connections and eye for talent to transform the chain’s reputation from mainstream to fashion-forward. Jeffrey is also founder of Jeffrey Fashion Cares (formerly Shoe Cares), whose annual benefit raises funds for AIDS and breast cancer research.

Sallie L. Krawcheck ’83

Sallie Krawcheck is the former chair and chief executive officer of Citigroup’s Global Wealth Management Group. From 2002 until March 2007, Ms. Krawcheck served as chief financial officer and head of strategy for Citigroup Inc. Ms. Krawcheck joined Citi in October 2002 as chair and chief executive officer of Smith Barney. Previously she was chairman and chief executive officer of Sanford C. Bernstein & Company. She also served as an executive vice president of Bernstein’s parent company, Alliance Capital Management, from 1999 to 2001. Ms. Krawcheck earned a BA in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Columbia University. In her senior year at Porter-Gaud School, Sallie was named the Presidential Scholar for the state of South Carolina. Fortune Magazine ranked Sallie as one the Top 50 Most Powerful Women.

Matt ’87 and Ted Lee ’89

are brothers and co-authors of the Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook. Following graduation from Porter-Gaud School they both headed to the northeast for school at Harvard and Amherst. Matt and Ted have been featured in “Travel and Leisure” magazine travelling around the country (particularly the South) sampling true southern cuisine. Matt and Ted are currently working on their next cookbook, Simple Fresh Southern which launches in November 2009. Matt and Ted split time between New York City and Charleston. If you are a displaced southerner craving boiled peanuts or Duke’s Mayonnaise, check out their mail order business at www.boiledpeanuts.com.

Burnet R. Maybank ’15

was a U.S. Senator and governor of South Carolina, and Mayor of Charleston. Maybank was the direct descendant of six former South Carolinian governors. He was the first governor from Charleston since the Civil War. He received a degree from the College of Charleston. He served in the United States Navy during World War I, and engaged in the cotton export business from 1920 to 1938. Although successful in business, Maybank became captivated by public service. A lifelong Democrat, he entered politics for the first time in 1927, when he was elected to a four-year term as alderman in Charleston. He rose to mayor pro tempore in 1930 and, with the support of prominent businessmen in the city, was elected mayor of Charleston in 1931, serving until 1938. Maybank became the governor of South Carolina from 1939 to 1941. In January 1941 President Roosevelt appointed Sen. Jim Byrnes to the U.S. Supreme Court. Maybank won a special election to fill Byrnes's Senate seat in September 1941, defeating former governor Olin D. Johnston with 56.6 percent of the vote. In 1942 Maybank was elected to the full six-year term, and in 1948 he was reelected without opposition, and served until his death in 1954. Maybank was a powerful senator. Maybank served as chairman of the Committee on Banking and Currency and as co-chairman of the Joint Committee on Defense Production. As chair of the Subcommittee on Independent Offices, under the Appropriations Committee, Maybank provided critical support to continue the U.S. nuclear weapons program in the early 1950s. He introduced the "Maybank Amendment" which was tacked on to the 1953 Defense Appropriations Bill. The amendment excuses the Department of Defense from targeting a percentage of his expenditures to high unemployment areas. A much more detailed list of the bills and resolutions that Maybank was a a part of is available at this website Burnet Maybank Senatorial Papers. Shortly before his death, he was voted as one of "Fortune Magazine's 20 Most Influential Americans".

Ovie P. Mughelli ‘98

Ovie is the first player from Porter-Gaud School drafted in the NFL. Following a standout career at PG where he won many honors including State Player of the Year, he played football at Wake Forest University. Thinking of following in his father’s foot steps after Wake Forest, Ovie contemplating enrolling medical school until the Wake Forest coaches told him he was getting lots of interest from the NFL and was rated the #1 fullback by USA Today. Ovie was the 134th pick in the 2003 NFL draft by Baltimore Ravens. Ovie is known for his size and speed and has become one of the top fullbacks in the NFL. Ovie currently plays for the Atlanta Falcons and lives in Atlanta. Every summer, Ovie returns to Porter-Gaud to run a football camp for the Ovie Mughelli Project to support underprivileged youth through education, health, sports initiatives.

Henry N. Parsley ’66

is the Episcopal Bishop of Alabama, with his seat at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama. He is also Chancellor of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. In January 2006, Bishop Parsley was nominated for Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and came in second in balloting to Katharine Jefferts Schori during voting at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in Columbus, Ohio.

Frank W. "Sonny" Seiler ’50

is a Savannah, Georgia, attorney who is best known as the owner of perhaps the world's most famous dynasty of bulldogs. Since the 1950s, he and his family have cared for and maintained the unbroken line of mascots of the University of Georgia English Bulldogs, known successively as Uga I - VII. Seiler is also known for his legal practice in Georgia. He served as president of the State Bar of Georgia in 1973. He was featured in the book and movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, set in Savannah, as the lawyer who defended Jim Williams. Because of his and Uga's role in the book, Seiler ended up being cast in the film as Judge White, and has since been cast in two other movies filmed in Savannah, The Legend of Bagger Vance and The Gingerbread Man. Seiler is a senior partner at Bouhan, Williams & Levy LLP, one of the most well-known and highly-regarded firms in Savannah, Georgia, which was featured prominently in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The firm's office, the Armstrong House, as well as other locations in Savannah, were also featured in the original 1962 version of the film "Cape Fear" starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum.

Gen. Charles P. Summerall ’85 (1885)

was a United States General who fought in World War I and served as Army Chief of Staff between 1926 and 1930. After graduation, he worked as a school teacher for three years. In 1888, he enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and graduated in June 1892. He was first assigned to the 1st Infantry but transferred to the 5th Artillery in March 1893. On November 21, 1926, Major-General Summerall became Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He was promoted to General in February 1929. In November 1930, after 38 years of service, he retired from the U.S. Army. In 1931, General Summerall took position as President of The Citadel where he stayed for 22 years, retiring in 1953.

Rear Admiral Kurt Tidd ’74

Rear Admiral Tidd was appointed as commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, which is currently embarked aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), in August 2008. He most recently served on the National Security Council Staff as director of Strategic Capabilities Policy, responsible for national deterrence policy. He joined the National Security Council Staff in March 2005, as a director for Combating Terrorism, responsible for developing and coordinating interagency policy on countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism, threats to international aviation security and maritime security policy.
From January 2004 to March 2005, Rear Adm. Tidd commanded Persian Gulf maritime war on terror operations as commander, Middle East Force and commander Task Force 55.
Previous sea duty assignments include: commander, Destroyer Squadron 50, commanding officer, USS Arthur W. Radford (DD 968) and executive officer aboard USS Leftwich (DD 984). Rear Adm. Tidd was operations officer aboard USS Deyo (DD 989), flag lieutenant to Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 8, boilers officer aboard USS America (CV 66) and communications officer and main propulsion assistant on USS Semmes (DDG 18).
Ashore, Rear Adm. Tidd was the founding deputy for operations on the Chief of Naval Operations War on Terrorism Operations Planning Group "Deep Blue." He was the assistant chief of staff for Operations (N-3) to Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and Commander, 5th Fleet in Manama, Bahrain. At the Pentagon, he worked on the Navy Staff in the Strategy and Policy Division (N-51) and as the political-military analyst at the Secretary of the Navy's Office of Program Appraisal. Rear Adm. Tidd also was the strategic planner on the Chief of Naval Operations' Executive Panel (N-00K). He served at NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, as aide to the U. S. Representative, NATO Military Committee.
A second generation surface warfare officer, Rear Adm. Tidd is the son of Vice Admiral (Ret.) and Mrs. Emmett H. Tidd, USN. He grew up in various cities on the east and west coasts before graduating in 1974 from Porter Gaud School, Charleston, S.C. Rear Adm. Tidd was commissioned from the United States Naval Academy in 1978, with a degree in Foreign Area Studies.
Selected in 1984 as an Olmsted Foundation Scholar, Rear Adm. Tidd has a master's degree in Political Science from the University of Bordeaux, France. He is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff College, and was a federal executive fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States. He is a French linguist, and a proven subspecialist in Strategic Planning and Europe/Russia area studies.
Rear Admiral Tidd's personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, three Legions of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals and four Navy Commendation Medals.