Yes, the Phil Alden Robinson who directed The Sum of All Fears is the same Phil Alden Robinson who graduated
in 1971.
And the Kate White who
is the author of If Looks Could Kill (a Bailey Weggins mystery) is the same Kate White who graduated in 1972.
Robinson was honorary chancellor at Commencement in 1996, when he received an honorary doctorate and urged graduates to “dream your dreams, trust your instincts, listen to your heart, believe in yourself, change the world, and have a great time doing it.” Other films he directed include
Field of Dreams (1989) and Sneakers; the latter was shown on campus during its opening week in September, 1992 (one of its stars, Robert Redford, had been on campus nearly thirty years ago to make
The Way We Were).
White received the College's Eliphalet Nott Medal, awarded to alumni for outstanding achievement in their careers, during the College's bicentennial celebration in 1995. She is editor-in-chief of
Cosmopolitan magazine and the former
editor-in-chief of Redbook. Her previous books include Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do and
Nine Secrets of Women Who Get Everything They Want.