The passionate devotion of Joseph Frankel Rosenfield '25 to Grinnell is unmatched. During his tenure as a trustee, lasting over half a century, his personal and professional investment in the College catalyzed the tremendous growth of the endowment, ensuring the continued excellence of Grinnell.

Since 1846, the College's trustees have promoted "the great and lasting good" of Grinnell College. Their collective commitment to stewardship, sound investment, and prudent management allows Grinnell to develop its special character as an institution that combines academic achievement with service to our nation and world.

In Greek and Roman times, laurel leaves were woven into a crown and given to outstanding citizens who performed a heroic action. Laurel leaves, also known as bay leaves, are infamous for their bitter, spicy taste found in many food dishes. Evergreen, sturdy and fragrant; surely these were contributing factors to the greatness bestowed on Greek Bay throughout history. David assigned the virtue of prosperity to the tree. This meaning has transferred itself to our present society with the conferring of a BA degree or a Baccalaureate degree.

The twelve members of the Iowa Band, who together founded Iowa College (now Grinnell), worked together against a host of obstacles. These pioneering Eastern college men created the basis for a flourishing educational institution on the Western frontier that continues to grow and adapt to the new challenges of the twenty-first century.

J. B. Grinnell added his pioneering spirit to the efforts of the Iowa Band and brought Iowa College to the new town he founded on the Iowa frontier. The trail he blazed is still being following by the pioneers of this generation and the next who will continue to shape the future of Iowa, the nation, and the world.

The leadership gifts of these donors work together for the common purpose of preserving and extending the educational and service heritage left by the eleven presidents of Grinnell College.

In its early years Grinnell's color was a faded pink. Supporters of the College came to realize that waving pink pennants at sporting events did not instill fear in their opponents, and clamored for new colors to be chosen. In the early 1890s a bold combination of scarlet and black was chosen. This gift level recognizes the bold College spirit of its members.

Students and recent alumni (an alum being anyone who has completed 16 credit hours at Grinnell) face special challenges in supporting their College. We honor their extraordinary dedication with membership in the first of Grinnell's leadership gift levels.

Every fiscal year the class years of those eligible for the Young Alumni Presidents' Club change to include current students and alumni who have graduated in the most recent ten years.

On June 10, 1846, James J. Hill of the Iowa Band laid a silver dollar on the table at a meeting of the new Board of Trustees, declaring it to be the seed of an endowment to support outstanding students and faculty. Each fall, new students receive a Grinnell silver dollar medal calling them to assume their responsibility to support their College.

Every fiscal year the minimum gift for the James J. Hill Society increases by one dollar commemorating the number of years since the College's founding in 1846.

By comparison, James J. Hill's gift of a dollar is about the same as today's gift of $25; to commemorate James J. Hill for every Grinnell College year is about $3,722 when accounting for inflation!

All donors to the College have a place of honor, for only through private support can Grinnell College takes its place as an extraordinary, innovative, academically rigorous institution.