Distinguished Award

A good actor knows how to slip seamlessly between the different characters he or she plays. Jenny Jacobson Egan ’49 has played all of her roles—from Broadway actress to theater founder—flawlessly.

After graduating from Grinnell, Egan performed in a wide variety of television, movie, and Broadway theater roles, including Walt Disney’s Pollyanna and Broadway’s The Crucible, for which she earned a Clarence Derwent Award for outstanding performance on Broadway.

In 1968, she founded The Four Winds Theatre, a nonprofit educational resource organization. The organization was responsible for innovative live dramas that coincided with related exhibits at museums. These productions appeared in many institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History. In addition to these projects, she provided advanced training seminars in living history techniques to museum docents and National Park Service interpreters.

In 1985, she became director of HISTORICA Programs for Public History, a consulting and educational resource service. The organization provides exhibitions and programs to schools, museums, libraries, and historic sites.

During her career, Egan developed and wrote dozens of essays, textbooks, documentaries, and dramatizations. She is also author of Imagining the Role, a book that addresses the link between a character’s psyche and appearance.

For pursuing her many roles with passion, and for helping others play their own roles successfully, Grinnell is pleased to recognize Jenny Jacobson Egan ’49.