For Immediate Release

Contact: Kate Worster, director of communication, 641-269-3404

Grinnell College presents Alumni Awards: David Feldman '71

New York City writer and game developer David Feldman was presented with an Alumni Award by Grinnell College on June 2 at the Alumni Assembly held on the College's campus during his 36th reunion. The College's Alumni Council presents these awards annually to graduates who have distinguished themselves by their extraordinary contributions of service to the College, their communities, or their professions.

In making the award, the College noted that among the hallmarks of a Grinnell education is the ability to ask interesting questions and to know where to look to find answers, and commended Feldman for having "made a career out of this trait, using his considerable research skills and a wry sense of humor to help answer some of life's everyday mysteries." It also praised his "wise, funny, and thoughtful view of the world around us."

Feldman graduated from Grinnell College in 1971 with an independent major in modern literature, then spent a year in Europe on a Watson Fellowship to study popular culture. He went on to earn a master's degree in popular culture from Bowling Green State University before turning his hand to writing as a career.

He wrote the first book in his popular Imponderables series after noticing in the grocery store that plain corn flakes had the same number of calories per ounce as sugar-frosted corn flakes. His books, including Do Penguins Have Knees?, How Do Astronauts Scratch an Itch?, and How Does Aspirin Find a Headache? answer perplexing questions about daily life. He also writes an Imponderables column for Mental Floss magazine and has developed the Malarky board and card game, which was named a top game for kids in Zillions, the Consumer Reports magazine for children.

Grinnell College, founded in 1846, is a private, residential liberal arts college with some 1500 students, located in Grinnell, Iowa. The College awards the Bachelor of Arts in 25 areas of study, and is consistently ranked among the top 20 liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report.