Grinnell College Presents Alumni Awards: Norma Dang

July 27, 2007

For more information contact: Kate Worster, 641-269-3404

Prominent Honolulu resident Dr. Norma Tong Dang was presented with a Distinguished Alumni Award by Grinnell College on June 2 at the Alumni Assembly held on the College's campus. The College's Alumni Council presents one such award annually to a member of the 50th (or earlier) reunion class who epitomizes the Grinnell spirit.

A member of the College's Class of 1953, Dr. Dang went on to earn a degree in dentistry from Northwestern University, after which she practiced in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and at the Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois before settling in Honolulu to set up her own private practice. As only the third woman dentist in Hawaii, she made her mark in a field where few women were active at the time.

She retired from practice in 1989, but continues to be active as a volunteer for many causes. She has served as president of the Maunalani Park Improvement Association, and has volunteered for the Hawaii Cancer Society, the Hawaii Conservation Council, and the Hawaii Heart Association. Her work has earned the Outstanding Aloha Spirit Award from the Hawaii Visitors Bureau. She has also been a committed volunteer on behalf of Grinnell College, serving as the area coordinator for regional alumni events and co-hosting many of them. . 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.