The spirit of community that enlivens residence life at Grinnell College continues to expand, thrive, and grow.

Harry Hopkins 1912 is well known for his work with President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression and World War II. But did you know that at Grinnell, he was also a prankster and a star on the basketball team?

After Joe Rosenfield graduated from Grinnell in 1925, he dedicated much of the rest of his life to nurturing and preserving the College that meant so much to him.

When Gary Cooper tried out for the drama club at Grinnell, no one knew he would someday win three Academy Awards as a Hollywood actor.

Student-faculty research at Grinnell is nothing new. The College has been on the cutting edge of scientific inquiry since its earliest days.

On June 17, 1882, two tornadoes converged on Grinnell, destroying the college campus and killing almost 40 people. Three days later, Commencement went on despite the destruction.

Grinnell alumnus and attorney Joseph Welch 1914 challenged Senator Joseph McCarthy in a 1954 congressional hearing. In the process, he helped bring about the end of McCarthyism.

In honor of Women’s History Month, our Three-Minute History series looks back at the role of women in the early years of the College.

The original play ‘Songs of the Scarlet and Wayback’ is a “throwback party turned time travel train ride,” inspired by Poweshiek County community interviews, student archival research, performances, pageants, and parties of Grinnell’s past. The production will officially premiere in the Flanagan Theatre on Friday, March 8, 2024.

Student Evan Albaugh ’25 explores the past and shapes his own future at an internship with Des Moines’ oldest art museum.