The Grinnellian 2020 Archive
The Grinnellian is a monthly e-newsletter launched July 2019 to broadly share Grinnell College stories, events, and activities. Besides being informational, a key goal of the newsletter is demonstrate the differences donors and volunteers are making in the lives of current and future Grinnell students.
The Archive
Please note, the archived issues of The Grinnellian are exact versions of the e-newsletter sent out. As such, some of the events, contests, and links may have expired. If you have any questions, please contact us at alumni@grinnell.edu.
2020 The Grinnellian Trivia
In each issue of The Grinnellian, we include a Grinnell trivia question. The first five who reply each month with the correct answer wins a prize. Please see the archived questions, answers, and a list of winners.
December 2020
Which two U.S. presidents have stayed the night at Grinnell House?
Answer: Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower
Winners: Roger Ferris ’65, Jim Hamilton ’65, John Shierholz ’66, Phyllis Levun-Agastino ’69, and Helene Gillispie.
November 2020
The song, Sons of Old Grinnell, was written in 1910. What year was Daughters of Old Grinnell written?
Answer: 1919
Winners: Gary Wilson ’66, Byron C. Bangert ’69, Wade Beltramo ’93, Abby Hagel ’16, and Michelle Risacher ’17.
October 2020
What Grinnell alumna played Beth Young on the TV show Desperate Housewives and more recently appeared on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel?
Answer: Emily Bergl ’97
Winners: Ryann Cheung ’93, Jamie Rehmann ’00, Norm Braaten, Elizabeth Chandler, and Paula Doherty.
September 2020
In 1975 a professor initiated Grinnell’s program of outdoor art. Though technically untitled, what is the first sculpture affectionately known as?”
Answer: The Zirkle
Winners: Ruth Bittner ’80, Kathy Waddell ’96, Alyssa Popowitch ’98, Mark Duncan ’19, and Abena Afari ‘21.
August 2020
In what city was the 1846 meeting held where James J. Hill famously laid down the silver dollar to start Grinnell College’s endowment?
Answer: Davenport, Iowa
Winners: Dave Palmer ’62, Scott Stuart ’72, David Piston ’84, Joel Shapiro ’89, and Hana Lord ’18.
July 2020
What honor did Rolling Stone magazine bestow upon Burling Library in the 1980s?
Answer: Most comfiest library in the country.
Winners: Melanie King ’78, David de Young ’86, Jonathan Rose ’95, Phoebe Juel ’96, and Chris Gales ’14.
June 2020
What author and Nobel laureate’s name was recently inscribed in the atrium of the HSSC?
Answer: Toni Morrison
Winners: Molly Skouson ’20, Gina Donovan ’04, Lillian Fitzsimmons ’20, Moe Sabai ’20, and Laura Juliano ’98.
May 2020
Which residence hall, known for in-room sinks, did Herbie Hancock ’60 live in during his time as a student at Grinnell?
Answer: Clark Hall
Winners: Ben Tape ’12, Jin Komerska ’20, Cristian Douglas Sales Garcia ’22, Norm Cook ’58, and Nick Malinowski ’04
April 2020
Who is the all-time leading scorer and rebounder for the Grinnell women’s basketball team?
Answer: Laura VanSickle ’90
Winners: Sarina Kopf ’22, Amy Woodworth ’91, Wade Beltramo ’93, Jessica Toft ’89, and Philip Kantzler ’89
March 2020
What 1946 Grinnell alumna blazed a trail by being the first female director of pediatric surgery at St. Louis Children’s hospital?
Answer: Jessie L. Ternberg
Winners: Byron Bangert ’69, Jon Krieg ’84, Karl Dukstein ’81, and Gene Wubbels
February 2020
Who was the architect for the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts?
Answer: Cesar Pelli
Winners: JB Labowitz ’71, Melissa Hardy ’16, Jennifer Wagner ’95, Patti Rounsevell ’71, and Grant Glowiak ’10
January 2020
What was the title of the speech Martin Luther King Jr. gave at Grinnell College in 1967?
Answer: Remaining Awake During a Revolution
Winners: Doug Hodum ’93, Mark Bailey ’79, Meghan Riley ’19, Rachel Hinkley ’21, and Jeneine Brown Welch ’94