Grinnell College Veterans Memorial Project
At the back of Herrick Chapel hangs a special memorial honoring the 11 Grinnell College students who lost their lives in the Civil War. The last entry is dated April 6, 1865.
Decades later, in the fall of 1945, a promise was made by Grinnell College President Samuel Stevens to the family of Jimmy Ley ’44, a student who lost his life during World War II. The promise was to include the names of all of the service people who lost their lives during the war so that we will never forget the noble sacrifices that these service members made in order to protect our freedom.
Current College leadership recently learned of this promise and intends to fulfill it by expanding recognition on campus for the student and alumni veterans who were casualties of war. A new veteran’s memorial installation is being planned to join and complement the existing plaque in Herrick Chapel.
The new memorial will include the names of students and alumni who have died in active duty while serving in one of the United States military branches since 1865.
Thank you to the friends, family members, and loved ones of these service members who submitted names to the College for the initial installation of this new memorial. This installation will be unveiled on Veterans Day 2019 (Nov. 11) should you wish to make plans to join us on campus for the ceremony celebrating the memorial.
The initial installation submission deadline was July 1, 2019. We expect to have additional name installations in coming years. If you know someone whose name should be included on future installations, please complete our submission form or send a letter to Veterans’ Project, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA 50112-1690.
Thank you for helping us to commemorate these special members of our Grinnell community.