1985 alumni couple creates scholarship for Grinnell-in-London students
January 23, 2025 — England in general and London in particular have long held a place in the hearts of Kevin Rhodes ’85 and Melinda “Lindy” Lopes ’85.
Rhodes attended Grinnell-in-London in fall 1984 with professors James Kissane ’52 (English) and Jan Czechowski (Theatre). Lopes spent much of her childhood in East Anglia – an area in eastern England – where her parents taught at American military bases.
Their daughter, Emily Lopes Rhodes ’19, has carried on the tradition: She attended Grinnell-in-London in spring 2017 and is now wrapping up her Ph.D. in history at Cambridge University based on research she began at Grinnell. This summer she’ll marry a British citizen she met at a pub after attending the opera during her Grinnell-in-London stint, of course.
Kevin Rhodes ’85 and Melinda “Lindy” Lopes ’85, left, are joined for a group photo by Brigittine French, assistant vice president of global education, Emily Lopes Rhodes ’19 and her fiancé Aaron Mulford, and Grinnell College President Anne F. Harris.
“Grinnell-in-London was the epitome of a well-rounded Grinnell liberal arts education that opened so many insights and thinking,” says Rhodes, who is executive vice president, chief legal affairs officer and secretary at 3M Company in St. Paul, Minnesota. “It was such a formative time and lasting part of my Grinnell experience.”
“We are so pleased that our daughter had the same opportunity with the program,” added Lopes, who is retired from a career in employee benefits consulting and educational administration. “We feel so fortunate that we’re in a position to help future Grinnellians have the same opportunity as well.”
To that end, the family has established an endowed, need-based scholarship to support students participating in Grinnell-in-London, with a focus on students who’ve been historically underrepresented in off-campus programs.
The gift was announced Saturday at the Grinnell-in-London’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Rhodes and Lopes are seated facing the audience at the Grinnell-in-London’s 50th anniversary celebration on Saturday.
“I am honored to share that, thanks to an extraordinary act of generosity, we are establishing the Lopes-Rhodes Endowed Grinnell-in-London Scholarship,” said Bernadine Douglas, vice president of development and alumni relations. “This scholarship will ensure that even more students can access the transformative experience of studying in London. It embodies the Grinnellian commitment to access, ensuring that all students can pursue these life-changing opportunities.”
The mission of Grinnell-in-London is to connect the rigorous academic experience at Grinnell to the historical, cultural, political context of the United Kingdom through a cohort-based immersive semester living in and exploring London and the surrounding region. Taking place in the spring, the program is open to second- through fourth-year Grinnell students.
The program began in the fall semester of 1974 when 17 Grinnell students went to London with program organizers Vic Verrette, then professor of French, and Doug Caulkins, then associate professor of anthropology. About 1,550 students have participated in the Grinnell-in-London program since its inception.
President Harris and this year’s Grinnell-in-London students come together for a group shot after the 50th anniversary celebration.
One of Rhodes’ favorite experiences was taking a class on contemporary British politics at the London School of Economics (LSE).
“It was a great way to immerse in the culture through shared learning alongside British students,” he says. “The Grinnell-in-London program offered that opportunity and several of us took advantage by taking an evening class at the LSE. It was such an interesting and transformative time in British politics, and having the opportunity to experience it through the lens of the British educational system was one of the most enriching experiences of my time at Grinnell.”
Lopes says growing up in an international culture was formative to her, so she recognizes and appreciates the importance of helping students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in another culture as a meaningful part of the Grinnell liberal arts experience.
Both she and Rhodes received financial aid to attend Grinnell. Without those contributions, says Lopes, “I don’t think either one of us could call ourselves Grinnellians today. We want to provide that same opportunity to others, and particularly people who otherwise wouldn’t be in a position to be able to study overseas.”
In the photo taken during the 1984 Grinnell-in-London program, Lisa Meeden ’85, left, Kevin Rhodes ’85, Scott Brennan ’85, and Jim Kissane ’52 stand on the steps of the Old Coventry Cathedral in Coventry, England.
“Growing up in Marshalltown, Iowa, I had never had a passport, visited a foreign country, or even flown on an airplane before I got on a People‘s Express flight to London in August 1984,” Rhodes says. “Grinnell-in-London gave me the opportunity to spend four months living in one of the largest, most historic, and vibrant cities on earth. Giving back to the program so that others can have that same type of life-changing opportunity is what our gift is all about.”
Several years ago Lopes and Rhodes gifted the Lopes Rhodes Dirty Teaching Lab located in the Humanities and Social Studies Center (HSSC). The Dirty Lab is where anthropology students and faculty clean and process bones, artifacts, and other specimens.
It’s another gift that’s close to their hearts: The two met on an archaeological dig near Flagstaff, Arizona, in the summer of 1984, a trip led by anthropology professors John Whittaker and Kathy Kamp. Coincidentally, Emily participated in Grinnell-in-London with the same two professors 33 years later.
—by Anne Stein ’84
For your information:
In honor of Grinnell-in-London’s 50th anniversary, Lopes and Rhodes are challenging Grinnellians to make donations to support the Grinnell-in-London Fund. For every $1 given to the Grinnell-in-London Fund, they will give an extra $1 to the new Lopes Rhodes Endowed Grinnell-in-London Scholarship, up to a total of $50,000.
“We hope that former Grinnell-in-London alums and others will jump on this exciting campaign,” Rhodes says. “Let’s pay it forward so that more Grinnellians will have the type of experience that makes Grinnell such a special place.” Visit the Grinnell-in-London giving form to make a gift in support of the Grinnell-in-London program or contact Susan Kriegel at 641-269-4955 or kriegels@grinnell.edu.
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