Pioneer Women’s Weekend

Grinnell is proud to host a special weekend Friday, April 21, 2017 and Saturday, April 22, 2017 celebrating and honoring the College’s Pioneer women whose efforts to compete paved the way for all who followed after them.

The Pioneer Women's Weekend is the perfect opportunity to spend time on campus with fellow alumni and help share the story of pre-Title IX women's athletics with our current students. During the weekend, you'll have the opportunity to

  • Attend a variety of physical education (and other) classes on Friday to assess how the curriculum has changed since you were on campus.
  • Visit with women who are current team captains and athletic leaders at our Friday evening welcome reception and dinner.
  • Explore the history of women's athletics at Grinnell and the evolution of our women's athletic program through two keynote presentations and a variety of alumnae panels.
  • Enjoy a special reception and banquet on Saturday evening celebrating all of our Grinnell women athletes.
  • Attend and watch a variety of women's athletic practices and contests.
  • Discover what's changed and rediscover what has stayed the same by taking a tour of campus.
  • Explore the Charles Benson Bear '39 Recreation and Athletic Center (Bear Center) which offers many facilities including recreational gymnasia, a running track, a state-of-the art fitness center and pool, and courts for basketball, racquetball, and tennis. Weekend participants will have full access to the center throughout the weekend, including special private swim hours.

Keynote Speakers

Karen Blumenthal

7 p.m. Friday, April 21

Blumenthal is a longtime journalist and the author of 10 nonfiction books for adults and young people. She was a reporter, editor, and Dallas bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal for two decades and also wrote a personal finance column for the paper. Her first book was published in 2002; she has since written about a wide range of topics, including Starbucks, prohibition, Steve Jobs, and Title IX. Her award-winning book Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX was the first true history of this significant law.

Judy Mahle Lutter '61

9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 22

Lutter exemplifies the Grinnell sprit of equality in sports and wellness. There were no opportunities for women to participate in sports when she was a Grinnell history major. After Grinnell, she discovered she was a talented runner; her 16th-place finish in the 1978 Boston marathon would give her a platform to pursue answers to many important questions that had never been asked about women’s health. In 1982, she co-founded the Melpomene Institute, with the goals of bringing cutting-edge health research to ordinary women and girls and developing programs to engage them in leading healthy lives. Lutter’s impact on Grinnell has been inspiring women for more than 35 years to be informed about their own health and has empowered them to ask questions and seek answers. A 2016 Grinnell College Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Lutter has spent her career encouraging women of all ages and abilities to find the joys and benefits of a physically active life.

For your information:

To learn more about Pioneer Women's Weekend and to register to attend. Please visit the Pioneer Women's Weekend information page.