List of Grinnell College alumni

This list of Grinnell College alumni includes graduates, non-graduate former students, and current students of Grinnell College, Iowa, US.

Academia and research

Name Class year Notability Reference
Dale Furnish 1962 American legal scholar and rofessor
Benjamin Barber 1960 Political theorist, author of Jihad vs. McWorld [1]
Oliver E. Buckley 1909 President and director of Bell Labs, namesake of the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize [2]
Thomas R. Cech 1970 Co-winner of 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute [3][4]
May-lee Chai 1989 Author, professor and American Book Award winner
Mary Sue Coleman 1965 President of the University of Iowa (1995–2002) and the first female president of the University of Michigan (2002–2014) [5]
Ioannis D. Evrigenis 1993 Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Classics at Tufts University [6]
Amanda L. Golbeck 1974 Lead editor of Leadership and Women in Statistics, winner of 2016 Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies Elizabeth L. Scott Award [7][8]
Roy Richard Grinker 1983 Anthropologist, editor of Anthropological Quarterly [9]
Frances Harshbarger 1923 One of the first female American mathematicians to receive a doctorate [10]
Frank Irving Herriott 1890 (BS)

1893 (MS)

 Acting professor of political science (1895–1898)
Sally Hughes-Schrader 1917 Professor of Zoology at Duke University, fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences [11]
Roger Koenker 1969 Professor of Economics at University College London [12]
Jennifer Manlove Sociological research scientist at Child Trends [13]
David Maxwell 1966 President of Drake University [14]
Thomas W. Merrill 1971 Charles Evans Hughes Professor of Law at Columbia Law School
Carol Myers-Scotton 1955 Linguist [15]
William A. Noyes 1879 Analytical and organic chemist; determined atomic weights [16]
Clair Patterson 1943 Geochemist, first person to accurately date the age of the Earth, responsible for the removal of lead from gasoline [17][18]
Paul G. Risser 1961 President of Miami University and Oregon State University [19]

Arts

Name Class year Notability Reference
Kevin Cannon 2002 Comics writer and artist [20]
Zander Cannon 1995 Comics writer and artist [21]
Cornelia Clarke 1909 Nature photographer [22]
Martha Cooper 1963 Icon of the street art movement and author of Subway Art [23]
Herbie Hancock 1960 Jazz musician and composer [24]
Pat Irwin 1977 Composer, musician, and guitarist [25]
Jesse Macy 1870 Political scientist and historian [26]
Philip Manuel 1913 Pianist, harpsichordist, teacher [27]
Thomas Meglioranza 1992 Operatic baritone
David Mura 1974 Writer, memoirist and poet
Edwina Florence Wills 1937 Artist and composer [28]

Business and finance

Name Class year Notability Reference
Nordahl Brue 1967 Founder of Bruegger's Bagels [29]
John B. Chambers 1977 Chairman of the Sovereign Debt Committee at Standard and Poor's [30]
Paul McCulley 1979 Economist, managing director at PIMCO [31]
Cindy Pritzker Businesswoman, philanthropist, member of the Pritzker family [32]
Joseph Rosenfield 1925 Businessman, made initial contribution to Intel and donated it to Grinnell College; called the "Patriarch of Iowa Business" by Des Moines Register [33]
Ham Serunjogi 2016 Co-founder (with Maijid Moujaled '14) of Chipper Cash, one of the most successful fintech companies in Africa [34][35]
Waid Vanderpoel 1943 Economist and former chief investment officer of First National Bank of Chicago [36]

Entertainment

Name Class year Notability Reference
Emily Bergl 1997 Actress, best known for Men in Trees [37]
Gary Cooper 1926 (did not graduate) Actor, best known for High Noon, received five Oscar nominations for Best Actor [38]
Peter Coyote 1964 Actor, author, narrated the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Oscar telecasts [39]
Walter Koenig 1958 (transferred) Actor, best known as Chekov in Star Trek [40]
Kumail Nanjiani 2001 Stand-up comedian, Academy Award-nominated writer, actor and comedian, best known for role on TV series Silicon Valley and co-authorship and performance in film The Big Sick [41]
Edward L. Rissien 1949 Film producer [42]
Ian Roberts 1987 Actor, founder of Upright Citizens Brigade [43]
Win Rosenfeld 2000 Screenwriter and producer, president of Monkeypaw Productions [44]

Government, law, and public policy

Name Class year Notability Reference
Henry Carter Adams 1874 Economist, promoter of the American Economic Association, led movement to regulate "natural monopolies" in economic life [45]
Kenneth Adelman 1967 Deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, National Editor of Washingtonian magazine [46][47]
Florin Cîțu 1996 Prime minister of Romania (2020–2021) [48]
Tom Cole 1971 Representative from Oklahoma, Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee [49]
Frank W. Cyr 1923 (transferred) Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, "father of the yellow school bus" [50]
Richard Edwards University administrator and professor of economics
Hallie Flanagan 1911 Director of the Federal Theater Project; first woman to win a Guggenheim [51]
John Garang 1969 Vice president of Sudan, leader of the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army [52]
Daniel Grossberg 2006 Kentucky state representative [53]
Chris Hall 2007 Iowa state representative [54]
Harry Hopkins 1912 WPA administrator and architect of the New Deal [55]
Sen Katayama 1892 Co-founder of the Japan Communist Party [56][57]
William Squire Kenyon 1890 Senator from Iowa and judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit [58]
George Moose 1966 Assistant secretary of state for African affairs, ambassador to Benin and Senegal [59]
Tom Railsback 1954 Representative from Illinois [60]
Charles A. Rawson Senator from Iowa [61]
Ezra P. Savage Twelfth governor of Nebraska and tenth lieutenant governor of Nebraska [62]
Chase Strangio 2004 Deputy director for Transgender Justice at the American Civil Liberties Union, included in 2020's Time 100 most influential people in the world [63]
Greg Thielmann 1972 Intelligence analyst for the United States Department of State and critic of the 2003 invasion of Iraq [23]
Otha Wearin 1924 Representative from Iowa [64]
Joseph Welch 1914 Head attorney for the United States Army during the Army-McCarthy Hearings [65]
Alan Wheat 1972 Representative from Missouri [66]
George A. Wilson 1904 Senator from Iowa, governor of Iowa [67]
Henry Wingate 1969 Chief judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi [68]
K. C. Wu 1923 Governor of Taiwan Province, mayor of Shanghai [69]

Journalists and media personalities

Name Class year Notability Reference
Gary Giddins 1970 Jazz columnist for The Village Voice [70]
Soleil Ho 2009 Food writer and restaurant critic for the San Francisco Chronicle
Ben Jacobs 2006 Political reporter for The Guardian [71]
Walter Jacobson 1959 Chicago news personality [72]
Frederick Wilhelm Kaltenbach c1918 (did not graduate) English-language Nazi propagandist during World War II [73]
Adam Kempenaar 1997 Host of podcast and public radio show Filmspotting [74]
Sarah Mirk 2008 Bitch Media, Portland Mercury
Armando Montaño 2012 Associated Press [75]
Albert Shaw 1879 Co-owner of the Grinnell Herald, journalist, and editor of the American edition of The Review of Reviews [76]
Roberta Smith 1969 Art critic for The New York Times [77]

Literature, writing, and translation

Name Class year Notability Reference
Amy Clampitt 1941 Poet and author [78]
David Feldman 1971 Author of the Imponderables series of books [79]
James Norman Hall 1910 Author, best known for Mutiny on the Bounty [80]
Edward Hirsch 1972 Poet, president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation [81]
Sterling Lord 1942 Literary agent, founder of Sterling Lord Literistic
Sequoia Nagamatsu 2004 Author of How High We Go in the Dark [82]
Marshall Poe 1984 Historian, author, founder of MemoryArchive [83]
H. N. Swanson 1922 First editor of College Humor, well-known Hollywood literary agent [84]
Sam Tanenhaus 1977 Historian, journalist and biographer of Whittaker Chambers [85]
Ali Benjamin 1992 Author and finalist for the 2015 National Book Award [86]
Alexi Zentner 1995 Canadian short story writer and novelist, winner of O. Henry Prize

Medicine

Name Class year Notability Reference
Eric E. Whitaker 1987 Executive vice president, Strategic Affiliations; associate dean, Community-Based Research, University of Chicago; internal medicine physician [87][88]

Military

Name Class year Notability Reference
Norman F. Bates 1865 Medal of Honor recipient [89]
Russell A. Berg 1940 U.S. Air Force brigadier general [90]

Social reform

Name Class year Notability Reference
Dana W. Bartlett 1882 Congregationalist minister, author [91]
Bruce Friedrich 1996 Senior policy director for Farm Sanctuary [92]
Bernice King 1985 Minister, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. (transferred to Spelman College) [93]
Louise Noun 1929 Feminist activist, civil libertarian, author [94]
George Edward White 1882 American Congregationalist missionary, president of Anatolia College, witness to the Armenian genocide
Shelley White-Means 1977 Health economist who works to reduce health disparities in Memphis, Tennessee [95]

Sports

Name Class year Notability Reference
Harris Coggeshall 1929 Tennis player, runner-up in doubles in the 1930 National Clay Court Championships and the 1929 National Indoor Championship, runner-up in the 1928 Cincinnati Masters [96]
Hap Moran 1926 All-Pro football halfback for the New York Giants [97]
Ian Shoemaker 1996 College football coach
Morgan Taylor 1926 Track and field hurdler, gold medalist for the U.S. in the 1924 Summer Olympics [98]
Christine Thorburn 1992 Cyclist, two-time Olympian for the U.S. [99]

Technology

Name Class year Notability Reference
Nathaniel Borenstein 1980 Designer of the MIME protocol for sending multimedia e-mail [100]
Robert Noyce 1949 Co-founder of Intel, co-inventor of integrated circuit, recipient of National Medal of Science [101]
Dana Ulery 1959 Chief scientist for the Army Research Laboratory computing sciences [102]

References

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  2. ↑ "Oliver E. Buckley, 1887–1959". IEEE. Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2007.
  3. ↑ "Chemistry 1989". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
  4. ↑ "Thomas R. Cech". Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
  5. ↑ "WISE Archives: Oral History Collection--Mary Sue Coleman Biography". Iowa State University Library. Archived from the original on 7 December 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
  6. ↑ "People – Ioannis D. Evrigenis". Tufts University Department of Political Science. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018.
  7. ↑ "Leadership and Women in Statistics". Chapman and Hall CRC Press. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
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