Honorary Degree Recipients

“Remember, take every opportunity to do your best. And I have done it, I hope.”

– Edith Renfrow Smith ’37

“At Grinnell soon after [witnessing the northern lights], my interests were transformed into a passion to know more about the connection between the sun and the Earth. And that passion, in fact, has influenced most of the major decisions of my life. It was the result of a very improbable intersection of an independent study, an infrequent natural phenomenon, and the kindness and generosity of … two faculty members.”

­– Richard Royal Fisher ’61

“If you reach the top of your field, but do not take the time to show compassion and help others, have you really accomplished anything? At the end of the day, at the end of your life, what is really going to matter?”

– Kristin DeMoss, English teacher