Making news in 2023

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Edith Renfrow Smith in the newly rededicated Smith Gallery, on Oct. 29, 2021. Justin Hayworth / Grinnell College

As constuction moves apace on Renfrow Hall, its namesake continues to make news and share her wisdom. So far in 2023, she's been featured in three media stories:

In Claretta Bellamy's article, "She was an education pioneer. At 108, Edith Renfrow Smith shares her life lessons," Mrs. Renfrow Smith tells her extended family's history while recognizing the centrality of the person who most shaped her -- her mother.
You can hear Mrs. Renfrow Smith's liviely exchanges with Scott Simon, the NPR host of Weekend Edition Saturday in "Meet the woman who has witnessed over 80 years of Black history in Chicago."
And the College's Spring 2023 Grinnell Magazine includes an in depth story about Mrs. Renfrow Smith and the vision behind Renfrow Hall.