Georgia Dentel was an enigmatic but influential figure of Grinnell College. During her service at Grinnell College, she heavily influenced and enriched the campus culture and student life. Remarkably, Georgia Dentel booked countless concerts performed by top-notch artists and films in various genres when her budget was limited by the college’s financial conditions. However, Georgia was rarely mentioned in archives. Her contributions to the college were rarely documented, and she remained as a mysterious figure.
Therefore, the goal of this oral history project is to honor Georgia Dentel and her dedication to both Grinnell College and its students. In this project, we will provide a biography of Georgia Dentel, a timeline of the events that she booked, and Grinnell alumni’s accounts of Georgia and her influences on Grinnell College.
In order to achieve this goal, we have visited Georgia’s hometown—Ackley, Iowa—and looked through her autobiography and high school’s yearbook. Furthermore, we have glossed through the Scarlet & Black archive to establish the narratives of campus culture during her service at Grinnell. We have also interviewed various Grinnell alumni to document Georgia in their memories.