Gilbert M. Grosvenor

Gilbert Melville Grosvenor (born May 5, 1931) is the former president and chairman of the National Geographic Society, who previously served as the editor of National Geographic magazine.[1] Now largely retired, Mr. Grosvenor and his wife Wiley live in Virginia. [2]

Gilbert M. Grosvenor
Born	(1931-05-05) May 5, 1931 Washington, D.C., United States
Nationality	American
Citizenship	U.S.A.
Alma mater	Yale College, Class of 1954
Occupation	Chairman Emeritus, National Geographic Society
Spouse(s)	Donna Kerkam ​ ( m. 1961, divorced) Mary Helen Wiley Jarman ( m. 1979)
Children	3
Parent(s)	Melville Bell Grosvenor, Helen Grosvenor (née Rowland)
Relatives	Alexander Graham Bell Grosvenor, brother Edwin S. Grosvenor, brother Gilbert H. Grosvenor, grandfather Alexander Graham Bell, great-grandfather
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005)

Born in Washington, D.C., Grosvenor is the son of Melville Bell Grosvenor and the great-grandson of Alexander Graham Bell. He received a B.A. in psychology from Yale University in 1954. Between his junior and senior years, he volunteered in the Netherlands in efforts to recover from the North Sea flood of 1953 and co-authored an article that was published in the National Geographic. "Although I'm not sure I realized it at the time, it changed my life," Grosvenor recently recalled. "I discovered the power of journalism. And that's what we are all about—recording those chronicles of planet Earth."[3] He subsequently joined the staff of the magazine as a picture editor.

In 1970, Grosvenor assumed the position of editor of National Geographic Magazine.[1] He served as editor until 1980, when he became president of the National Geographic Society, additionally becoming chairman of the board of trustees (on which he served from 1966 to 2014) in 1987. He retired as president in 1996 and chairman in 2011, since which time he has served as an honorary director of The Explorers Club.

In 1996, Grosvenor was awarded a Gold Medal by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the Scottish Geographical Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.[1][4]

Grosvenor was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, by President George W. Bush on June 23, 2004.

Writings

• "The Water Crisis," Huffington Post[5]
• "Bali of the Back Roads," National Geographic Magazine, November, 1969.

References

1. Lanken, Dane. "The bee in Grosvenor's bonnet", Canadian Geographic, Vol. 116.6, November–December 1996: pp. 95-96.
2. "Interview of Gilbert M. Grosvenor". The Gilbert M. Grosvenor Center for Geographic Education.
3. "Why National Geographic Is a Family Affair". NationalGeographic.com. February 15, 2015.
4. Royal Scottish Geographical Society Awards and Medals Archived February 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
5. "The Water Crisis". Huffington Post.

External links

• Genealogy: Descendants of John Grosvenor

Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by Robert E. Doyle	President of the National Geographic Society March 1980 – 1996	Succeeded by J. Reginald Murphy