Ellen McGrew
45-Year Honoree"It’s a very stable institution where profit is not the mission. And I have made lifelong friends here."
In honor of the 2024 Alice W. Chandler Staff Service Recognition Ceremony set for June 20, we’re profiling some of the staff members who are celebrating this year the longest tenures at the University of Chicago.
Ellen McGrew
Senior Editor, UChicago Creative
Forty-five years ago, McDonald’s introduced the Happy Meal, The Muppet Movie came out, the compact disk (CD) was demonstrated publicly for the first time, and Ellen McGrew began her tenure at the University of Chicago. After spending three years as a graduate student in Classics, McGrew took a job in typesetting at the University’s Industrial Relations Center, located in the now-demolished Mott Building.
Nearly fifty years later, McGrew will retire this summer from her current position as a senior editor for UChicago Creative, the University’s in-house creative agency.
McGrew works on projects across the University and UChicago Medicine, from editing the Convocation speaker’s introduction to leading the University Annual Report for a number of years, and more.
Known for her “eagle eye”, McGrew’s colleagues joke that she has probably memorized the majority of the Chicago Manual of Style, calling her its “most ardent defender and adjudicator,” while noting how her prodigious expertise, institutional knowledge, and unflappable good humor have made her a joy to work with and be around.
McGrew answered our questions about her interests and experiences at the University:
Q: What initially brought you to the University? What role were you in then?
I came here for graduate study in Classics. Studying languages was a great preparation for my current work. My college summer job was at a large medical center. The office did a lot of paperwork related to patient insurance or other reporting. In the days when medical records were handwritten, we had to interpret the sometimes-indecipherable handwriting of doctors’ notes in the chart. It involved a lot of medical terminology, which has been quite useful here.
Q: How has your role changed/grown over the past 45 years?
I started working for UChicago at the Industrial Relations Center in the Mott Building on 60th Street, now gone. The Rubenstein Forum is now partially where Mott was. I had a fancy version of a Selectric typewriter with which I did “typesetting” with a limited number of fonts and a memory that held about two pages. And then used hot wax to paste the pieces onto a board that the in-house printer used to make a printing plate. Most of the work was for University units outside of our center or for organizations in the community, which was quite interesting. When the center closed, I moved to a small publications unit that was part of the News Office (in Levi Hall). That unit evolved into what is now UChicago Creative.
Q: Where are you originally from?
Los Angeles. My BA is from UCLA. I moved to Chicago because I was looking for a change and an adventure. I was never really the “Valley girl” type!
Q: What is it that you enjoy most about your role?
This is the very best working group and leadership I have experienced in all this time. I get to see interesting materials from units all over campus and meet many good people. I like the “artsy” nature of the endeavor, although I don’t do any of the art part.
Q: What is it that you enjoy about UChicago? What’s kept you here all these years?
It suits my interests. I love having access to the library, going to concerts and museums on campus. It’s a very stable institution where profit is not the mission. And I have made lifelong friends here.
Q: Do you have any favorite UChicago-related memories from over the years that you can share with us?
Then-President Hanna Holborn Gray throwing out the first ball at old Comiskey Park in the University centennial year. She did well. Artist Cai Guo-Qiang’s huge colorful explosion on the roof of Regenstein for the 75th anniversary of the Fermi experiment. Concerts by great performers at Mandel Hall: violinists Henryk Szeryng, Yehudi Menuhin, and Hilary Hahn, singer Hermann Prey. Six University presidents, five vice presidents in the communications area.
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I play string quartets regularly (amateur) and attend music workshops. Going to concerts and theater.
Q: What are you looking forward to most in retirement?
Improving my violin playing and German, if possible! Volunteering, walking more on the lakefront, some travel.