Friends, Teammates Remember Kerry Grundlingh ’27, a Leader by Example

Kerry Grundlingh ’27, an economics major, accomplished rower, proud Mathey Moose, and self-proclaimed cinephile, died after a cycling accident in which she was stuck by a car in her hometown of Johannesburg, according to a July 27 campus email from Regan Crotty ’00, dean of undergraduate students.

Grundlingh’s closest friends and rowing teammates, Rachel Mark ’27, Jess Mabey ’27, Ellie Smith ’27, and Joely Cherniss ’27, described her as the definition of leading by example. They characterized her as impressively driven and hardworking, both on and off the water, yet also humble and wise.

The five met on their first day at Princeton as members of the same rowing class and quickly became inseparable. They spent their time scheming rowing strategies, watching The White Lotus, having dinner at Yeh dining hall, visiting The Bent Spoon for ice cream, traveling to Washington, D.C., and sharing hot takes on films.

Lori Dauphiny, head coach of women’s open rowing, recalled meeting Grundlingh for the first time after hearing about her success as a junior rower representing South Africa at the World Championships. When they met, Dauphiny was struck by Grundlingh’s smile, which she said lit up the world around her.

“It’s very telling of her presence on our team because she was such a bright light for us,” she said.

Grundlingh rowed in the varsity eight boat that won the Ivy League championship this year.

Mark spoke about the impact Grundlingh had on the team, not just as a boatmate, but as a role model and friend. “She cared so much about her teammates. I think obviously that had a big impact on all of us,” she said.

Grundlingh was in the top 1% of students at her high school — St. Mary’s School, Waverley — and at Princeton served as an economics tutor at the McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning.

“I just remember me getting literally every single question wrong, and her spending so much time just out of the kindness of her heart explaining it to me, and going through all the steps,” Cherniss said. “She had other work to do. She had so much other stuff. And she was like, ‘I want to do this.’”

“She was so hardworking, and everyone knew it,” Smith added.

Grundlingh was also known among her friends for her sharp sense of humor and passionate opinions. “She had things that she loved and everyone knew she loved. She wasn’t shy on that either,” Mabey said.

“Everyone knew she loved Taylor Swift, but she hated the ‘So High School’ song,” she said. “She loved The Office [and] had the USB drive that she carried everywhere with her with all the seasons to watch it at any time.”

Grundlingh was also a member of Princeton Pictures, Princeton in Hollywood, and Terrace Club.

Grundlingh is survived by her parents, Debbie and Francois, and her brother, James.