Former Sen. Pell, creator of Pell Grants, dies at 90

Thursday, January 1, 2009 | 6:52 p.m. CST

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Claiborne Pell, the quirky blueblood who represented blue-collar Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate for 36 years and was the force behind a grant program that has helped tens of millions of Americans attend college, died Thursday after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 90.

advertisements