Grace Coppock

Senior Portrait,

1905

Grace Coppock was born the youngest of five children on Nebraska farmland in 1882. Her parents were first generation immigrants to America's heartland. Grace's father died soon before she was born, so the five children were raised by their loving mother. For the first many years of her life, she stayed within the borders of her home state. Grace graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1905. From her strong missionary work in college, she became more involved in the work of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) after graduation.

She moved to China to continue her missionary work. When elected General Secretary of China's branch of the YWCA, Grace became a revolutionary leader. As the role of women changed in the country, she taught women the value of themselves and of Christianity. She bettered life for all women by being a friend and confidant. Grace passed away in Shanghai in 1921. Her legacy succeedes her in the YWCA, among the women of China, and on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.

During Grace Coppock's time in college, she discovered her self-proclaimed "duty" for Christian mission work. The Christian Student Movement promoted daily morning prayer, a standard to which Grace consistently held herself. Along with this drive, she had a natural instinct for "living dangerously", as stated by Helen Thoburn in her memoir. After graduation, she proved this instinct by moving to China, a country with little notion of Christianity, having never before stepped out of Nebraska.

However, while she was still at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she surrounded herself with influential minds. She was involved in the Black Masque, the Palladian, and the Chorus, aside from her work with the Nebraska YWCA. Grace was driven by communication and relationships with others. Even after she moved to China, Grace maintained her tie to the University. She was a member of the University's Volunteer Band along with many other exceptional graduates residing in foreign countries.