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Where Whitworth's Grieve Hall once stood, a grassy, treed area is all that remained to commemorate Whitworthians Robert and Claire (McClenney) Grieve. Now, the college has a collection of memorabilia to honor the missionary couple, who died by enemyfire in the Sudan in 1940.
The Grieves were medical missionaries, killed by Italian military forces while serving the Sudan Interior Mission, a nondenominational Protestant missionary organization. Their memorabilia collection, recently donated to the Whitworth archives by their extended family, includes letters, photographs, books and maps – and the American flag, ripped by shrapnel and bullets, that the Grieves used to signal incoming planes that they were non-combatant medical personnel.
After attending Whitworth from 1931 to 1933, Robert earned his M.D. from the University of Oregon School of Medicine in 1938, and Claire earned her B.A. in education from Wheaton College in 1935. The two had been married just four years when they were killed. Claire was pregnant with their first child.
"The Grieve donation is significant to the archives because it pertains to Whitworth alumni, to Pacific Northwest Protestant history, and to missions," says Whitworth Archivist Janet Hauck. "The donation is distinctive because it combines objects with manuscripts and photographs and tells a story that is particularly poignant."
An online guide to the collection can be accessed via the Northwest Digital Archives website at nwda.wsulibs.wsu.edu. Those interested in viewing the artifacts should contact Hauck (jhauck@whitworth.edu).
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