William H. Hollinger Hall of Fame
Butcher is one of Hiram's most distinguished athletic alumnae. Although she never participated in organized track and field or cross country for Hiram, she spent many hours training with the men's teams and ran along with them in several meets.
As a freshman at the age of 28, Grace came to Hiram after having set new marks in the field of distance running. She was the U.S. half-mile
indoor champion in 1958 and 1960, and half-mile outdoor champion in 1960. Also named AAU All-American in 1958-60, she was a member of the
United States national team which met the Soviet Union in Philadelphia in 1959. ·
At Hiram she stayed active despite her non-varsity role in athletics. Besides serving as guest speaker at Hiram's All-Sports banquets in 1964 and 1966, Grace was very much involved in the college's literary and poetry circles, acting as poetry editor of Patterns and organizing poetry workshops in 1965.
An associate professor of English at the Kent State University Geauga campus as of her induction, Grace continued her efforts in the field of distance competition, coaching the men's and women's cross country programs that she founded there in 1980.
