Grace Marion Frick (January 12, 1903 – November 18, 1979) was an American translator and researcher for her lifelong partner, Belgian-French writer

Marguerite Yourcenar Marguerite Yourcenar (, ; ; born Marguerite Antoinette Jeanne Marie Ghislaine Cleenewerck de Crayencour; 8 June 190317 December 1987) was a Belgian-born French novelist and essayist who became a US citizen in 1947. Winner of the Prix Femina and ...

. Grace Frick taught languages at US colleges and was the second academic dean to be appointed to Hartford Junior College.

Early life

Grace Marion Frick was born in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, on January 12, 1903. The family later moved to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

. Frick attended

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

, receiving her bachelor's in 1925 and in 1927 earning a master's degree in English. While at Wellesley College, she worked as a graduate assistant in the English Department where she took on different academic duties to include coediting the first alumnae bulletin, titled the ''Chat Cat'', for her graduating class of 1927. She worked on a dissertation at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, starting in 1937, the same year she met Yourcenar in Paris, and completed academic work at

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

Career

Frick is most remembered for being the translator from French into English of ''

Memoirs of Hadrian ''Memoirs of Hadrian'' () is a French-language novel by the Belgian-born French writer Marguerite Yourcenar about the life and death of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. First published in France in 1951, the book was a critical and commercial suc ...

'', ''

The Abyss ''The Abyss'' is a 1989 American science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. When an American submarine sinks in the Caribbean, a US search and recovery tea ...

'' and ''

Coup de Grâce A coup de grâce (; ) is an act of mercy killing in which a person or animal is struck with a melee weapon or shot with a projectile to end their suffering from mortal wounds with or without their consent. Its meaning has extended to refer to ...

'' by

. Until Frick's death, Yourcenar allowed only her to translate her books. She taught at Stephens Junior College for Women (now

Stephens College Stephens College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Timeline of women's colleges in the United States#First and oldest, the second-oldest women's educa ...

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County, Missouri, Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Misso ...

, and at

Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...

, New York City. After Yourcenar's arrival, in 1940, Frick became the second academic dean of Hartford Junior College (later Hartford College for Women), until 1943, and they moved together at 549 Prospect Ave, West Hartford. Other than administrative duties, Frick also taught English. After Hartford, Frick taught at Connecticut College for Women (now

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. Originally chartered as Thames College, it was founded in 1911 as the state's only women's colle ...

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

. While in Hartford, Frick and Yourcenar were active in the arts community that originated around the Wadsworth Atheneum headed by Arthur Everett Austin, Jr.

Personal life

She met Marguerite Yourcenar in the February of 1937 at the Wagram Hotel, Paris. They fell madly in love with one another and, in 1939, Grace invited Marguerite to come live with her in the United States, allowing the latter to escape the imminent war in Europe. Together they bought a house, "Petite Plaisance", in 1950 in

Northeast Harbor, Maine Northeast Harbor is a village on Mount Desert Island, located in the town of Mount Desert in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The village has a significant summer population, and has long been a quiet enclave of the rich and famous. S ...

, on

Mount Desert Island Mount Desert Island (MDI; ) in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the List of islands of the United States by area, 52nd-largest island in the United States, the sixth-largest island in th ...

. The two companions spoke French at home, loved horseback riding and lived a quiet life. Frick and Yourcenar lived together for forty years until Frick died of cancer on November 18, 1979 at "Petite Plaisance". They are both buried at Brookside Cemetery, Mount Desert, Maine. Alongside them is a memorial plaque for Jerry Wilson, the last companion of Yourcenar, who died of AIDS in 1986.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frick, Grace 1903 births 1979 deaths LGBTQ people from Ohio Writers from Toledo, Ohio Writers from Kansas City, Missouri LGBTQ people from Missouri American LGBTQ academics American LGBTQ writers Wellesley College alumni University of Kansas alumni Stephens College faculty Place of death missing Connecticut College faculty 20th-century American translators 20th-century American LGBTQ people