Last Frontier Tales
Margaret C. Grigor: Medalist
By Hank Nuwer
Sculptor Margaret Christian Grigor never lived in Alaska or Hawaii, but she created a memorable medal commemorating each’s statehood on either side of the coin.
Born to American expatriate parents William and Ethelwynne Gregor in Forres, Scotland, on March 2, 1912, she came along with them as a girl to Massachusetts when they decided to return. Her father was a Presbyterian minister and a lover of books.
Nicknamed “Peg,” she became fascinated with American history while a high school student in North Attleboro. In 1927, her essay on “Outstanding American Patriots” won second place in a statewide Daughters of the American Revolution contest.
Grigor studied art and archaeology at Mount Holyoke College, a member of the Class of 1934. A pacifist, Grigor was an officer in the college’s Peace Club, writing letters to state leaders urging diplomacy as the possibility of a second world war with Germany threatened world order.
Following graduation, Grigor enrolled in graduate school at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. While there she won the school’s prestigious Stimson Prize for a life figure.
Grigor achieved lifelong recognition as a sculptor in metal and wood and stone, but her claim to fame came as a designer of commemorative medals.
Her first winning medal was commissioned by her alma mater Mount Holyoke in 1937 as a symbol to honor outstanding alumni. On one side was a cameo-like head of school founder Mary Lyon. The reverse contained an oak tree to symbolize strength and endurance, accompanied by a snippet from Psalm 144: “That our daughters may be as cornerstones.”
Despite her pacifism, Grigor enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps during World War Two. She attained the rank of lieutenant
While stationed in San Antonio, Texas, in the WACS, she cultivated a lifelong friendship with best friend Eva “Jo” Hudnell. The two settled in Long Island, New York after the war.
In 1956, Grigor, Hudnell and Grigor’s widowed mother moved from Long Island into a rambling, large house with studio in Stellacoom, Washington.
At some point in Margaret Grigor’s young life her father had suffered a nervous breakdown, and she and her mother accompanied him to Fox Island to recover. She and her mother fell in love with the state of Washington and opportunities for outdoor activities like boating.
The 1957, Grigor enjoyed her first public exhibit, showing 36 sculptures, several created after moving to the West Coast, at a Tacoma gallery.
In 1965, the Society of Medalists, a nonprofit art collectors’ organization, chose Grigor’s stunning Alaska and Hawaii bronze medal for its 71st medal issue.
The Alaskan side depicts two Alaska native men fishing for tomcod and chopping ice blocks. The Hawaiian side depicts to Hawaiian natives grinding poi and weaving a mat.
In 1957, Grigor told a Tacoma News Tribune reporter what she tries to achieve in her medals. “The design and execution should be crisp,” she said. “It should make you want to touch it.”
The Alaska-Hawaii medal is now in a place of honor at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Margaret Christian Grigor died at age 69 on December 1, 1981.
Hank Nuwer is an adjunct professor at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.