This is the 5th in a series on Martin County Democrats who have made a difference. Be sure to click on each picture to view in expanded mode with commentary.
The Amazing Grace Linn
In March 2023 a storm that had been brewing for a year thrust then 100-year-old Grace Linn into the local and national spotlight. The year before, Ron DeSantis had signed the "Parental Rights in Education" bill into law - known by opponents as "Don't Say Gay" - that brought about book banning in our public schools. At that time, the Martin County School Board heeded calls of DeSantis and the conservative group Moms for Liberty to object to books that merely mentioned systemic racism, gender bias, and the LGBTQ+ community. This outraged Grace.
That fall Grace crafted her famous yellow quilt which depicted some of the books that had already been banned in Martin County schools. By the time of the school board meeting in March 2023, there were close to 100 books that had been targeted and banned in this county, and Grace felt she had to speak out and address the school board in person. Her friends Michael and Claire Panella, who had helped her design the quilt, also played a role in writing the speech that went viral. In her speech she spoke passionately of her first husband, Robert Nicoll, who had been killed in World War II by the Nazis. She made the poignant point that he had died defending the freedoms we enjoy, freedoms the Nazis took away from their people, including burning and banning books. As she said so eloquently to the school board, "Banned books and burning books are the same. Both are done for the same reason: fear of knowledge. Fear is not freedom. Fear is not liberty. Fear is control." After the video of her speech went viral in Tiktok, she began appearing on MSNBC and other cable channels as well as local and independent news. Grace, dubbed "Warrior Queen" by many due to her insistence that we must fight back and not let history repeat itself, that everyone should be treated equally and that we must defend the marginalized in society, has undoubtedly inspired thousands with her activism.
Born in the USA
Grace’s parents immigrated to America from Italy in the early 1900s. Her father Antonio DeNicola (b. 1890) and her mother Rosa Romano (b. 1897) were engaged in Italy, but Antonio wanted to get established in America first before they got married. He left Rosa and came to America in 1908 where he first joined his brother in Roseto, PA, a town that had been settled by immigrants from southern Italy in the 1880s. He went to school to learn English and eventually became a foreman who specialized in finishing cement. After he felt financially secure, he contacted Rosa to come to America and they were married.
The baby sister to her 3 older brothers Jerry, Daniel, and Floyd, Grace was born October 18, 1922 in Mingo Junction, Ohio, and much of her youth took place during the Depression (1929-1939). She says she learned from her parents, who were good people who looked after others. She remembers her parents had a fruit and vegetable garden in their backyard and gave away food to help the hungry. In fact, the sidewalk in front of their home was marked to let the public know that this was a place where you could get food. Also, her mother courageouly sheltered abused mothers and their children in their home. Reflecting on the influence of her parents on her own life, Grace has said, "I didn't become what I am on my own. It was inherited and it was lived with my parents."
Grace was very precocious. She learned very easily to play the piano and French horn. Though she entered grade school only speaking Italian, she quickly learned the English language. She had read the Bible three times by the time she was 12. She also learned to drive a car when she was 12 (and she still drives today at age 102). She made excellent grades in school and actually skipped two years ahead, graduating from high school at age 16 with a college scholarship. However, the culture was different then and she was not allowed to go off to college on her own at such a young age – even though her brothers and the other boys in town had been able to do that. That reinforced in her the belief that girls were treated differently from boys - that they didn't have the same rights and privileges. Later, when she started working at a hospital, this became even more evident by the salary she received versus the salaries of the men who worked along side of her.
She had also learned at a young age that being an immigrant caused you to be treated differently. She remembers the insults that were slung her way just because her parents were from Italy and spoke Italian in the home. Having experienced discrimination first hand, Grace grew up believing fervently that all humans have the same worth - that they should all be treated equally. It has been her rallying cry ever since those early days in Mingo Junction.
Early Married Life and Entering the Workforce
After finishing school at 16 but with no college in town to attend, Grace lived at home with her parents and helped them out at home. She also loved to dance, and so she would go to nearby clubs with her brothers - never by herself - where she could socialize and dance. It was during this time that she danced with Dino Paul Crocetti, who later became known as Dean Martin! But her heart was taken by another gentleman named Robert Nicoll, who had recently been drafted by the Army, and they were married on March 30, 1940 in Mingo Junction. She soon left Ohio for Fort Hood, Texas, where Robert had been transferred. However, World War II interrupted their time together as Robert was sent to Falmouth, England as part of an ammunitions unit and Grace returned home to her parents in Mingo Junction. But there was one difference from before: Grace was pregnant. Months passed and Grace remembers reading about the horrows of war and fearing for her husband. One day she saw a man dressed in military clothing walking up the street and her heart sank. She suspected that he had bad news to share with her, and she was right: Robert was missing in battle. A couple of months later she found herself in the hospital giving birth to their daughter Nikki. It was only three days later when Grace received a telegraph in the hospital confirming that Robert had been killed three months earlier by the Nazis in a bombing along with 16 other soldiers. The army had provided a mass burial for the men who died there.
A widow with a newborn and no financial support, she went back home from the hospital to live with her parents and raise her daughter. A few years later she went out one night to go roller skating and she met a gentleman who caught her fancy. Tom Householder was a veteran who, coincidentally, had been stationed in Italy and thus could speak Italian to some degree. They fell in love and eventually married. Tom adopted Nikki and they had a daughter of their own named Glorida (Gigi). When Gigi turned 5, Grace decided to get a job of her own.
By then, they had moved across the Ohio River into Weirton, WV and she heard that the Weirton Medical Center needed an overnight switchboard operator and admissions clerk. One of the job requirements was that you be able to type; however, as a high school student taking college-prep type classes, she had not been allowed to take a typing class. To rectify the situation, she borrowed a typewriter and taught herself almost overnight how to type before she had to report to work.
She ultimately spent 33 years at the Weirton Medical Center. During the early years there she saw the great need for automatic billing in the hospital. Just as she had taught herself to type, she taught herself computer programming and eventually designed systems that her hospital could use. She more or less started the computer department at the hospital. She sat on all the medical committees in the hospital and developed many systems to help these departments as well. In particular, she developed a pharmacy unit dosing and microbiology reporting system which other medical centers all over the world also began using. Grace and her computer system received special recognition by the CDC for this beneficial new technology. In a largely male-dominated profession, Grace also became the first woman president of the Computer Hospital Users Group for NCR (a high-tech computer company) and the first woman president of the Federation NCR Users Group. As Grace wittingly tells it, in spite of her accomplishments she still did not receive the salary that her less accomplished male workers made.
A Widow Twice More
In 1987 Grace retired from the medical center and she and Tom moved to a condo in Jensen Beach and later planned to build a single family home in the area. She and Tom led a full life and became involved in the community. Grace took a leadership role in Planned Parenthood and she taught computer skills to adults at one of the local schools. In 1990, one month before they were to move into the new home, Tom died following open-heart surgery.
A widow again, Grace moved alone into the home she and Tom had purchased, and she still lives there today. For the next ten years Grace worked on fundraising with Planned Parenthood and she also became heavily involved in an environmental advocacy group in the area and attended many classical music concerts. It was at one of the environmental group meetings that Grace met Fred Linn. After a brief courtship, they decided to marry. They remained married for 22 years until he passed away from a heart attack in November 2022. During the years before, they took in one of Fred's grandchildren and raised him until he finished school, advocating passionately for a good public education for him.
Passion for a Cause
It was just a short time after Fred died that Grace's video at the school board became viral. She was beseiged with interview requests from local and national media. This caught the attention of movie directors and producers Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic, and they began to consider making a documentary film on the increasing censorship taking place in schools across the country. After they spoke with Grace, they knew this spirited octogenarian should be featured in their documentary, and they then made "The ABCs of Book Banning." It was later nominated for an Oscar for short documentary, and Grace had the delightful opportunity to fly to LA for the Oscar's luncheon, where she had the chance to meet movie stars, and she later returned to walk the red carpet and attend the Oscar's ceremony. It was the memory of a lifetime. Grace was happy the film got nominated because the publicity allowed her to continue to have an audience for discussing the danger of censorship and book banning.
Likely because of the bullying she received as the daughter of immigrants, Grace has a special place in her heart for all marginalized people. She uses her celebrity status to bring more attention to her call for equality and acceptance. Last year, along with drag artist Shelita Taylor, Grace was the Grand Marshall for the Treasure Coast Pride Parade. She is quick to point out that some of the finest people she has known in her life have been from the LGBTQ+ community. This is why she was particularly taken back when books began to be removed from school shelves simply because they had a gay character, and it motivated her to speak out strongly on their behalf.
At 102 years young, Grace continues to live in the home that she and Tom had built, where she watches MSNBC and other news outlets to keep abreast of current politics. She also continues to quilt, have her tea and Italian cookies at 2:00 pm each day, regularly attend musicales held by her good friend Dr. Marie Juriet-Beamish and the concerts put on by the Altantic Classical Orchestra, spend time with her devoted daughter Gigi, and enjoy the wide circle of friends she has accumulated over the years. There is no doubt that Grace has led an active and curious life and, at 102, she continues to be a trailblazer and inspiration to all.
