‘You will fail. It matters if you get up’ | Macon native Nancy Grace returns to Mercer on Founders’ Day
Grace dropped out after fiancé’s murder; says Mercer let her return and attend law school
MACON, Ga. — Nancy Grace stood before students at Mercer University on Wednesday and shared what she called one of the hardest moments of her life.
“My fiancé Keith was murdered at work on a construction crew,” Grace said during the university’s Founders Day ceremony. “He was shot five times in the face. His world ended and mine exploded.”
The Macon native and former prosecutor returned to her alma mater to deliver the keynote address, telling students about tragedy, resilience and the university that gave her a second chance.
Grace said she grew up in Central Georgia in a working-class family. Her father worked for the railroad. Her mother worked in a factory. She said they paid for her to attend Mercer University along with her brother and sister.
“We were first-generation college graduates,” Grace said.
But she said when she was 19 years old, her fiancé, Keith Griffin, was murdered. Grace dropped out of school.
Mercer let her return. The university then admitted her to law school with just one recommendation from her Sunday school professor.
“I applied to one law school. Mercer,” Grace said. “And they let me in. I recall leaving Mercer, graduating, and going on, all I wanted to do was prosecute violent crimes and help other crime victims.”
Grace said she earned her undergraduate degree in English from Mercer in 1981 and her law degree in 1984. The university calls her a “Double Bear.”
She went on to prosecute criminal cases in Atlanta before becoming a national television legal analyst and host of crime shows on HLN and Fox Nation.
Wednesday’s speech came at a historic moment for the university. Penny Elkins became Mercer’s first female president in its 192-year history on Jan. 1.
“The first lady president of Mercer University,” Grace told the audience. “Do you see that, ladies, we have no excuse anymore. We cannot blame the times.”
Grace challenged students to persevere through failure.
“You will fall. You will stumble, and you will fail,” she said. “It doesn’t matter. It matters if you get up.”
Grace now hosts “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” on Fox Nation and YouTube. She serves on Mercer University’s Board of Trustees.
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