Mercer University held its annual Founders’ Day event in Toney Auditorium on Feb. 4, with alumna Nancy Grace, a television personality, author and former prosecutor, delivering the keynote address.
Founders’ Day is a tradition at Mercer where prominent alumni return to campus to share their experiences at the University and how it has impacted their life and career. It began in 1891 as a celebration of Jesse Mercer’s birthday and, after a hiatus, was brought back to the Macon campus in the mid-1990s. The convocation is coordinated by the Heritage Life Committee of the Student Government Association.
A Double Bear and Macon native, Grace received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Mercer in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from the School of Law in 1984. Her initial plans to become an English professor changed after her fiancée was murdered in a workplace shooting during her sophomore year.
Grace spoke about her experience as a first-generation college student, growing up in rural Macon, and the challenges she faced after her fiancé’s death. She said it was difficult to imagine a new life for herself in prosecution, but she found the motivation she needed to continue.
“I remember going to the president’s office, and I was supposed to explain why I had to drop out of school, and all I could do was cry. Time passed. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t hear music,” she said. “My dream of becoming a Shakespearean literature professor, of being a wife and a mother, was over. I applied to one law school: Mercer. I had one recommendation letter: My Sunday school teacher. And they let me in. And I still to this day praise the Lord for Mercer. They let me in. I recall leaving Mercer and graduating and knowing all I wanted to do was prosecute violent crimes and help out the crime deputies.”
After graduating from law school, Grace began her career in the Fulton County District Attorney’s office as a special prosecutor of felony cases involving murder, rape, child molestation and arson.
She first appeared on television as a co-host of Court TV’s Cochran and Grace and later appeared on the daily trial coverage program, Closing Arguments. From 2005 to 2011, Grace hosted the primetime legal analysis show, Nancy Grace, on CNN Headline News. During that time, she also hosted a daytime program, Swift Justice With Nancy Grace, which was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2011. Throughout her career, Grace became well known for her passionate commentary on high-profile cases and fierce advocacy for victims’ rights.
During her keynote address, Grace encouraged students to remain steadfast in their journey and accept the obstacles that will come.
“I learned from Mercer University that you will fall. You will stumble, and you will fail. It doesn’t matter. It matters if you get up,” she said. “Think about Jesse Mercer for a moment. He seems like just a figure in the distant past. He did something no one else was doing. He never knew the impact that he would have, that we would be here today. How many lives he would touch. And if — when you fall — you get back up. You will never know the impact you will have. Just one person can make a difference. Your origin story and Mercer’s origin story are all in connection.”
Daylen Pearson, a senior majoring in sports marketing and analytics, said she enjoyed getting to learn more about Grace.
“I loved Nancy’s speech. I think she did a great job of showing her personality and sharing with us where she came from, what Mercer did for her, and where she is now,” she said.
Grace currently hosts a true crime podcast, Crime Stories With Nancy Grace, and headlines the hit television series, Bloodline Detectives. She is also a legal expert for ABC and the founder and publisher of CrimeOnline.com, a website dedicated to breaking crime news as well as information on missing persons and cold cases.
Grace is also the author of three New York Times bestselling books and was named one of the most impactful and powerful women in entertainment by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter in 2011.
Grace has maintained a strong connection to Mercer. In 2008, she was the featured speaker for Mercer’s Macon commencement, and in 2012, she received the University’s Distinguished Alumna Award. She previously spoke at Founders’ Day in 2017 and is serving her fourth five-year term on the Board of Trustees.
