Written by Justun Dorsey, Education and Outreach Coordinator

When someone commits to serve in the military, they take an oath to dedicate their life to something greater than oneself. Corporal Grace F. Thorpe embodied all these qualities and carried them far beyond her time in uniform. Her life tells a powerful story of unwavering advocacy for others.

Early Life and Military Experience

Grace Frances Thorpe (AKA No Ten O Quah) was born on December 10th, 1921, in Yale, Oklahoma, to multiethnic Native American parents, Iva Miller and legendary athlete Jim Thorpe. She was the youngest of four children. She was a member of the Thunder Clan of the Sac and Fox Tribe, was a direct descendent of the Sac and Fox Chief Black Hawk, and was of Potawatomi, Kickapoo, and Menominee heritage. Her cultural background played a significant role in shaping her identity.

Newspaper clipping from Grace’s time at Ford’s Rouge Plant in 1943.

Grace Thorpe in the Women’s Army Corps, 1943.

With the outbreak of World War II, many people felt a strong pull towards service, with Thorpe being no exception. In 1943, she briefly worked at the Ford Motor Company’s Rouge plant in Michigan on the aircraft assembly line before joining the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), which soon after was renamed the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). She became one of the relatively few Native American women to serve during the war.

After completing basic training in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, achieving the rank of Corporal, she was assigned to recruit more WACs in Arizona and Oregon. The following year, she was stationed in New Guinea, and from there she also worked in the Philippines and Japan. She received a Bronze Star for her service during the Battle of New Guinea.

Life After the Military and Her Legacy

After the war, Thorpe remained in Japan for some time, working as Chief of the Recruitment Section for the Department of Army Civilians in Tokyo. She married Lt. Fred W. Seely in June of 1946, and they had two children together, Dagmar Thorpe Seely and Paul Thorpe Seely. After they divorced in 1950, she and the kids moved back to the United States to live in New York, near her father. Tragically, years later in 1964, Paul was killed in an automobile crash at the age of 16. Later that decade is when her devotion to activism grew after relocating to Arizona in 1967.

From 1968-1969, she served as Economic Development Conference Coordinator for the National Congress of American Indians, one of the most influential organizations representing Native American interests. In this role, she fought for tribal sovereignty, civil rights, and better economic opportunities for Native communities.

Between 1969-1970, she joined the Native American Activists’ occupation of Alcatraz, helping lead publicity efforts during the occupation. The movement brought national attention to longstanding injustices faced by Native Americans and marked a turning point in modern Native activism. In 1971, she also co-founded the National Indian Women’s Action Corps, advocating for Native women and families. She continued her work as a lobbyist and congressional representative, serving as a Congressional Intern for James Abourezk in South Dakota and Legislative Assistant for the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C.

Grace celebrating her 70th birthday, posing with her dog and “Nuclear Free Zone” sign in 1991.

Motivated by her growing leadership roles, Grace returned to school later in life. She earned a paralegal degree from Antioch School of Law in 1974 and completed her undergraduate degree in American Indian Law at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1980 at the age of 58. At the same time, she fought for years to restore her father’s Olympic legacy after his medals had been revoked. In 1982, the International Olympic Committee reinstated his medals, marking a major victory for both her family and Native representation in sports history.

Returning to Oklahoma, Grace remained active in tribal leadership, serving as a district court judge and preserving cultural traditions through art, including basket weaving and pottery. In the 1990’s, she became a leading voice against the use of Native lands for nuclear waste storage, challenging environmental racism. Her advocacy helped persuade tribes to reject federal nuclear storage programs, eventually leading to her work with organization such as the National Environmental Coalition of Native Americans and the Native American Affairs Council of Greenpeace. In 1999, she was awarded the Nuclear-Free Future Award.

She passed away on April 1st, 2008, but her legacy lives on. Through all her efforts, she created lasting change for Native communities and helped shape a better future. Her life’s work remains a powerful source of inspiration, reminding new generations that one person’s determination can make a world of difference.