by Erin Lawrimore

In September 2012, we will celebrate 10 years of our Spartan Stories blog, which features stories of prominent people, places, and events in UNC Greensboro history. These blog posts provide us with an easy-to-understand source of information for students and other researchers seeking information about the University’s past. A recently received email, however, highlighted how useful this resource can be – even for folks without any UNCG affiliation!

In March, University Archivist Erin Lawrimore received an email from a woman who currently lives in Dallas, Texas. This woman was intrigued by the story of Dr. Annie V. Scott, Class of 1914. She wrote:

“I am a former international student from Mainland China, where Doctor Scott had previously served and lived 100 years ago. There is a small wooden chest I found on a Texas flea market that I believe previously belonged to Doctor Scott. She must like it so much that she brought it back to the US on her sailing trip. There is an index card in the box that told her name and her service in Shantung China that caught my attention. When I Google her name, your article really stands out to me.  After reading it, I dug a little further and found her life was so impressive. She went to China first in 1920 as an extraordinary wisdom young woman with a bright future and came back to American at her 60s. Doctor Annie V. Scott had devoted her entire life to the Chinese children and Chinese people during the war times. She needs to be remembered by the Chinese people. The name “Annie V. Scott” needs to be recorded.”

She noted that Dr. Scott lived in her home city and had served at the largest hospital there during the Sino-Japanese War. She also asked for permission to translate the blog post into Chinese to share the information more broadly.

When this blog post was first published in 2015, we never dreamed that it might be the vital link to connect Dr. Scott back to her treasured wooden chest! In the 1920s – just as in the 2020s – UNC Greensboro alumni truly make a global impact.