The woman described as a great philanthropist and &uot;grace personified&uot; died late Friday in Natchez. Grace McKittrick MacNeil was 92.

&uot;Her contributions to this community are immeasurable,&uot; said Mimi Miller of the Historic Natchez Foundation. &uot;She was responsible in large measure for the creation of the Grand Village (of the Natchez Indians) and she was one of the founders of the Historic Natchez Foundation.&uot;

The list of MacNeil’s contributions, shared by Miller and others, includes efforts to preserve the William Johnson House, now a key part of the Natchez National Historical Park; donation of land along John R. Junkin Drive near her family home Elms Court, which remains an important green space; the original purchase, with Dr. David Steckler, of the contents of the Natchez Historical Society’s museum; and efforts to improve race relations in Natchez.

MacNeil also was a former national president of the Girl Scouts of America and had been named The Natchez Democrat’s Citizen of the Year in 1987.

&uot;She was such a philanthropist and a great steward of the land she inherited,&uot; said Joan Gandy, former Democrat managing editor. &uot;She was a wonderful, gracious lady.&uot;

MacNeil donated more than half the 123 acres that preserved a Natchez Indian historical site and became the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians.

&uot;She was a very generous person and very interested in history,&uot; said Jim Barnett, who administers the site for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. &uot;The Grand Village is really a continuation of what she was trying to do.&uot;

MacNeil, whom Miller said was &uot;very concerned about quality of life issues,&uot; always seemed to base her decisions on what was best for the community.

&uot;She would give away land for things she thought were good purposes, but she would not sell at any cost if she thought it was not in the best interest of the community,&uot; Miller said.

The HNF’s Ron Miller described MacNeil as &uot;grace personified.&uot;

&uot;She really fit her name,&uot; he said. &uot;She was a genuine, warm, very giving and loving person … and whenever you were around her you felt a sense of calm and a sense of intelligent concern for the world at large.&uot;