.Descended from the Gettysburg McPhersons, Grace was born in New York and had an extraordinary academic career gaining her doctorate in 1934. She became the leader in the field of software development and made a major contribution to the transition from primitive programming techniques to the use of sophisticated compilers. In 1969 she was awarded the first ever Computer Science Man-of-the-Year Award from the Data Processing Management Association. In 1971, the Sperry Corporation initiated an annual award in her name to honour young computer professionals for their significant contributions to computer science. In 1973, she became the first person from the United States and the first women of any nationality to be made a Distinguished Fellow of the British Computer Society. She was a member of the Clan Macpherson Association.