# Cornelia Groves > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cornelia_Groves > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cornelia_Groves.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelia_Groves > Source revision: 1339321238 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American preservationist (1926–2021)}} {{Infobox person | name = Cornelia Groves | image = Cornelia Groves.png | caption = Groves pictured around 2015 | birth_name = Cornelia Susan Rankin | birth_date = April 23, 1926 | birth_place = [Savannah, Georgia](/source/Savannah%2C_Georgia), U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2021|10|31|1926|4|23}} | death_place = Savannah, Georgia, U.S. | resting_place = [Bonaventure Cemetery](/source/Bonaventure_Cemetery), Savannah, Georgia, U.S. | occupation = Preservationist | spouse = Robert Walker Groves Jr. (married unknown–2000) | education = Randolph-Macon Woman's College }} '''Cornelia Rankin Groves''' (April 23, 1926 – October 31, 2021) was an American preservationist. She was one of the founders of [Savannah Country Day School](/source/Savannah_Country_Day_School) and was awarded the highest honor of the [Historic Savannah Foundation](/source/Historic_Savannah_Foundation), the Davenport Award, for her efforts in support of the [Isaiah Davenport House](/source/Isaiah_Davenport_House). == Life and career == [[File:Isaiah Davenport House, Savannah, GA, US (2).jpg|thumb|Groves was a tireless supporter of the [Isaiah Davenport House](/source/Isaiah_Davenport_House) in Savannah's [Columbia Square](/source/Columbia_Square_(Savannah%2C_Georgia))]] Cornelia Susan Rankin was born on April 23, 1926, in [Savannah, Georgia](/source/Savannah%2C_Georgia), to William Scott Rankin and Hannay Ellis.{{Cite web |title=Savannah Morning News Obituaries in Savannah, GA {{!}} Savannah Morning News |url=https://savannahnow.com/obituaries/p0161297 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=savannahnow.com |language=en}} Her father died when she was five years old; her mother lived until the age of 98. She went on to graduate from Savannah's Pape School and [Randolph-Macon Woman's College](/source/Randolph_College), located in [Lynchburg, Virginia](/source/Lynchburg%2C_Virginia). Rankin married Robert Walker Groves Jr., and together they had two children.{{Cite book |last=Averitt |first=Jack Nelson |title=Families of Southeastern Georgia |year=2009 |isbn=9780806350998 |pages=13}} Groves fought in support of the [Historic Savannah Foundation](/source/Historic_Savannah_Foundation) to get funding for the restoration of the [Isaiah Davenport House](/source/Isaiah_Davenport_House) in [Columbia Square](/source/Columbia_Square%2C_Savannah) of Savannah. She was also a member of the [Trustees' Garden](/source/Trustees'_Garden), and, along with her sister Ruth, the [Colonial Dames](/source/Colonial_Dames_of_America) of Georgia.{{Cite web |title=Ruth Rankin Owen Obituary (1927 - 2018) Savannah Morning News |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/savannah/name/ruth-owen-obituary?id=19609736 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=Legacy.com}} During [World War II](/source/World_War_II), Groves "rolled bandages and ran the canteen."{{Cite web |last=Sickler |first=Linda |title=Cornelia Rankin Groves witnessed Savannah's preservation movement come to life and was dedicated to bringing it forward |url=https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2017/07/15/cornelia-rankin-groves-witnessed-savannah-s-preservation-movement-come-life/13874005007/ |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=Savannah Morning News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Foltz Photography Studio (Savannah, Ga.), photographs, 1899-1960 - Print, Photographic {{!}} Georgia Historical Society - Library |url=https://georgiahistory.pastperfectonline.com/photo/41020D81-DF18-4A7E-8D89-311227897109 |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=georgiahistory.pastperfectonline.com}} In 1955, Groves was one of the parents involved in the founding of the [Savannah Country Day School](/source/Savannah_Country_Day_School), which originated from the Pape School. Groves and her husband were also involved in the annual [Grandfather Mountain Highland Games](/source/Grandfather_Mountain_Highland_Games) event.{{Cite web |title=Endowment – Grandfather Mountain Highland Games |url=https://gmhg.org/endowment/ |access-date=2022-04-19 |language=en-US}} In the 1990s, when the Davenport House was in need of funding, Groves and Clare Ellis established an endowment. They regularly met at Groves' home to formulate fundraising ideas, hoping to raise a total of $1 million. Groves founded the Friends of the Davenport House in 2003. The Historic Savannah Foundation awarded Groves its highest honor, the Davenport Award, in 2008. In 2000, Rankin's husband died at age 82. Groves was used as a source for Polly Cooper and Laura Lawton's book ''Savannah's Preservation Story'' (2016). == Death and legacy == Groves died on October 31, 2021, aged 95. She is interred in Savannah's [Bonaventure Cemetery](/source/Bonaventure_Cemetery), alongside her husband. == References == {{reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Groves, Cornelia}} Category:1926 births Category:2021 deaths Category:People from Savannah, Georgia Category:Randolph College alumni Category:American historic preservationists Category:20th-century American women Category:21st-century American women --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cornelia Groves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelia_Groves) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelia_Groves?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.