Wilhelmina “Minnie” Vautrin (1886-1941), born in Secor, Illinois, to French immigrants, lost her mother at age 6 and was raised by her father and grandparents. She excelled at school and worked her way through Illinois State Normal University and later the University of Illinois. In keeping with her Disciples of Christ faith, she served as a missionary to China for 28 years, teaching at Ginling College at Nanjing, first as an instructor and later as president. When the Japanese army invaded China in 1937 and Nanjing became a target, thousands of civilians were displaced, tortured, or killed, with women especially vulnerable. Vautrin opened Ginling’s gates as a refuge to civilian women and girls, saving an estimated 10,000 lives. Written accounts report that she stared down armed Japanese soldiers to protect those in her care, and she is remembered as “the American goddess of mercy.”