Glenna Graves Shiflett

Glenna Graves Shiflett, longtime resident of Falmouth, VA, died on August 31, 2020, in St. Petersburg, FL. She was born on Feb. 11, 1928, in Norfolk, VA, to Dr. E. Boyd Graves and Ruth Mae Lawyer Graves.

Dr. Graves was for 30 years Professor of Philosophy at (then) Mary Washington College, and purchased Carlton in 1941. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Carlton was built before 1796 by John Short, a Scottish merchant, whose wife, Judith Ball of Lancaster County, was of the family of George Washington’s mother, Mary Ball Washington. The Graves family were the third owners of Carlton, and Glenna took pride in its grounds and little-touched original architecture and furnishings.

Dr. Graves, fluent in German, served with the American State Department in Germany after World War II as a translator and aide. Later, Dr. Graves taught at a Vienna university. During the family’s extended time in German-speaking Europe, Glenna became fluent in German, and was inspired by Vienna’s cultural richness, a passion that lasted throughout her life.

Upon returning to the United States, Glenna completed a degree at Mary Washington, and in 1955, returned to Germany to teach kindergarten at American Army base schools. She traveled extensively throughout Europe during this time, and had an Army visa for Germany, Austria, Great Britain, France, Holland, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, among others.

Musically gifted, gregarious, and adventurous, Glenna played piano, sang spontaneously—often playing by ear—and largely financed her travels by entertaining throughout Europe. The songs of Cole Porter were her favorites. On one such jaunt aboard a cruise ship, Glenna had finished her set, and then took a seat on top of the piano. The young man who followed at the keyboard asked her name. “Glenna,” she replied—to which he responded, “My dear, your name may well be Glenna, but you are a ‘Sandy’ to us. Yes, your name shall be Sandy.” And that is how she acquired her nickname.

She returned to the U.S., and earned an M. Ed. in art education at the University of Virginia.

Glenna married Thomas Bowles Shiflett on June 9, 1956, in Falmouth. They made their home in Williamsburg, where Thomas long served as the public relations director of Colonial Williamsburg. Glenna, known fondly to her young students as “Miss Sandy,” taught art for many years at the historic Matthew Whaley Elementary School, in the heart of the historic colonial capital.

In 1958, Glenna co-founded the Twentieth Century Gallery in Williamsburg (now This Century Art Gallery), attracting contemporary artists of national acclaim. In 1969, she was one of the principal organizers of the annual Williamsburg Occasion for the Arts, and later, in the 1970s, a supporter of the Williamsburg Chamber Music concerts. The Twentieth Century Gallery became the hub around which the arts revolved, energized by Glenna’s vision.

Glenna and Thomas divorced amicably in 1981, and remained lifelong friends. Thomas returned to his family home in Palmyra; Glenna returned to Carlton in Falmouth. She continued her support for the arts, helping to begin free chamber music concerts, and founding the popular bi-annual exhibit “Uniquely Fredericksburg” in cooperation with the Central Rappahannock Regional Library.

She was a member of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, and the Literary Club. The E. Boyd Graves Preservation Award of Excellence, given annually by the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, honors her father’s lifelong work, a passion which she continued.

Glenna read widely, discussed politics and contemporary issues with vigor, was a loyal and constant friend to a wide circle, and did not suffer fools. She inspired others to be bold and to dare. She surrounded herself with big, gutsy artworks, enjoyed her daily martinis, and feared nothing. She loved words—everything from puzzles to poetry—and worked crosswords in German into her late 80s. She treasured antiques—the real thing, from hand-hammered spoons to furniture with its original finish intact—but was indifferent to life’s gossip and trivia.

Having spent winters in St. Petersburg for decades, she moved permanently to her apartment there in 2017.

Glenna lived with energy and verve. She didn’t believe in whining or regrets—wherever she found herself, that’s where she began the next big thing. Glenna was larger than life. She will be long remembered, and dearly missed.

An interment of ashes will take place at a later time at the Graves family cemetery at Carlton. Donations may be sent to Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, 813 Sophia Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.