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Graceful Service

"Where human need is greatest, my work is most effective." Walter Grevatt ’52 wrote in his résumé, many years ago. Neither a résumé, nor such an understatement regarding his achievement, is needed to express the gifts of love, of grace, of service and of social change the world has received through his life. Walter left us quietly, peacefully, and surrounded by love on November 20, after a long illness. Despite his illness, Walter was working devotedly to his job at L.I.S.T.E.N (Lebanon in Service to Each Neighbor), and promoting social and spiritual causes, until shortly before his death. Part of that work over the years involved serving as a supervisor, mentor and friend to Dartmouth students performing internships and volunteer work in the Upper Valley.

At L.I.S.T.E.N, Walter guided students in food distribution projects and in the development of a self-help "tool-library" for local homeowners and tenants, and he taught them about low-income family budgeting and affordable housing. Walter was a patient, caring and wise teacher for our students, as well as a powerful role model. He was never too busy or too tired to speak at a Tucker Foundation retreat, or to hear students out on a youthful proposal.

Adam Tapley ’03 served this summer as a Dartmouth Partners in Community Services Intern, assisting the new Upper Valley affordable and supportive housing initiative of which L.I.S.T.E.N is a partner. He writes, "I consider (Walter) one of the kindest human beings I have ever met. The respect I have for him is based on the respect he always extended toward others, on his selfless absorption with those in need, on how he always challenged the status quo for something better." Jenny Rottman ’02, who was involved in issues of housing and homelessness her whole Dartmouth career and has graduated to the National Leland Fellowship for public service, writes "Walter leaves a large space behind him in the world. Luckily, he has also left us with enough inspiration to try to fill that space, and most importantly, with a lesson about how we might begin to try: piece by piece, moment by moment, with the knowledge that it has always been small actions that combine to create great change."

Most students who benefited from Walter’s counsel and direction never knew the deep roots of his experience and his extraordinary record of contribution. An ordained minister, Walter served several parishes in both urban and rural locations. His spiritual stewardship was often complemented by social service and advocacy, and often reached beyond the limits of his immediate congregation to a wider scope of Christianity in action. His work in housing drew national attention through articles in the Wall Street Journal and a Walter Chronkite TV special. As an athlete and bass player at Dartmouth and long into his life, Walter loved people and life and he shared his joy liberally.

The Upper Valley Community and future generations of young Dartmouth idealists will miss Walter’s deep kindness, his strength of will, his wisdom, his quiet, fine wit and his gentle, loving presence. His eloquent example of a life full of service and full of grace, however, will be with us all for a very long time.