Remembering Dean Woodman

“Dean was an incredible person, generous, kind, a philanthropist and a humanist. What he did for Moses Brown will impact generations of kids.”

IN MEMORIAM Dean Woodman

We honor the five-generation legacy of Dean Woodman ’46 P’78

The Moses Brown School community is saddened to share that Dean Woodman ’46 passed away in California in December. Dean, the fourth of five generations to attend Moses Brown, was the great-grandson of former headmaster Augustine Jones ’1854 and the largest donor to the school in MB history. Please join us in holding Jane Woodman and the rest of Dean’s family in the Light.

A self-described lifelong learner and voracious reader, Dean traced those traits to his days at MB. “Moses Brown instilled in me a commitment to the pursuit of excellence,” he said. “The Jones/ Woodman clan has been a proud part of MB for five generations going back to the mid-1800s. Moses Brown was a fabulous educational and cultural springboard for me. At MB I developed an even greater thirst for knowledge and for continuing education that has never left me, and for which I will be forever grateful.” Throughout the end of his life, Dean read five or six books simultaneously (mostly history, biography, or Shakespeare-related), usually completing at least two volumes weekly.

Dean not only read at MB — he also played baseball, ran track, served on the Mosaic board and captained the cross-country team. But Dean said that MB’s most lasting impact on him was its focus on personal integrity and liberal arts. “‘For the Honor of Truth’ and ‘The Pursuit of Excellence’ are tenets that I have carried with me throughout my life,” he once commented. Moses Brown fostered in Dean a spirit of inquiry and an ability to apply factual knowledge to solve real-world problems creatively which he embraced his entire life. Dean graduated from Amherst in 1950, then served in the Naval Air Corps, and enjoyed a distinguished career as an investment banker. Known as “Woody” during his youth, “Deano” during his business career and “Woody” once again in retirement, Dean was one of the leading financial architects of numerous corporate financings, mergers and acquisitions. His career spanned over 60 years and he especially enjoyed providing advice to fledgling entrepreneurs. Perhaps his most meaningful investment, though, was in his son Nick’s fledgling startup, GoPro.

In 2013, Dean and his wife Jane made the largest gift in Moses Brown’s 235-year history to create the Woodman Family Community & Performance Center and support the total renovation of the Walter Jones Library — originally a gymnasium built circa 1900 by Dean’s greatgrandfather, Augustine Jones, then head of school. The Woodmans made the gift in celebration of his Quaker family's five-generation connection to MB and because of his belief in liberal arts education. The Woodman Center opened in 2016. “When I first heard from Dean about his intentions to help with the community and performing space, I was so moved that somebody felt that strongly about Moses Brown,” said Head of School Matt Glendinning. “By renewing the legacy of his great-grandfather,

Dean created for us a community-wide space to learn, work, play, perform, worship and celebrate. Dean was an incredible person, generous, kind, a philanthropist and a humanist. What he did for Moses Brown will impact generations of kids.” In this issue of Cupola, which celebrates MB past and present, we are honored to celebrate this dedicated alumnus who holds ties to MB’s storied past and who has made such contributions to the daily life and experiences of students at Moses Brown today. Dean Woodman leaves behind a legacy of joyous learning and exploration for generations to come.

Dean Woodman’s great-grandfather, Augustine Jones, head of school at the turn of the last century, first introduced instrumental music to MB. A century later, Dean made a commitment to help MB build a new community and performance center at Moses Brown, ensuring a transformational experience for future generations.

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For the Honor of Truth

We’re in the Final Lap for MB Believes!

$5M needed to reach $65 million goal by June 30, 2020 Never before in MB’s 235-year history has the community — 3,818 individual donors to date — come together to invest $60 million in the children, teachers, educational programs and facilities of our school. We’re almost there. The MB Believes campaign countdown has begun. Help us cement our collective legacy by reaching our $65 million goal this summer. MB Reunion 2020

If it’s your Reunion year, be sure to come back to campus for Reunion 2020 on May 9 to visit campus, see classmates and celebrate this exciting milestone. To register, check attendance or get updates, visit mosesbrown. org/reunion2020.

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