Annual Report
From the Headmaster
Dear Woodberry Community,
The books are closed on our 130th year, and I’m pleased to report that Woodberry Forest is thriving.
The class of 2019 led the school with enthusiasm and purpose, and the prefect board served with grace, passion, and conviction. The school’s faculty continues to make enormous contributions to the boys in the classrooms, on the athletic fields, in the arts, and on our dormitories. I appreciate the many ways we have evolved to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow while remaining fixed in our commitment to character first and the values that have made Woodberry special for 130 years.
The alumni and parent communities showed again this year that Woodberry benefits from your extraordinary support each and every day. No words from me could come close to capturing the energy and vitality that we on the faculty draw from your incredible devotion to Woodberry’s mission to graduate young men who will serve as tomorrow’s leaders, learners, and citizens. As you’ll read in these pages, we closed the 2018–2019 year with a record number of donors to the Amici Fund, in large part due to a growing number of gifts by parents of alumni and another year of record alumni participation. No independent school or college in the country enjoys philanthropic support from such a high percentage of alumni.
This spring we received an extraordinary $5 million gift from David Hayworth ’47 to support the ongoing revitalization of the Walker Building, a project that will be complete in less than twelve months. We’ve also received a number of wonderful capital gifts to advance other important school priorities, most notably tuition assistance and our faculty and staff. In order to address persistent questions about long-term affordability, funding tuition assistance completely through the power of the Woodberry endowment remains our greatest opportunity and greatest challenge.
Whether you are an alumnus, parent, or a friend of the school, you will always will be a member of the Tiger community. The work of our faculty and staff with the four hundred boys here today would not be possible without your extraordinary philanthropy and your loyal generosity. We want our campus to be a home for each of you, and we hope you will soon pay a visit to us at Woodberry Forest.
With enduring thanks for all that you do,
Byron Hulsey ’86 Headmaster
SOURCES OF SUPPORT
From the Assistant Headmaster for External Affairs
Dear Woodberry Faithful,
You will notice that we have made a significant change to the Woodberry Forest School Annual Report This revised, condensed booklet spotlights powerful stories behind the incredible philanthropy this past year, which we hope will illustrate why Woodberry is strong.
The lists of donors that we have typically included in the printed report have moved online and can be viewed at woodberryannualreport.org. Use the password gotigers to access the lists. Aside from lowering print costs, moving the lists online allows you to more readily search for your name or those of your friends and classmates.
Though the format is new, the stories from this past year are similar to those of recent years. Woodberry benefits from an extraordinary community of alumni who are devoted to ensuring that the boys here today enjoy the same meaningful experiences that they enjoyed as students, whether that was five years ago or fifty years ago. We also benefit from a wonderful community of parents — both those whose boys are here now and those whose boys have graduated — who recognize what a profound impact Woodberry has had on their sons. As the mother of two Woodberry alumni, I’m reminded constantly of how much the school helped shape the young men they are today.
We are a community bound by a culture of character and committed to the Woodberry experience. We thank you for your unceasing support of Woodberry Forest’s mission, vision, and values. Please know that all of us in the alumni and development office always stand ready to assist you in any way we can.
With gratitude,
Catherine Wharton Assistant Headmaster for External Affairs
Operating Budget
EXPENSES
From the Chief Financial Officer: Understanding the Financial Model
As treasurer, I have the pleasure of working closely with the headmaster and the board of trustees to ensure Woodberry’s financial and physical plant resources are carefully stewarded to support the school’s mission across generations of students.
Woodberry’s financial condition has changed greatly over the years, in large part because of the generous philanthropy of the men and women who have supported the school in years past and continue to support the school. But, other things have not changed. Most importantly, we are committed to providing deeply personal educational experiences, rooted in caring relationships with faculty and staff. We remain committed to hiring the very best faculty and staff and supporting them with the resources they need.
Here’s a brief snapshot of Woodberry’s funding sources, and how we spent those dollars during the 2018–2019 school year. Tuition paid by families provided about half of our income. The endowment is the second largest source of funding, providing one-third of our budget. The amount drawn from the endowment each year is based on a formula designed to support current operations and preserve the endowment’s value over time. Annual gifts, primarily to the Amici Fund, provided 10 percent of the budget. The remaining funds came from summer programs, the farm, the school store, and other ancillary sources.
So once the money comes in the door, what do we spend it on? The biggest answer, by far, is that we spend money on the school’s most important asset — our people. Salaries and benefits for faculty and staff are more than 50 percent of our total budget. The next largest area of spending goes to support our various school programs, which includes everything from food in the dining hall to athletic equipment to classroom supplies to electricity. The rest of the budget supports capital repairs and replacements or summer and auxiliary programs. The money we commit every year from our operating budget and gifts in support of capital projects provide a steady supply of funds to handle the wide range of projects necessary to keep the school’s buildings and grounds in excellent shape.
As you can see, philanthropy is key to sustaining Woodberry’s exceptional educational experience. Every student, along with every member of the faculty and staff, benefits from the gifts we received, both last year and in the past. We work hard to be exemplary stewards of these gifts, and we thank you for supporting Woodberry. I hope this brief overview is helpful, and please know that members of the board and I are always happy to share information about Woodberry’s financial model in greater detail.
Ace Ellis Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer
FORWARDING THE EXPERIENCE Woodberry
A Commitment to Fully Fund Tuition Assistance
Woodberry’s current strategic plan, adopted by the board of trustees in 2016, calls on the school to “increase the endowment for tuition assistance in order to safeguard the school’s financial stability and, above all, its future excellence, ensuring an affordable Woodberry education for the most compelling candidates regardless of their families’ financial circumstances.”
Last year 44 percent of the student body received tuition assistance, with grants ranging in size from $5,000 to $57,000 for a total of more than $6 million in assistance. All of Woodberry’s tuition assistance is based solely on a family’s financial need; the school does not offer merit scholarships.
The school’s endowment currently holds almost $85 million in tuition assistance funds, providing slightly more than $4 million in grants each year. The Amici Fund provides the remaining tuition assistance. The business and admission offices estimate Woodberry would need to offer roughly $8 million per year in tuition assistance to remove financial considerations from the admission process. The board of trustees has set the goal of paying for all tuition assistance through the endowment and not relying on annual giving to fund long-term scholarship commitments.
“As a school, the greatest long-term threat we face is affordability, and the single most important opportunity of this moment is to band together as one community of Tigers to fund the entire tuition assistance budget in perpetuity through the Woodberry endowment,” says Headmaster Byron Hulsey ’86. “Reaching for such an audacious goal would place Woodberry in a rarefied cohort of exceptional schools.”
The Power of the Endowment
Through decades of generous philanthropy, sound investment practices, and thoughtful long-term planning, Woodberry has built financial reserves that provide almost 30 percent of the annual operating budget. The school can spend 5 percent of the average value (over the past three years) of endowment funds. This spending rule ensures that the funds are preserved in perpetuity to benefit the school. Other reserve funds support the repair, renewal, and replacement of campus buildings.
The school’s managed funds support these five major areas:
Program — These funds support everything from science lab equipment to athletic uniforms to food in the dining hall.
Capital Projects — The Reserve for Renewals and Replacement Fund, known as the Triple R Fund, is invested, but it is not technically part of the endowment. The Triple R Fund also guarantees the school’s longterm debts of $51 million. The board’s policy is to keep enough money in the Triple R Fund to cover all outstanding debt, so the full value of these funds cannot be spent. In recent years the Triple R Fund has supported a wide range of projects, including the Walker Building, Hanes Hall, campus infrastructure, and faculty housing. There are also several smaller plant and maintenance funds in the endowment.
Faculty/Staff $100.0 million Tuition Assistance
Faculty/Staff — Includes faculty chairs, masterships, and professional development funds. The funds support salaries and benefits for faculty and staff, the school’s largest annual expense.
million
Tuition Assistance — Provides about twothirds of the annual tuition assistance funding. All tuition assistance is need-based.
General (Unrestricted) — Can be used for any area of school life, from facility upgrades to program expenses to faculty and staff salaries.
$331 million
Total value of the endowment and Triple R Fund, June 30, 2019
Aldredge Family Scholarship Fund
Anonymous Scholarship Fund
Asherman Family Fund In Honor of Joseph G. Coleman ’79
Baker Family Scholarship Fund
Ben C. Hale Scholarship Fund
Bynum M. Hunter ’43 Scholarship Fund
Byron and Jennifer Hulsey Family Scholarship Fund
Damien R. Dwin ’93 Scholarship Fund
Dick Spangler, Jr. ’50 Scholarship Fund
Dowd Foundation Scholarship Fund
Grace Family Scholarship
Hardison Scholarship Fund
John C. Reimers, Jr. Fund for Faculty Support
Joseph G. Coleman ’79 Scholarship Fund
Lee Robinson Fund
Pam and Frank Edmonds, Jr. ’87 Scholarship Fund
Rod and Gun Club Endowment
Simmons Family Fund for Wellness
The Carolinas Scholarship Fund
The Noland Family Scholarship Fund
Class of 1969 Reunion Gift Honors Classmates and Brings New Students to Woodberry
Members of the class of 1969 learned all too soon about the pain of losing a Woodberry classmate when William Campbell Arnold, Jr. ’69, died in September 1971 while playing football at the University of North Carolina.
As the class prepared to gather last spring for its fiftieth reunion, it made a decision to honor the fourteen members of the class who have passed away by expanding the Hamp Townsend Class of 1969 Memorial Scholarship Fund, which was established by members of the class after Hamp Townsend’s death in 2011.
“We’ve lost an unusually large number of classmates too young, but Hamp was really a common denominator in a lot of our lives,” says
John Camp ’69, co-chair of the 1969 reunion committee.
The class of 1969 has always been an incredibly loyal one to Woodberry, achieving 100 percent participation in the Amici Fund each of the past three years. Now members of the class are leaving a permanent legacy by funding the Hamp Townsend scholarship in honor of all of their deceased classmates.
“Hamp was a guy who captured Woodberry’s special sauce,” John says. “He may not have been the best student, but the school took a chance on him, and he flourished. We want the scholarship to let the admission committee do with boys today what they did with Hamp more than fifty years ago.”
Sustaining the Woodberry Experience as a Family
Bud Noland ’62 has worked for decades to expand and enhance the programs and facilities of Woodberry Forest School.
The Noland Summer Fellowship Program, established in 1997, supports Woodberry boys as they pursue independent research projects that encourage growth in areas of personal interest. Bud also served on the Advisory Council and then for nine years on the board of trustees, including chairing the buildings and grounds committee. The school built the Manning Family Science Building and Kenan Hall while Bud was chairing the committee. Chris ’95 and Ben ’01 — two of Bud’s four children with his wife, Hennie — have both been active contributors and challenge donors for OneWoodberry in the past two years.
As the Nolands considered how they wanted to continue their support of Woodberry, access and affordability became a top priority.
“Woodberry is such a formative time for boys as you’re learning from teachers and friends,” Chris says. “What’s consistent for any student who has a good experience is the high character of the people around you, especially your classmates.”
To ensure that future Woodberry boys enjoy the same rich experience that each of them enjoyed, Bud, Ben, and Chris established the Noland Family Scholarship Fund. This fund will support families who are able to pay part but not all of Woodberry’s tuition.
“It’s extremely important to make the Woodberry experience accessible to a wide range of people,” Bud says.
Chris and Ben, who both served as prefects, credit Woodberry and their peers at the school with helping them develop the values that serve them so well today.
“Your appreciation of the experience grows over time as you look back at it,” Ben says. “As you go through the world, you realize the importance of the honor and integrity that are instilled at Woodberry, and the relationships you formed with the guys who were there with you.”
Sixty years after he first arrived as a new boy, Bud thinks promoting Woodberry’s mission is more important than ever.
“A good secondary education is, in my mind, even more important than a good college education; your secondary education sets the foundation for all that comes after it,” Bud says. “Woodberry has such a positive focus on leadership and citizenship, with incredible learning opportunities both in and outside of the classroom. It’s very important for us to help sustain that.”
This year’s Noland Fellow Reed Taws ’20 spent his summer in Alaska training as a sea-plane and “off-airport” pilot.
Chris ’95, Bud ’62, Walker, and Ben ’01 Noland
The Walker Society: An Enduring Investment
Woodberry’s financial strength is built in large part on the estate gifts of alumni, parents, and friends. Most estate gifts establish funds in the school’s endowment, providing perpetual support to the boys, faculty, and staff. In 1992 the trustees of Woodberry Forest established the Joseph G. and Violet N. Walker Society to recognize the special generosity of alumni, parents, and friends who have included the school in their estate plans through a provision in their will or as a beneficiary of a retirement plan, life insurance policy, trust, or annuity. The society has more than 530 members, of whom more than 380 are still living.
Bill Hudgins ’68 and Wilda Dodson
When Bill Hudgins ’68 and Wilda Dodson were preparing their estate plans, both wanted to recognize Woodberry’s impact on Bill’s life.
Bill came to Woodberry from the small, southside Virginia town of Victoria, entering as a fifth former.
“I was really in need of a place where I could grow intellectually,” Bill says. “I had a lot of catching up to do and was literally learning to write in those years.”
So as Bill and Wilda were planning, each decided to make a bequest and to join the Walker Society. Wilda’s gift will establish a tuition assistance fund named after Bill, while Bill’s gift will fund a scholarship named after his parents.
“A lot of our property and assets are in our individual names, so making individual bequests lets the school receive a gift when one of us dies rather than after we both pass away,” Wilda says.
The writing skills that Bill acquired as a Tiger certainly served him well. He went on to earn a degree at Columbia University before embarking on a career in journalism that continues to this day. After working at the Nashville Banner he edited several magazines, including one called Road King that was aimed at long-haul truckers and another, American Spirit, that is the magazine of the Daughters’ of the American Revolution. Bill remains a contributor to American Spirit and recently wrote a piece on The Residence for the magazine.
NEW MEMBERS
Mr. and Mrs. Everett R. Cook ’69
Mr. and Mrs. David B. Harker ’94
Mr. William B. Judkins ’69
Mr. and Mrs. Peter W. Low ’55
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Nash ’72
Mr. Caswell C. Prewitt ’12
Mr. F. Marshall Rabil, Jr. ’00
Mr. Robert L. Stephens ’50
Mr. and Mrs. J. Stuart White ’82
Throughout his life, Bill has leaned on values learned at Woodberry.
“I really embraced the honor system,” he says. “It’s shaped my character and given me a basis to know if I was doing what was right and being fair to people.”
Wilda, a graduate of Rhodes College and the University of Tennessee’s College of Law, practiced law for several years before a lengthy career as a financial advisor with Edward Jones.
“I come from a family that believes in education,” Wilda says. “We’re so impressed with the campus and the people at Woodberry, and we also love the sense of continuity and want to help that continue.”
“The reason we give today and will give in the future through the Walker Society is to help kids go to Woodberry who couldn’t otherwise be at the school.”
Paul ’03 and Krista Toms
For Krista and Paul Toms ’03, planned giving is an opportunity to make a lasting impact that goes beyond their immediate family.
And as they thought about places that were important to them, Krista knew right away that Woodberry should be at the top of the list.
“I met Paul when I was eighteen and he was twenty, and it was clear early on that Woodberry was special both to Paul and to his family,” she says. “It’s been cool over the past fifteen years to see Paul’s relationship with the school evolve.”
Today Paul and Krista — who met when they were students at Boston University and who still live in Boston — serve on the Woodberry Advisory Council. They have two sons, ages five and three, and as they raise their own boys they’re proud of the way Woodberry helps older boys grow and mature.
“Seeing how Woodberry develops the whole boy is really impactful to me,” Krista says. “It’s important to us to demonstrate that we’re invested in and believe in what Woodberry is doing.”
Paul said Woodberry has long been at the top of his list of places to support each year with a gift. Joining the Walker Society was a way to take that commitment to the next level. He’s especially proud of the Mabel H. Toms Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is named for Paul’s grandmother and supported by many of the members of his family with Woodberry connections — his father, Paul
Toms ’72; brother, Nathan ’05; and cousins David Fulton ’04, Crawford Rizor ’02, and James Rizor ’05 all attended Woodberry.
The work Woodberry is doing with tuition assistance is very interesting,” Paul says. “It’s important to have a diverse student body so that boys can learn from each other. . . . The reason we give today and will give in the future through the Walker Society is to help kids go to Woodberry who couldn’t otherwise be at the school.”
Honoring John Reimers and His Unique Style of Teaching
Every era of Woodberry students has its list of legendary faculty members. The names change depending on the decade, but how alumni describe these faculty members is remarkably consistent. They remember tireless work ethic, deep interests in students, and a feeling of lifelong connections.
For Ian MacLeod ’82, as for so many other students who attended Woodberry between 1972 and 2019, the faculty member who left a lasting mark was John Reimers.
Ian entered Woodberry as a fourth former and attended summer school before starting his new boy year. That’s where he met John, who was assigned as his English teacher.
“I just loved it,” Ian recalls. “He was the smartest, funniest, and most insightful teacher I’d ever had.”
When Ian returned to campus in September, John became his faculty advisor. Since Ian hailed from LaJolla, California, far from Woodberry’s traditional recruiting grounds, the faculty member and student soon fell into a running debate about Ian’s home state, then led by Governor Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown.
“He loved to rip me about Jerry Brown, and it was just constant banter about California,” Ian says. “It probably didn’t help that I arrived on campus with the longest hair of any student in the school, which John frequently commented on.”
Ian and his wife, Paige, have long been supporters of educational institutions because of the emphasis that Ian’s mother, Valerie Semmes MacLeod, a graduate of The Madeira School, placed on education. Mrs. MacLeod knew of Woodberry from her time living in Albemarle County, where she attended Grace Episcopal Church alongside several generations of the Shackelford family, including Corky Shackelford ’46 and his father, A. Colquitt Shackelford — longtime faculty members in Woodberry’s English and math departments, respectively.
“He was the smartest, funniest, and most insightful teacher I’d ever had.”
“Paige and I give to schools and universities, particularly in the form of scholarships, because of my mom and because of John,” Ian says.
It was in this spirit that the MacLeods made a major gift earlier this year to the John C. Reimers Jr. Scholarship Fund. First established in 2005 by Laura and Blair Woodall, the fund has grown thanks to gifts from the MacLeods; Lynda and David Underwood; their son, David Underwood ’84; and others wishing to honor John’s many contributions to Woodberry.
After graduating from Woodberry, Ian earned a degree in international relations from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. He has held a wide range of roles in banking and today lives near San Francisco, where he is an operating partner at Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, a private equity firm that invests in healthcare and technology companies.
Ian says John’s encouragement to be a better thinker and writer has served him well in his career. “Curiosity serves you well in business because you are always looking around the corner for what’s coming, what the next opportunity might be,” Ian says. “Good reading, writing, and speaking skills also serve you well. John always wanted to see you express yourself coherently, and he valued dialogue and debate. He challenged you to think rather than regurgitate.”
Ian also says that John’s retirement this spring was a reminder of the unstinting service he gave to Woodberry and its students over the past fortyseven years.
“His passion for teaching, his commitment to helping young men learn to think, and his dedication to Woodberry . . . I think there’s no more noble cause.”
Ian ’82, Madison, Paige, and Stephen MacLeod
O UR P H Y S IC A L
Place
Walker Building Revitalization Enters Final Year
In August, students, faculty, and administrators began using the restored western wing of the Walker Building, as well as the remodeled lobby.
The ground level remains the home of the post office and school store in their historic locations. Community Street now includes a student kitchen where boys can grab snacks or prepare meals, and the center of the building holds a game room that is partially complete and will be fully finished by next summer.
The A Dorm level of the Baker Family Wing is the new home of the admission and college counseling offices; this year it is also hosting the headmaster’s temporary office.
About seventy boys, as well as two faculty members, are living again on B and C Dorms. The renovation work created standardized room sizes, with a focus on double rooms and a small number of triple rooms. The new rooms also have air conditioning, a first for the Walker Building.
Work on the eastern half of the building will finish in summer 2020, allowing the alumni and development office to return to the building and for the entire fourth form to once again live on B Dorm and C Dorm. Community Street will be home to an expanded Fir Tree snack bar and offices for members of the faculty who oversee student life.
The Walker Building project has been a massive one, as students and critical school operations have continued to use the building even as it was restored. Next time you visit campus, stop by and see how familiar spaces have been preserved and restored for the next one hundred years!
A Legacy for the Class of 2019
Parents of the class of 2019 knew that more than sixty members of the class would be the first boys to live in Hanes Hall in more than forty years.
An immediate highlight of the dorm, which was completely renovated and repurposed after the William H. White, Jr. Library moved to the Walker Building, was the new commons room, located in the former reading room of the library. The renovated space featured a full-service kitchen, a massive video screen, and four smaller screens that can be used for both study and video game sessions.
David and Elizabeth Perdue saw right away how much their son, Gus, loved living on the new dorm and spending time in the commons room. They also knew from their son Jack ’17 how much it means to boys to have places where they can gather and relax with friends.
“It is a space unlike anything else on the Woodberry campus,” Elizabeth said. “The size, location, and configuration drew all of the sixthform boys there for a range of activities. The boys felt like it was theirs, and they had earned it. Countless stories of working, playing, watching sports, cooking, and spending time together came out of that room. By the end of the year, it was clear it was a great success.”
Since their sons were the first to live in the new Hanes Hall, the class of 2019 parents and grandparents choose to name the stunning space the Class of 2019 Commons.
“Dorm life and roommates played such a big part of both our sons’ lives at Woodberry,” David said. “The tradition of moving up through the various dormitories through the years marks the journey
through the Woodberry experience. Fourth-form year in Walker seems especially memorable for both our sons and their friends and families.”
Rick de Alessandrini, co-chair of the Sixth-Form Parents’ and Grandparents’ Gift Committee, said when announcing the successful gift on Amici Night that Woodberry inspires boys to embrace the common values found in societies throughout the world, especially virtue, discipline, humor, and friendship. He said he’s seen those virtues play out in his son Giulio’s seven years as part of the Woodberry family, first as a sports camper and then as a student.
“Woodberry Forest School takes young boys and, within the bounds of the honor system, shapes them into honorable young men. In speaking with parents, the overwhelming majority, if not all, feel their boys have grown into gentlemen they are proud of,” he said.
Boys who spent so many hours in the Class of 2019 Commons during its first year will always look back on it fondly.
“The Hanes Hall Commons brings us together in many ways,” said Ford Asherman, a member of the class of 2019 from Houston who lived on the dorm. “You can play ping-pong or watch games all together. And you can come together to study at night because there are great spaces to work as a group on projects.”
The 2019 Sixth-Form Parents’ and Grandparents’ Gift Committee with their sons
Caring for Woodberry’s Physical Place
When Tom Pendleton walks into an office, faculty home, or dorm to take care of whatever has gone wrong — maybe it’s something simple, like a leaking faucet, or something challenging, like repeated power outages — he conveys the impression that there’s nothing he’d rather be doing than solving that problem. His cheerful smile and easy laugh make everyone he comes in contact with happy that Tom was a part of their day.
For the past fifteen years, Tom has kept campus pipes clear and school buildings humming. And though he’s maintained both of Woodberry’s swimming pools for years, he only took a swim once, and that dip was unintentional. “I was vacuuming and I stepped over the corner, but I missed,” he chuckles. A wet uniform was the only ill effect; Tom seems happy just to have a story to tell.
Tom’s good humor and devotion to his work made him the 2019 recipient of the Frank S. Walker Award, given to the staff member who has best advanced the spirit of unselfishness exemplified by Frank S. Walker of the Class of 1903. Tom received the award a few weeks before his retirement from the school’s staff.
Now a resident of Madison, Tom grew up in Orange and attended Orange County High School. He didn’t graduate, though, and in his forties found himself alongside teenagers in a GED course. “I just wanted to know I got it,” Tom says of his motivation to get a diploma. Before coming to Woodberry, Tom held various jobs, including making doors at a steel mill, maintaining machines at Rochester Corporation, and working in construction.
Tom joined the staff at Woodberry in 2003. He left briefly in 2005 to start his own business; the failure of his tractor-trailer may have been unfortunate for Tom, but it was lucky for Woodberry. With support from the school, he completed a four-year apprenticeship and earned credentials in plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and carpentry work. A natural teacher, Tom became the “go-to guy when new guys started — he had a way of explaining things that anyone could understand,” said John Rose, maintenance manager. “He showed me the campus and how everything worked fourteen years ago when I started.”
“His smile and laugh will be missed around the shop,” says Gene Lewis, director of facilities. “He’s a great worker with a do-all-you-can-for-Woodberry outlook.” Tom enjoyed his coworkers as much as they enjoyed him. Known as “Pops” around the shop, he says the time spent visiting with the crew in the shop was his favorite part of working at Woodberry. “Woodberry is a good place to work. Everybody gets along,” Tom says.
In his retirement, Tom plans to travel, fish, and camp. He’ll get together often with his four children, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, all of whom have stayed in the area. His wife, Kathy, a Madison county school bus driver who previously worked for Woodberry’s housekeeping department, also has some ideas for putting Tom’s expertise and free time to use. Tom grins with his signature twinkle: “I have a honey-do list about six months long.”
W H Y W E A R E S T RO N G :
Community & Volunteers
New Fund Helps SmallTown Carolina Boys
Former roommates Ben Wall ’94 and Trey Dempsey ’94 were like so many Woodberry boys before and after them: young men from small towns in the South who were brought together by the school, became roommates, and formed a lifelong bond.
They were both prefects and played together on the varsity football team. Ben also wrestled, while Trey played lacrosse.
And in recent years the pair have become increasingly interested in ensuring that boys and families with backgrounds similar to their own are able to afford a Woodberry education.
“Both of us are from small towns and appreciate what Woodberry did for us in terms of high-quality opportunities,” says Ben, a native of Conway, South Carolina. “We think it’s beneficial to Woodberry to have boys from small communities studying alongside boys from large cities, both in the United States and overseas.”
Trey has a similar story. He came to Woodberry from Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
“My dad was a dentist,” Trey says. “So we were doing fine as a family, but we weren’t rich. Even so, a Woodberry education was possible for me. Ben and I have worried that Woodberry’s price would be impractical for families from the school’s historic recruiting grounds, especially small towns,” he says. “One morning Ben and I were eating breakfast together and realized we could combine forces and contribute to a fund that would address this.”
Today the two are active volunteers, supporting Woodberry in their cities and rallying classmates to support the school in a powerful way. This year they created the Carolinas Scholarship Fund. They and other members of the class of 1994 have committed roughly $500,000 and hope over time to grow the fund to $5 million, Trey says. Need-based tuition assistance grants from the fund will support students from rural areas of North Carolina and South Carolina.
Ben and Trey share the school’s goal of fully endowing tuition assistance, and they’re eager to see more alumni join them. They’re also excited that classmates with similar stories have responded to their effort and are eager to see other North Carolina and South Carolina alumni of all ages join the cause.
“A lot of really successful Woodberry graduates come from small towns and benefited tremendously from their education,” Trey said. “We want this to be a model for other regions.”
Trey Dempsey ’94 and Ben Wall ’94
The Amici Fund: A Year
of Donor and Dollar
Growth
Each year the Amici Fund provides direct, immediate support to the students, faculty, and staff at Woodberry. Growing the fund is critical to expanding its impact — allowing more boys to receive tuition assistance, faculty to receive raises, and more school programs to be supported by philanthropy.
A key to the Amici Fund’s growth in the past five years has been the increase in alumni participation thanks to the tireless work of our volunteer network and to the great love so many alumni have for their school. Parents and grandparents also played a crucial role in Amici’s record-setting year, with giving levels from grandparents and parents of alumni soaring compared to prior years.
Amici is a success because a wide range of people give a wide range of gifts. Whether you were able to contribute $10 or $10,000, your gift is already serving and sustaining Woodberry.
Total Donors
$3,740,547 +$65,890
4,569
+196
Total Dollars Raised over last year over last year
A Five-Year Look at the Amici Fund
*Woodberry’s 65.5 percent alumni donation rate is number one in the country for independent schools.
OneWoodberry
Parents and grandparents joined OneWoodberry this year for the first time, leading to a truly monumental day. Along with the incredible work of volunteers around the country, hundreds of Tigers gathered for special OneWoodberry events in more than a dozen cities.
Our community was led by sixty parent and alumni volunteers who issued a $500,000 challenge if the school received 3,000 gifts by midnight, March 20. We hit the goal by mid-afternoon.
The enthusiasm on campus was infectious, with students and faculty gathering in Kenan Hall to connect with the volunteers who’d returned to campus to lead the effort. All members of the Woodberry community on campus agreed they were deeply humbled by the level of support. The day, and the growth of OneWoodberry over the past three years, shows the Woodberry family at its best.
$2,177,953
Total Participants
3,751
50 Volunteers on Campus
13 Events Held Nationally
OneWoodberry Class Rankings
biggest participation increase over OneWoodberry 2018
Our Volunteers
We are thankful to all of our volunteers who give so much of their time. The number of volunteers has doubled in the past five years, and this growth is a key reason for the growth of the Amici Fund.
2018–19 Board of Trustees
Sumner S. Finch ’75, Chair (P ’11)
High Point, North Carolina
Edward L. Baker ’96 Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Patrick F. Bassett Gainesville, Virginia
John R. Belk ’77 (P ’08) Charlotte, North Carolina
Hope H. Bryant (P ’12, ’14, ’17) Raleigh, North Carolina
William K. Caler, Jr. ’63 West Palm Beach, Florida
Thomas H. Claiborne ’83 (P ’14, ’16, ’20) Westcliff, South Africa
Benjamin H. Davis ’89 Dallas, Texas
2018–19 Advisory Council
Catherine & Frank Edwards ’88 Co-chairs (P ’20, ’22) Charlotte, North Carolina
John Baker ’03 Jacksonville, Florida
Frannie & Thomas Fitzgerald Chevy Chase, Maryland
Barbara & Clark Fitz-Hugh ’86 (P ’20) New Orleans, Louisiana
Kristy & Harley Garrison ’87 Greensboro, North Carolina
Debbie & Matt Long (P ’18, ’21) Towson, Maryland
P = Parent
Damien R. Dwin ’93 New York, New York
Franklin S. Edmonds, Jr. ’87 Charlottesville, Virginia
Nelson O. Fitts ’93 Greenwich, Connecticut
Ragan Folan (P ’10, ’13) Winston-Salem, North Carolina
E. Hooper Hardison, Jr. ’79 (P ’10, ’12) Charlotte, North Carolina
William M. James ’80 (P ’15) New York, New York
Robert E. Long ’75 Brookhaven, Georgia
Frederick R. Lummis II ’71 Houston, Texas
Cathy & Jim Mahan ’96 Cary, North Carolina
Jill & John Moylan ’80 (P ’11) Columbia, South Carolina
Karen & Richard Rogers ’77 Winston-Salem, North Carolina
April & Ryan Shores (P ’19) Arlington, Virginia
Mary Leslie & Richard Spencer ’84 Atlanta, Georgia
Jennifer & Boyd Steinhoff ’04 McLean, Virginia
Diane & Joe Thomas ’81 (P ’19, ’21) Alexandria, Virginia
Gary A. Mance ’74 Midlothian, Virginia
Dorothy A. Matz (P ’15, ’18, ’21) Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Geoffrey P. Sisk ’77 (P ’09) Richmond, Virginia
Robert H. Spilman, Jr. ’74 (P ’10) Martinsville, Virginia
Giles Tucker ’85 (P ’13, ’19) Manakin-Sabot, Virginia
C. Stewart Verdery, Jr. ’85 Washington, District of Columbia
Trustees Emeriti
Sion A. Boney ’74 (P ’16) Haynes G. Griffin ’65 (P ’87, ’92, ’98) C. Carter Walker, Jr. ’52
Krista & Paul Toms ’03 Boston, Massachusetts
Caroline & Bryan Vroon (P ’21) Atlanta, Georgia
Jaime & Ben Wall ’94 Spartanburg, South Carolina
Kathy & Chris Walmsley (P ’17, ’19) Charlottesville, Virginia
Alston & Philip Watt (P ’19) Thomasville, Georgia
Katharine & Ray Welder (P ’20) San Antonio, Texas
2018–19 Regional Association Volunteers
Atlanta
W. Bonneau Ansley III ‘95
Stuart F. Bondurant
R. Lee Burrows, Jr. ‘78
Jan and Kip R. Caffey
Ann and Wilbur N. Ellis
Gardiner W. Garrard III ‘89
Elijah T. Green ‘94
Kerry M. Izard
Henry M. T. Jones ‘90
W. Pierce Lancaster ‘02
C. Knox Massey III ‘81
L. Hunter Morhous ‘99
C. Talbot Nunnally III ‘76
William M. Ragland, Jr. ‘78
G. Kinsey Roper III ‘73
Richard P. Spencer II ‘84
William L. Spencer ‘80
W. Martin Stephenson ’99
Joseph G. Vicars, Jr. ‘05
Robert H. Wyatt ‘12
Austin
Andrew R. Grabato ’01
George S. Hillhouse ’84
T. Frederick C. Kennedy ’85
Bryan B. Plater ’83
Jesse Y. Womack III ’96
Capitol
Broderick C. Dunn ‘00
John B. Gogos ‘98
M. Anthony Gould ‘60
Malcolm Marshall III ‘92
Zachary A. Merriman ‘95
Jarrett M. Morrell ‘91
John C. Raffetto ‘02
Philip J. Rogers ‘10
Boyd R. Steinhoff ‘04
James Harry M. Stephens ’07
C. Stewart Verdery, Jr. ‘85
Charleston, South Carolina
Walter D. Blessing, Jr. ‘90
Bowen G. Chapman ‘04
Jesse S. Claypoole IV ‘94
J. Berkeley D’Alton ‘97
Charlton deSaussure III ‘04
Theodore M. Malinowski ‘09
C. Whitten Meares III ‘97
Isaac J. Morton ‘94
John G. Powell ‘97
Andrew R. Tew ‘05
Neil D. Thomson ‘93
Charlotte
Isaac B. Grainger III ‘64
David B. Harker ‘94
Minor T. Hinson ‘80
Frederick E. Hopkins III ‘87
Joseph B. C. Kluttz ‘69
John B. Lipe ‘98
Kendrick W. Mattox III ‘89
Robert L. McMillan ‘84
William E. Mills ‘02
Marion W. Peebles IV ‘05
John S. Petrone ‘06
Robert W. Sappenfield, Jr. ‘85
James H. Smith III ‘06
J. William Thompson, Jr. ‘89
Clarence E. Williams III ‘77
Charlottesville
Brooks D. Hathaway ‘91
Robert H. Jiranek, Jr. ‘81
Jonathan P. Kauffmann ‘95
O. Lanier Kimbrough V ‘91
Keven J. Lindemann ‘87
Thomas J. Ronayne III ‘97
D. French Slaughter IV ‘04
Edward R. Testerman III ‘02
John B. Updike ‘77
Katherine Walmsley
Dallas
W. Ware Smith III ’99
Houston
Samuel T. Chambers ’77
Stuart H. Coleman ’04
D. Walters Hughes ’07
James Edward Maloney ’69
Lee H. Staley ’92
W. Perrin Van Allen ’06
New York City
A. Christian Burke ‘72
Nelson O. Fitts ‘93
Gunnar G. Gregory ‘07
James P. Harper ‘98
J. Mitchell Hull ‘77
Edward E. Hull ‘08
F. Claiborne Johnston III ‘96
W. Fort Parker II ‘01
J. Mead Rust, Jr. ‘97
Todd G. Sears ‘94
R. Louis Smart IV ‘05
F. Stuart Swann ‘02
Triangle
R. Marks Arnold ’69
Martin M. Boney ‘85
Martin W. Borden ‘83
Samuel T. Bratton ‘82
Carter M. Brenneman ‘99
Robert B. Brown ‘87
Issac A. Brown ‘08
Richard C. Bue ’86
Kim Collie
Christopher M. Harris ‘91
Robert E. Long III ‘02
John B. Maddison ’97
John F. Nash, Jr. ‘08
John F. Nash ‘72
George B. Purrington ‘04
John V. Purrington ‘86
Elizabeth Roberts
Jason M. Slade ‘90
John W. Taylor ‘02
Douglas A. Vaughn ‘87
Heather C. Warren
Richmond
Read M. Butler ‘91
Barbour T. Farinholt ‘80
Joseph L. Farmer ‘04
Tyler S. Finney ‘08
Muscoe R. H. Garnett III ‘94
Brantley D. Hathaway ‘80
W. Massie Meredith, Jr. ‘75
D. Reilly Monroe ‘02
J. Taylor Monroe ‘05
H. Frederick T. Moore
W. Randolph Robins, Jr. ‘01
Richard H. Wright IV ‘96
Triad
Julius E. Banzet IV ‘85
David P. Broughton ‘86
F. Lee Bryan IV ‘98
William T. Goodson ‘01
I. Bates Grainger IV ‘92
C. Christian Green ‘88
G. William Joyner III ‘88
James C. King ‘87
Richard H. Ramsey ‘97
2018–19 Class Agents
1940s
Blair C. Gammon ‘44
A. Colquitt Shackelford, Jr. ’46
Frank A. Daniels, Jr. ‘49
James C. Eller ‘49
John L. S. Northrop ‘49
1950
Russell M. Robinson II
1951
Richard N. Taliaferro, Jr.
1952
Edwin B. Borden, Jr.
Richard S. Reynolds III
Theodore K. Woods, Jr.
1953
Herbert F. Kincey, Jr.
1954
John G. P. Boatwright
Whitney C. O’Keeffe
Robert K. Yowell
1955
Robert H. Borden
Henry H. Brown
William H. Luesing, Jr.
1956
Hugh L. Campbell
Leon G. Campbell, Jr.
George G. Phillips, Jr.
1957
David C. Bramlette III
John P. Castleman, Jr.
J. Carter Fox
David A. Irvin
Gregory S. Prince, Jr.
1958
Peter S. Gilchrist III
J. Ward Purrington
1959
James L. Coker IV
George W. Pepper
Charles D. Ritter, Sr.
William L. St. Clair
G. McNeir Tilman
1960
Gardiner W. Garrard, Jr.
William D. King
Marion M. Wall
Samuel M. Wellborn III
1961
John S. Curry
Charles L. Dibble
C. H. Randolph Lyon
1962
Robert J. Feller
Douglas W. Kincaid, Jr.
Charles B. Mayer
Lloyd U. Noland III
Travis J. Tysinger
Thomas P. Warlow III
1963
William K. Caler, Jr.
Peter B. Lyon
1964
Parham R. Fox
Isaac B. Grainger III
Edmund W. Perrow
Robert P. Roper, Jr.
1965
Edward H. Covington
R. Michael Daniel
Frederick B. Dent, Jr.
Temple Grassi
Douglas S. Holladay, Jr.
John L. MacCorkle
Robert B. Phelps
1966
John W. Barton, Jr.
William B. DePass, Jr.
Geoffrey W. Henson
1967
John S. Steele
David G. Sutton
O. Beechmond Watson III
1968
Francis C. Bagbey
1969
William B. Judkins
Charles Lee Smith III
C. Whitley Vick III
1970
Wilson M. Brown III
Samuel B. Rankin
B. Walter Taylor, Jr.
1971
Andrew C. M. Keenan, Jr.
1973
Robert C. Hudson
D. French Slaughter III
1974
John K. Cohen
Dean G. Norman
John Zimmermann
1975
W. Massie Meredith, Jr.
1976
Blaine S. Merritt
1977
John R. Belk
James E. Clement, Jr.
Patrick F. Nash
1978
Diggs S. Bishop
1979
Theodore N. Barger
E. Hooper Hardison, Jr.
1980
Alexander G. Campbell III
Barbour T. Farinholt
Brantley D. Hathaway
Minor T. Hinson
William M. James
Douglas W. MacLay, Jr.
William L. Spencer
1981
Charles W. Biggs II
Thomas W. Jamison, Jr.
Robert H. Jiranek, Jr.
1982
Samuel T. Bratton
William R. Browning
William B. Hardison
Virginia and William R. Slicer
Stafford M. Swearingen
J. Stuart White III
1983
Martin W. Borden
F. Huntley Bossong
Robert B. Houck
Catesby B. Jones
Whitney H. Montgomery
R. Brandt Swindell, Jr.
Edward W. Valentine 1984
B. Manly Boyd III
Edward M. Deal
George S. Hillhouse
Robert L. McMillan
A. Nicholas Purrington
Richard P. Spencer II 1985
John W. Black III
J. Miles Boldrick
William P. Bray
T. Frederick C. Kennedy
David R. Lawson
Steele E. McGonegal
John T. Slicer
Kevin W. Tydings 1986
David P. Broughton
Patrick A. Fischoeder
Fanning M. Hearon III
C. Andrew Tysinger
J. Spencer Whitman 1987
Frederick E. Hopkins III 1988
Robert M. Daniel, Jr.
Frank H. Edwards
D. Matthew Middelthon
Jonathan R. Montbach
Arthur C. Roselle
E. Craig Wall III 1989
Coburn R. Beck
John D. Osteen
J. William Thompson, Jr. 1990
Robert E. L. Barnhill III
Walter D. Blessing, Jr.
Walter E. Daniel IV
Francis S. Gristina
Henry M. T. Jones
Damon R. Mosley
Alexander M. Neuman
Jason M. Slade
1991
Mark B. Copen
Gunby J. Garrard
W. Scott Gillespie
Brooks D. Hathaway
John C. Matthews
P. Anders Melton, Jr.
Jarrett M. Morrell
1992
William K. Brawley III
Charles P. Fulford III
Malcolm Marshall III
Telfair H. Parker, Jr.
Lee H. Staley
John W. Ward IV
E. Barksdale Watkins
1993
Michael K. Dean
T. Land Deleot, Jr.
Joshua B. Heiskell
J. Giles Ward
William W. Watkins, Jr.
1994
T. Winfrey O. Bear
Lawrence H. Dempsey III
Jonathan V. Gould
Elijah T. Green
Carter M. Little
R. Blake Lovelace
J. Eric Miller
Isaac J. Morton
Todd G. Sears
Benjamin R. Wall II
1996
Edward L. Baker II
Pascal S. Boyd III
F. Baily Dent III
W. Brunson DePass III
C. Herring Hancock
F. Claiborne Johnston III
Billy A. Mock III
L. Tune Nunnelee IV
M. Eugene Williams III
Douglas B. Winslow
Jesse Y. Womack III
Richard H. Wright IV
1997
William D. King, Jr.
C. Whitten Meares III
Corbin P. Miller
Porter H. Nolan
John G. Powell
Thomas S. Ragsdale IV
H. Paul Ross, Jr.
1998
John W. Barton III
Colin R. Brooks
Benjamin C. Bruner
F. Lee Bryan IV
Jonathan L. Drew
Thomas B. W. Hall
John L. Hallett II
M. Camp Kilcollin, Jr.
Gordon H. Kolb, Jr.
John B. Lipe
Harrison Stuart
Matthew E. L. Tornabene
Andrew S. Wright
1999
Carter M. Brenneman
M. Brian Burchette
Charles Collier III
Paul H. Dent
W. Clayton Ezell
R. Sterling Kelly IV
Hynson H. Marvel III
Webb B. Milward
L. Hunter Morhous
T. Dyllan Rankin
F. Bradford Swann, Jr.
John E. Voissem
2000
Broderick C. Dunn
Edward C. Frackelton
Adam J. Geist
James Taliaferro M. Oates
F. Marshall Rabil, Jr.
Richard R. Reutter
W. Ansel Sanders
C. McDonald Steele
2001
Caldwell M. B. Bailey
George R. Bassett, Jr.
Robert W. Chen
K. Cameron Coley
William T. Goodson
Andrew R. Grabato
Lloyd F. Moss III
Frank D. Nelms III
Benjamin K. Noland
W. Randolph Robins, Jr.
John H. Scott
Philip D. Sterling
F. Taylor Sutton V
2002
William C. Collier
Emmett D. Nelms
F. Stuart Swann
Edward R. Testerman III
2003
Cameron A. Arnett
John D. Baker III
T. Dubose Bratton
Andrew S. Ellison
Conner G. Gentil
F. Stafford Kelly
Whidbee S. Perrin
Gregory R. Schwartz
Samuel A. Slater
Alexander R. Strange
Philip W. Vann
2004
James S. Boswell
Andrew C. Burns, Jr.
Bowen G. Chapman
Stuart H. Coleman
Charlton deSaussure III
Joseph L. Farmer
Sydney D. F. Farrar II
P. Howard Glenn
Aubrey F. Hammond III
J. J. Caylor Mark III
William D. Mayer
Trevor S. Slaven
Boyd R. Steinhoff
Robert L. Stephens III
Frazier C. Stowers
Andrew G. Woodin
James K. Woolford, Jr.
2005
W. Thomas L. Avery
Wilson M. Bonner
W. Haynes David
Paul Funkhouser
Galen P. Green
Christopher T. W. Gresham
Peter A. S. Hansen
Lawrence O. B. Kluttz
W. Sterling Ruffin
R. Louis Smart IV
Andrew R. Tew
W. Myles Wynn
2006
Alexander K. Butler
Roddey Dowd III
Bratton W. DuBose
John R. Grey IV
D. Ross Howard, Jr.
Patrick S. Kelly
Benjamin F. Matthews III
John S. Petrone
Peter B. Wilson
2007
John D. Ainsworth
Joseph L. Arnold III
Gordon R. Crenshaw
Gunnar G. Gregory
J. Harry M. Stephens
John S. Whaley III
Dane S. Wood
2008
J. Robert Belk, Jr.
Issac A. Brown
S. Andrew Dopp
J. Thompson Ellington IV
Tyler S. Finney
J. Spencer Frantz III
Camden P. Geiger
Edward E. Hull
William D. Lawson V
Paul F. Liles
Samuel L. Mikell
John F. Nash, Jr.
Richardson G. Seabrook
Colton D. Soref
Alfred Williams V
G. Coleman Wright
2009
Arthur H. Bryant III
Barrett W. Deacon
James F. Frazier
Landon R. Wyatt IV
2010
Elliott L. Brewer
B. Alexander Hagood
Edward H. Hardison III
W. Chase Spong
Patrick M. Szyperski
Clarence E. Williams IV
2011
Kevin W. Bennert
William L. Borden, Jr.
E. Ragland Coxe, Jr.
J. Buckley Davis III
W. Austin Finch
Craig R. Fuller
Cary D. D. Jones
Matthew A. Laws
John C. Moylan IV
J. Brian Pecheles 2012
Charles B. Blaydes
Edwin B. Borden II
William B. Choate III
H. Collier Connell
H. Wilson Craig
Marshall W. Deal
Henry W. Dyke
Mark E. Petrone
Caswell C. Prewitt
Charles L. D. Setzer 2013
Nicholas W. Cirillo
Feixiang Han
F. Trice Moore
Erwin T. Williams
James J. B. Willis
L. Haynes Zaytoun 2014
Spencer A. Bibb
Isaiah J. Brown
Thomas H. Claiborne, Jr.
T. Lester Coleman
D. Maybank Hagood, Jr.
George A. Ives IV
J. Hines Liles
William J. Osterman 2015
Eduardo Corona
Andrew F. Harris
Nathan J. Ingram
Christopher K. Nance
William N. Peak
T. Talfourd Wharton, Jr.
2016
Wyatt S. Beazley V
Robert L. McMillan III
John P. Pittman II
J. Garnett Reid, Jr.
Caleb T. Rogers
2017
B. Lee Caffey
James Carrington III
Scott D. Gullquist, Jr.
Charles E. Hargrove
Tilden Q. Winston
Jeremiah R. Zaytoun
Parent Committees
Class of 2019 Sixth-Form Parents’ Gift Committee
Ellen and Rick de Alessandrini, chairs
Paige and Steve Burgess
Mary Elaine and Robert Jolly
Elizabeth and David Perdue
Kristy and Bill Thompson ’89
Kathy and Chris Walmsley
Class of 2020
Stephanie and Howard Bissell, chairs
Catherine and Frank Edwards ’88
Pam and Michael Gantt
Fionuala and Charles Monsted
Carrie and Michael O’Malley
Elizabeth and Christian Schnabel ’87
Class of 2021
Martha and Clay Dunnagan, chairs
Tessa and Gerrit Goss
Heather and John Mills
Holly and Marshall Phillips
Catherine and Ed Stelter
Diane and Joe Thomas ’81
Class of 2022
Sarah and Britt Lytle, chairs
Sarah and Mike Innes
Sylvia and Mitch Leverette
Jennifer and Chase Monroe
Juli and Alex Neuman ’90
Jane and Chris Oldham
Karen and Brandon Perry
Molly and Bryan Willis
Woodberry Forest School
Woodberry Forest, Virginia 22989
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