Jane Woodruff, 95, passed away July 29.
Jane Woodruff was known around Highlands for her generous contributions including to the hospital, the post office, the fire department and the recreation center, but friends want to her to be remembered as the visionary that they knew.
Woodruff passed away at her home in the afternoon of July 29.
She gave continual gifts to the Shepherd Center, Mayo Clinic, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Highlands-Cashiers Community Hospital and the Children’s Center of Highlands.
Not only was health at the top of her mind, education was deeply rooted in her heart. She was dedicated to educational institutions in the state of Georgia, including Emory University, Mercer University, Woodward Academy, Pace Academy, Rabun Gap Nacoochee School, The Westminster School, the Lovett School and others.
She was born in Atlanta, Ga., on September 30, 1925. Woodruff started school at Lula Compton Seminary in Birmingham, Ala, later attending Seabreeze Private School and Graham-Eckes Private School in Daytona Beach, Fla. She earned her high school diploma from Washington Seminary in Atlanta, Ga., and her bachelor’s degree from Mt. Vernon College in Washington, D.C., serving as president of her class and on student council.
Highlands Mayor Pat Taylor said Woodruff has left an enduring legacy on the town.
“Mrs. Woodruff loved this community, and she was a great Highlander,” Taylor said. “Her generosity and longtime support of this community will be an enduring legacy of devotion to her fellow citizens and community institutions.”
A new 20,000-square-foot medical office building, the Jane Woodruff Building, was opened in 1995, and another 52,000-square-foot medical building, the Jane Woodruff Clinic, was completed and opened in the fall of 2004.
“The enormous impact through Jane Woodruff’s philanthropy on our community is insurmountable,” Robin Tindall, Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation, CEO and executive Director, said. “Looking at healthcare alone, Jane’s generous heart literally ‘built’ our hospital campus. She did this out of her deep compassion for people. Over the years Jane’s support for our hospital’s facilities and services totaled tens of millions of dollars. Each time she kindly and thoughtfully emphasized that her giving was for the community; patients and families and the doctors, nurses and care-giving staff who were dedicated to their care. Jane was a loving, spirted soul who lived to give and did so graciously and passionately. She modeled the core values of our community, and her beautiful legacy of philanthropy will forever be in our hearts.”
Owner of Fresser’s Café, Debbie Grossman said Woodruff was an incredible individual.
“Jane was an incredible asset to this community,” Grossman said. “She gave and gave and very often anonymously. She did so much for the community. When she gave, it was for everybody.”
One thing that Grossman said she will miss will be her conversations with Woodruff.
“We would talk about anything and everything,” Grossman said. “She was a dear friend. She was a very special person and I feel privileged to know her like I did.”
Frances Oakley knew Woodruff from when she would come during the summers.
“My grandmother was of that generation, so that is my tie in,” Oakley said. “She appreciated all of what Highlands was. Jane was so unique because as times changed, she understood how important the local people were. She knew how important it was that they be honored. For example, with the Highlands Cashiers Hospital, she understood that this community needed to have good medical care. Not only for the summer people, but for those that live here year-round.”
Oakley worked with Woodruff with the Community Child Development Center.
“The church realized that there was no daycare for the working families,” Oakley said. “When they redid the church, they took that piece of property, raised the money and built the Community Child Development Center. The trouble was, with any childcare, you couldn’t charge the working families what it takes to keep the center running. After we got it up and running, I went to Jane to talk about an endowment, she said, ‘Tell me what you need,’ I had a delightful conversation that lasted all of 15 seconds, and she said that I got it. That was it. You can give a lot of money to a lot of people, but she never gave up her love for the community of Highlands. We owe her a debt of gratitude.”
One thing that Oakley will miss is her lunches with Woodruff.
“The last lunch that we had together was at the Blue Bike,” Oakley said. “She would tell me about all of her children and grandchildren. I’m going to miss all of the local people in the restaurant that would come up and speak to her. The waiters and waitresses would all light up when they saw Jane. She was a very compassionate person, but she was also interested in what you were doing. It wasn’t all about her. She just cared about other people and what was going on in their lives.”
Jack Calloway knew Woodruff ever since he was a little boy.
“The first time that I met Jane was in the early 50s,” Calloway said. “I also knew her parents, George and Irene Woodruff. Many people don’t know this, but Jane was a private person. She enjoyed doing things but didn’t want the fanfare or publicity. When she agreed to build the first medical building, it took a lot of persuasion for it to be dedicated to her - 300 people showed up to the dedication ceremony - but more than half came to see who Jane Woodruff was.”
Calloway said Woodruff was a visionary who did extensive studying about any project she was working on.
“This was one of her best traits,” Calloway said. “She didn’t give money foolishly. I’m sure everybody in town would say that the Highlands community is certainly better off due to her generosity.”
A private burial service will take place in the coming days and a memorial service will be held in her honor in the near future. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in her memory to the Shepherd Center Foundation at 2020 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30309, webmaster@shepherd.org.
By Christopher Smith