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Penny and Greg Woodward share a moment together in Russell House, the president’s residence. On the wall behind them is an oil painting by Power Boothe, professor of painting, titled Transient 1, 2016—one of many works of art from students and faculty exhibited in the Woodwards’ home and in public spaces throughout the University.
and plays to relax. He started writing an opera based on James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and hopes to finish it someday. In the meantime, he reads every night before going to bed, finishing a book a week. He reads to learn about the human condition and to enjoy beautiful writing. “I like to read the great authors, the classics, and the great poets,” he says. His two daughters, Julia, 29, and Vivienne, 27, studied literature and writing, respectively, and the three of them compete to see who can be the first to finish a 300-book list of classics. “They’re voracious readers, so we share books,” he says. “Holidays are always huge book-exchanging events.” Julia is dean of the senior class and an English teacher at Chauncey HallChapel Hill, a private boarding school near Boston. Before that, she taught for Teach for America in inner-city schools in Boston. Vivienne, a creative writer, is an assistant manager at a small, independent bookstore in South Philadelphia, HeadHouse books. Woodward’s son, Charlie, 24, has a degree in physics and works as a team lead for Epic, a healthcare software company in Madison, Wisconsin. Penelope, a retired 32-year public school instrumental music teacher, was so well loved in their hometown of Trumansburg, New York, that Greg was known as the guy who always seemed to be around setting up chairs and music stands, invariably referred to as “Penny’s husband.” Later, as the “first lady” of Carthage College in Wisconsin, Penny taught music as a volunteer in Kenosha inner-city schools. When he retires, Greg says he’s planning to follow her lead and volunteer to teach music classes in a variety of settings, in addition to getting back to composing.
WITHOUT A TRANSFORMATIVE MIRACLE, THE ONLY ANSWER LEFT FOR A BETTER WORLD IS EDUCATION. WHAT ELSE IS THERE? HOW ARE WE GOING TO ACTUALLY GET BETTER? The couple has been married for 31 years, and the family gets together frequently even though they’re spread across four states. “There’s no doubt that my greatest joy and accomplishment in life is to have been a part of this
amazing family. Music, literature, art, sports, great students and colleagues at three wonderful institutions, and a loving and close family; I truly have been blessed in this beautiful life.” H
SPRING 2018