The Generosity of Jane

Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: 2021/09 – September

Jane Woodruff with her coconut birthday cake.

On July 29, the town of Highlands lost its most important visionary since, well, since Mssrs. Kelsey and Hutchinson conceived an agricultural hub upon an almost inaccessible portion of the Southern Appalachians.

If you’re a new arrival to the Plateau, or you’re so removed from the life of the community that you’re not aware of the extraordinary generosity of Jane Woodruff, that opening sentence may seem like rhetorical legerdemain or some clever obituary puffery, but I count the cost of every word that’s in this magazine, and I’ll maintain this assertion for the rest of my time on this sad world.  

Just consider this little town without its H-C Hospital and its attendant medical office buildings, or the Robert Woodruff Civic Center/Rec Park, or the Post Office or the Highlands Child Care and Development Center trying to operate without her generous support, or the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center and its ongoing expansion (for which she provided $500,000).

“In Highlands, Jane Woodruff’s generosity has created a legacy that will keep giving for years to come,” says Mayor Patrick Taylor. “Our hospital campus would not exist if it weren’t for her many gifts. Our Child Development Center and Civic Center are other legacies of her caring for the people of Highlands. Like all Highlanders, I am so grateful for Jane Woodruff and the wonderful life of love, service and generosity that she lived.”

“The enormous impact through Jane Woodruff’s philanthropy on our community is insurmountable,” says Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation CEO/Executive Director Robin Tindall. “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, spirited 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.”

Circle around Tindall’s assertion that Mrs. Woodruff “emphasized that her giving was for the community.”

Locals (myself included) knew that she was aware of us, that she saw us as neighbors. I know of several Highlanders who were quietly helped out of especially dire circumstances by her kindnesses (which she insisted
remain unmentioned). 

But let’s let her friend Wanda Cooper fill us in on that generous, human side.

“We (my husband Chuck and I) met her a long time ago and she became our dear friend,” she says. “She was partial to steak and potatoes and she’d come over and Chuck would cook on the grill and we’d sit down and talk, really talk. She loved to laugh and tell stories.

“Whenever we’d celebrate her birthday, we knew coconut cake was her favorite, and there’s no way we could disappoint her – there was always a coconut cake.”

Aside from her culinary passions, Mrs. Woodruff maintained a lifelong enthusiasm for technology and its latest incarnations.

“It was surprising for someone of her age – but she always had the latest cell phones, she always knew how to use them, more than anyone around her,” says Wanda. “She loved life and she loved people and we’re going to miss our friend so much.”