John V. Woodard ’52, an attorney who has dedicated his life to service and volunteerism, has received DCD’s 2014 Alumni Award. DCD Alumni Association president Erin Keith Epker ’86 presented the award at a reception for alumni on May 2, 2014.
John has a long history of serving both his community and DCD. He has spent the last four decades working in the nonprofit world as a board member, often in leadership roles, and as a volunteer consultant working with small nonprofit organizations.
At DCD, John served as a trustee and was board president from 1983 to 1987, leading the school during a capital campaign that funded new science facilities.
He has also been involved in Dedham town and community activities, serving as director and president of the Dedham Community Association, Inc., since 2001. In addition to being active in his own Dedham parish, he has served as a consultant to the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
Since 1971, he has served as a trustee of The Boston Home, Inc. where he was board president from 1985 to 2002. As chair of the Faulkner Hospital board from 1986 to 2000, he was involved in the process that led to its affiliation with the Partners Health Care System.
His involvement with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, first as legal counsel, then trustee and chair, dates back to the early 1970s. After Spaulding went through a period of consolidation with Mass General and eventually merged with Partners, he stayed on as chair of the new entity, Partners Continuing Care, from 2001 to 2008. He was a trustee at Partners from 2008 until 2012, and now serves as honorary chair.
John’s siblings, Anne Tucker ’69, William ’63, Tom ’59, and Charles Jr. ’51, all graduated from DCD as did John’s wife Linda Mixter Woodard ’58, a member of the DCD Alumni Council, and their daughters Heather Ritter ’89 and Robin Westerberg ’90. With his father Charlie’s service on the board during the 1950s, his family’s involvement at DCD spans three generations.
At the reception, John thanked his family for their support over the years, which allowed him to pursue his volunteer activities, which caused him to spend time away from his family on evenings and weekends.
Remembering his time as a student more than a half century ago, he said, “DCD has been a formative and enduring part of my life. I received a sound, well-grounded education from a dedicated faculty who instilled in me values that I have maintained over the years. I had memorable experiences in plays, sports, music, art, and sloyd (woodworking) and made endearing friendships with classmates, all of which have been life shaping.”
