DONOR SPOTLIGHT: Breaux Castleman ’58

It was during a long-ago dinner with Baker Duncan ’45 that Breaux Castleman ’58 first saw the power of long-term planning and investment in an institution.

Mr. Duncan was the new headmaster of Woodberry Forest School, touring the country to meet young graduates to learn about Woodberry’s strengths and weaknesses. Mr. Castleman, who was then a student at Yale University, shared his belief that Woodberry would benefit from a more national perspective and greater investment in the school’s faculty and physical plant.

“Baker Duncan really built up the school; and by the time my own son [Matthew Castleman ’86] was a student in the 1980s, you could see this transformation and a consistent push for Woodberry to be the best school — whether in the South or nationally — while still maintaining its values,” Mr. Castleman said.

Now Breaux has taken his own steps to support Woodberry’s long-term future. He and his wife Patricia have joined the Walker Society by establishing a charitable gift annuity, which allows a donor to receive income while also supporting a preferred charity. The donor can take a tax deduction on the value of the gift that establishes the annuity.

At Woodberry Mr. Castleman was a prefect, co-captain of the soccer team, exchange editor of The Oracle, and a member of the chapel council and hop committee.

“The main thing I think about when I remember my time at Woodberry is the environment on campus and how it was shaped by the honor system,” he said. “I also remember the teachers and the way they assisted my self-discovery of intellectual interests, especially Mr. Grenfell in European history, Col. Rogers in American history, and Mr. Latham in English.”

An involvement with Woodberry that stretches back to the mid-1950s is now set to continue in perpetuity. “I’m inspired by the leaders on the board of trustees, past and present, who’ve pushed hard to raise money and guided the school,” Mr. Castleman concluded. “Seeing that alumni leadership of Woodberry is an inspiration to me.”