William R Brewster Jr.

William R. Brewster, Jr., Captain, USNR (Ret) died on August 26, 2012 at Fountain View Center in Atlanta, GA from natural causes. His body was cremated and his ashes will be buried at a private family service.

Born at Ft. McPherson, GA in 1921, he graduated from Georgia Military Academy in 1937 and won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. He entered the Academy in June 1938 and graduated with the class of 1942 on December 19, 1941. Assignment followed to the USS BERNADOU (DD 153), a WWI four stack destroyer which primarily served on convoy duty in the North Atlantic Ocean, until it was modified to the APD (attack troop transport). On November 8, 1942 in Operation TORCH the BERNADOU was purposely run aground in Safi Harbor, French North Africa and disembarked its company of Army assault troops which proceeded to secure the town and the harbor without the loss of a man. This provided a port to land supplies in support of General George Patton’s attack on Casablanca. The BERNADOU was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation and Brewster as its Gunnery Officer was awarded a Silver Star Medal.

In 1943 he commissioned the USS PRICHETT (DD 561) as its Gunnery Officer and a few months later he became its Executive Officer. The PRICHETT operated in the Pacific Ocean area as a close fire support ship for several amphibious operations and later became a Tomcat picket for various fast-carrier task groups. During the period of October 12-14, 1944 while under very adverse weather conditions his ship was attacked and damaged by night flying Japanese torpedo planes. Brewster was awarded a Bronze Star Medal with a Combat V for his skill in conning the ship, which freed the Captain for his general duties of fighting the ship.

In March 1946 Brewster was assigned at his request for flight training at Otumwa, IO, Pensacola, and Miami, FL. While he was at Pensacola he was designated a Naval Aviator. The war ended and he resigned from the Navy, but continued active in the Naval Reserve serving as CO of a CVEG Air Group. When the Korean War began he requested recall to active duty as a Naval Aviator. He was, but not with flight status since he no jet experience. He was assigned to Atlanta as an Assistant. District Intelligence Officer (Air) for the 6th Naval District. After the Korean duty he continued in the Naval Reserve until he retired in 1981 as Captain.

Brewster’s life’s work after leaving the Navy was in private secondary and elementary school education. He returned to Georgia Military Academy which his grandfather, Col John Charles Woodward founded in 1900 and of which his father, Col William R Brewster, Sr., a West Point graduate, was president at the time. He began his new career as a teacher of math and science, but during the next thirty-three years he worked up the administrative ladder, and was the Academy’s president from 1959 to 1979.

During his tenure as president he phased out the Army ROTC program, changed the Academy from an all-male military school to a coed college preparatory school and changed its name to Woodward Academy in honor of its founder. It might be said that Brewster founded Woodward Academy. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Georgia Military Academy and the 1979 Woodward Academy Yearbook was dedicated in his honor.

During his tenure as president he initiated the school’s first fund raising effort in its 65-year history which in time raised enough capital to renovate many old facilities while at the same time building necessary new ones. He integrated the student body, faculty, and Governing Board; and phased out the Army ROTC program while admitting female students. He upgraded the school’s academic program while introducing a faculty salary schedule which provided a supplement merit incentive for excellent teaching.

All of the above was accomplished while he was an active participant in Southern Independent School Associations. He founded the Atlanta Independent School Association and was its first president. He co-founded the Georgia AIS and was its second president. He was president of the Mid-South AIS, and president of the Southern AIS. He was active in integrating all of these organizations.

He was also active in community affairs. He was a Rotarian for 35 years, a member at one time or another, of five different clubs and served as president of the East Point GA club; where he was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Atlanta Airport Club. He was also a director of the Bank of Fulton County for 20 years, serving on its finance committee for 10 years; and was a director of the Tri-City South Fulton Hospital for 5 years. He was a life member of the Atlanta Chapter of the U.S. Naval Academy Association, and the Retired Officers Association.

After retiring from Woodward Academy, Brewster served for 2 years as Headmaster of Sea Pines Academy, Hilton Head, SC, and for 2 years as Headmaster of Frederica Academy, St. Simons Island, GA. He is credited with saving both of those young schools from early termination. His last years of activity prior to full retirement were spent in real estate on Jekyll Island, GA and in writing and publishing the Jekyll’s Golden Islander and The Glynco Observer both tabloids, twice-a-month newspapers.

He was formerly married for 57 years to Kathryn Cummings Brewster and they had three daughters, Kathryn L. Brewster of Alpharetta, GA, Susan Patterson of Stockbridge, GA, and Diane Brewster of Brunswick, GA; 4 granddaughters, 2 great-grandchildren; a sister, Lucile B. Harder living in St. Louis, MO. After his wife’s death he married Helon Woodward Brewster, his cousin William H. Woodward’s widow who now resides in Alpharetta, GA. She has 6 children, Deborah Adornato, Carol Lawson, and Mathew Woodward in Atlanta, GA and William H. Woodward in Raleigh, NC, Morris Woodward in Prattville, AL and James Woodward of Statesboro, GA.; and 11 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 13, 2012 at the Woodward Academy Chapel in College Park, GA at 11:00 am. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Brewster Scholarship Fund, Woodward Academy, at 1662 Rugby Avenue, College Park, GA 30337 or to the charity of the donor’s choice.