We Honor Our Heritage...
Woodward Academy has always been a school of its time and yet, often and in many ways, ahead of its time.
In 1900, Atlanta had a population of 89,872. It was three years before Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first flight in Kitty Hawk, N.C., and the world had not yet seen its first silent film, World Series, or Nobel Prize. Colonel John Charles Woodward was a young Georgia educator who had earned his master’s degree at the University of Chicago and returned to his native state eager to put his philosophies about education into practice. He and his wife, Lucile, settled in College Park to establish Georgia Military Academy, a place where students would grow not only in knowledge but also in the qualities—service to others, strong character, responsibility, problem-solving—that transformed their lives and the world around them.
Surviving and even thriving through world wars, a Great Depression, and two global pandemics, the Academy continues to embrace Col. Woodward’s philosophies and to interpret them in ways that are relevant to today’s students and the challenges of our times. Woodward is a place where caring, engaged citizens grow. It’s a place where children are equipped with empathy, thoughtfulness, confidence, tenacity, and resilience—with a foundation strong enough to support whatever future they can imagine for themselves. Although Col. Woodward may never have foreseen the educational advances of the digital age, he would still recognize the school he founded in the trials and triumphs that students navigate today, in the dedicated educators who guide them, and in the thousands of alumni who make a difference in our world.
OPENING THE DOORS AT GMA
(1900-1929)
1900-1905
1900
- Colonel John Charles and Lucile Woodward began to realize their dream of providing educational excellence
- Georgia Military Academy opened with 40 students, three teachers, one four-story building, and 16 acres
1902
- First new building added to campus, Rugby Hall
1904
- Color Guard established
1905
- Enrollment grew to 100 students, and GMA employed nine teachers
J.C. and Lucile Woodward
1908-1916
1908
- GMA incorporated with Colonel Woodward as President/Treasurer and Mrs. Woodward as Secretary and later as Vice President
- Robert W. Woodruff '08 graduated from GMA
1909
- Six hundred GMA alumni enlisted during World War I with 10 alumni losing their lives
1916
- GMA designated Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps by the United States War Department
1920-1929
1920
- Memorial Hall built
- Junior School established
1929
- Marching band named for Robert W. Woodruff
HONORING OUR MILITARY PAST
(1930-1959)
1931-1935
1931
- World War Monument erected in honor of the 10 GMA alumni who died in service to their country
- Relationship with Cuba continued, resulting in a number of Cuban students boarding at GMA
- Tuition revenue from international students and financial support from Robert W. Woodruff '08 kept GMA from closing its doors during the Great Depression
1932
- Colonel Woodward made his "Great Gesture" in which he gifted the Academy to the Governing Board
1935
- Eagle over the gate added and dedicated to Sergeant Archie T. Johnson
1939
- President's home, "The Oaks," built
- Colonel Woodward died at home on August 27, 1939
- Colonel William Roe Brewster Sr. elected second president
1940-1957
1940
- Junior College opened for a two year post-graduate program, closing in 1953
1941
- An estimated 1,500 GMA alumni enlisted during World War II
1946
- World War II Monument dedicated to the 84 alumni who died in service to their country
1957
- Cadets marched in President Dwight D. Eisenhower's inaugural parade, January 21, 1957
SETTING TRANSFORMATION IN MOTION
(1960-1969)
1960-1963
1960
- Colonel Brewster retired and became President Emeritus
- Captain William R. Brewster Jr. '37 elected third president
1961
- Korean Conflict Monument erected by Class of 1961 to honor the seven alumni who died in service to their country
- First kindergarten established
- Cadets marched in President John F. Kennedy's inaugural parade
1962
- GMA campus expanded with construction of Woodward Hall (now Brewster Hall, home of the History Center), Alumni Hall, and Colquitt Stadium
1964-1965
1964
- GMA admitted 32 female students
- Brewster Hall built on the site of the original Founder's Hall, now Jane Woodruff Hall
1965
- First female students graduated
1966-1969
1966
- Georgia Military Academy renamed Woodward Academy
- Began phasing out military program
- Robert W. Woodruff '08 selected as the first Distinguished Alumnus
- WATV closed-circuit television installed
1967
- First class graduated under the name Woodward Academy
- Richard C. Gresham Chapel dedicated on May 14, 1967
1969
- Woodward Academy added female boarding students
- Girls' athletic programs began
CONTINUING ON THE PATH OF CHANGE
(1970-1989)
1971
- Woodward Academy integrated, enrolling its first Black students
- Individualized Studies Program (now called the Transition Program) established
- Woodward Academy opened the Busey School in Riverdale, serving elementary students
1972-1975
1972
- First Super Goober Day held
1973
- Middle School division established in converted classrooms
1974
- Woodward Academy celebrated its 75th anniversary with the "Agenda for Tomorrow Campaign," raising $4 million
1975
- Woodward Academy began integrating its faculty and leadership
- Richardson Fine Arts Center dedicated in honor of Zella Richmond Richardson, known as "The Sweetheart of GMA"
1978-1979
1978
- Michael C. Carlos '44 Hall dedicated
1979
- Captain Brewster '37 retired
- Gary M. Jones, Ph.D., became fourth president
1982-1988
1982
- Student Computer Center constructed
- First "Experience the Arts Day" held to celebrate the arts
- Ben F. Johnson III '61 named Board Chairman and goes on to hold the position for more than three decades
1985
- Annual "Canned Food Drive" established to support the Atlanta Community Food Bank
1987
- Carlos Science Center dedicated
1988
- Woodward Academy's long-standing bus service incorporated as "Student Transport"
BUILDING ON OUR FOUNDATION OF EXCELLENCE
(1990-2009)
1990-1995
1990
- A. Thomas Jackson elected fifth president of Woodward Academy
- Woodward North opened in Johns Creek, serving elementary students
1993
- Boarding program ended
1994
- First fundraising effort in support of the Jesse Draper Boys & Girls Club completed
1995
- George C. Carlos Library dedicated
1996-1999
1996
- Graduating seniors celebrated the first "Last Blast"
- Statue to honor Robert W. Woodruff '08 dedicated
1999
- Carlos Administration Building expanded
- Thomas Hall Lower School opened
- Richardson Hall major renovation completed; Anthony A. Malizia Sr. Amphitheatre constructed
2000-2005
2000
- Woodward celebrated its centennial year
- Vietnam War Memorial dedicated to the 15 alumni who died in service to their country
- Harry C. "Hank" Payne, Ph.D., became sixth president of Woodward Academy
2002
- Captain's Clock dedicated to honor Captain Brewster
- First Academy-wide "Week of Understanding" took place, continuing today
- Formalized a ridership program to support students riding MARTA
2003
- New Brand-Tucker Hall Middle School welcomed students
- Woodward North Arts Center constructed
- "Second Century Campaign" launched, raising $27 million
2004
- Shailendra Tennis Center dedicated
- A. Adair Dickerson Jr. '71 Arts Center dedicated on the Middle School campus
2005
- Statue dedicated to honor Michael C. Carlos '44
2007-2009
2007
- Busey School closed, merging students into the new Primary School for grades PK-3 and Lower School for grades 4-6
- New Primary School campus opened at the former site of Longino School
- "Campaign Woodward" launched, raising $63.1 million
2008
- Joseph H. Moss Hall, the new math and science building, opened
2009
- F. Stuart Gulley, Ph.D., became seventh president of Woodward Academy
- War Memorial dedicated in memory of all alumni who died in service to their country since 1973
- Tyler H. Brown '96 Student Center dedicated
PROVIDING THE COMPASS FOR GROWTH
(2010-Present)
2010-2013
2012
- Horizons at Woodward Academy established to provide summer enrichment opportunities for students from local public schools
2013
- Athletic fields constructed off Willingham Drive
- Brand Hall repurposed as Center for Innovation
- West Commons opened for additional student dining
- McKay House renovated
- Woodward Hall renamed Brewster Hall
2014-2018
2014
- Jane Woodruff Hall, the new humanities building, dedicated
- Global Connections Center opened
2015
- Ben F. Johnson III '61 retired as Board Chairman; Robert E. "Bobby" Bowers '74 named Board Chairman
2017
- Nathan T. Cole '90 Diamond Hitting Complex constructed
2018
- New Student Transport Complex completed
2020
- Global coronavirus pandemic closed campus for the first time in 120 years, shifting school to virtual learning until the end of the semester
2022-PRESENT
2022
- Stephen A. Belin '72 GMA/Woodward Academy History Center dedicated in Brewster Hall
Present
- Every child's education is a unique expedition, a decades-long journey of growth and enlightenment that twists and turns through paths both charted and uncharted. At Woodward, we continue to provide the compass.
Woodward History Center Dedication video