Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 23, 2004|Volume 32, Number 27

Mary Louise Brewster, widow of
former Yale president, dies

Mary Louise Brewster, widow of Yale's 17th president, Kingman Brewster, died April 14 at her home in Combe, Berkshire, England, at age 83.

Born Mary Louise Phillips in Providence, Rhode Island, she attended Miss Wheeler's School in Providence and Vassar College. In 1942 she married Brewster, who was then in the armed services during World War II.

She and her husband came to New Haven in 1959 when Brewster was named provost of Yale, and they resided at 55 Hillhouse Ave. In 1963, when Brewster became Yale's president, they moved to the President's House at 43 Hillhouse Ave. Later, the two moved to the United Kingdom, where Brewster served as U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James from 1977 to 1981 and later as master of University College, University of Oxford, from 1986 until his death there in 1988.

"Mary Louise Brewster's warmth and sense of humor were felt and appreciated by thousands in the Yale community and beyond. In her time, the Yale President's House was a place in which students, faculty and staff were welcomed with grace and style," says President Richard C. Levin. "She will be greatly missed."

Mrs. Brewster is survived by five children: Constance Dedelow, Kingman Brewster Jr., Deborah, Alden and Riley; and by 11 grandchildren. In addition to her husband, she was pre-deceased by two grandchildren, Benjamin Holloway and Luke Dedelow.

She will be buried next to her husband in the Grove Street Cemetery in a private ceremony later in the year.

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