Over the next two decades there would be a cornucopia of events and movements that would shock the world. There were all of the anxieties of the sixties: civil rights movements, the "baby boom," the "hippie movement," and feminism. In addition there would be the rising voice of the Third World, tension in the Middle East, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Kennedys, Watergate, and an acceleration in use of drugs, alcohol, and pornography.

With the presidency of William Roe Brewster, Jr. came a new era in which many improvements were made to existing buildings, new ones erected, much teaching equipment added, the campus landscaped, and increased emphasis placed on the academic program. However, these improvements did not come easily; for when he became president, he did not have any clear-cut goals that he could list. He had a strong desire to improve the school - its image, its physical plant, its parent relations, its academic program, and its faculty.

And improve he did. In the process of improving, as one need was met, another one became evident and that became his next goal. He readily admitted at the time that he administered from need to need rather than from any long range planning. It was that process, however, that carried the Academy through the many changes the school experienced during the sixties and seventies perhaps better than any other school around, especially in the areas of co-education, non-military, and integration.

It was in January of 1959 that Colonel Brewster departed on a six month European vacation leaving the full administration of Georgia Military Academy in the hands of then Vice President, Commander Brewster. At about the same time, Colonel C.W. Herman, Business Manager, and Colonel Robert S. Rosser, Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Board, both longtime administrative aides to Colonel Brewster, retired, leaving the young acting president without any help at all.

In an effort to fulfill some of his dreams of improving the school, he elevated Colonel J.W.C. McKay and Colonel M.C. Paget to administrative positions. Next, he employed Lieutenant Victor J. Impeciato as superintendent and brought in Mr. Gordon C. Heegel as business manager. Robert D. Ballentine was named Public Information Officer and director of public relations and alumni affairs. It was at this time that all concessions were taken over by the school with all profits coming back to the Academy. The other on-hand administrators at the time were Colonel Elmo Mitchell, academic dean, and Colonel John R. Burnett, commandant of cadets.

Commander Brewster named departmental chairmen (Colonel M.C. Paget, social studies, Mrs. Lottie Wilson, mathematics, Major A.T. Ferguson, foreign language, Major Garland M. Watkins, English, and Captain Stephen Storm, science) and developed the curriculum, thus tightening up on academics.

One of the weakest areas of the school was the dining hall. The dining facilities were located in the basement of Memorial Hall, and it was difficult, at best, to accommodate the student body. Commander Brewster, therefore, brought in Slater/ARA, and they trained Mr. Fred Young. He became the Director of Food Services and the eating facilities began to improve.

The tuition at the time was $1,200.00, including uniforms, for boarding students and $350.00 for day students. Commander Brewster went to the governing board stating that the school needed more money to operate. The Board allowed an increase in tuition to $1,600.00 with some members thinking at the time that a move of that sort would be disastrous. The following year, however, the enrollment increased significantly.

Later, in an effort to attract and to retain more qualified teachers, he adopted a salary schedule giving supplements for all extra duties. Things seemed to grow and prosper.

In early 1960, Colonel Brewster, then president emeritus, returned to the school and assumed duties as building-program director. Many changes took place during the summer of 1960, one of which was the opening of a new dormitory behind Rugby Hall which was named in honor of Colonel Brewster.

Also during the summer of 1960, the demolition of Rugby Hall began. In addition, the dining hall in the basement of Memorial Hall was renovated, and the biology and chemistry labs were moved from Woodward Hall to Founder's Hall. A new language lab was also installed in Founder's.

Woodruff Hall, built on the site of the Old Gym (now McKay Hall), was completed in the spring of 1961 at a cost of $100,000.00. The first floor contained four classrooms, in addition to the Military Department and a new armory. The library which had occupied space on the second floor of Founder's Hall was moved to the second floor of Woodruff Hall. In addition to these improvements, Rugby Hall was rebuilt at a cost of $117,000.00.

Later in the summer of 1961, Memorial Hall was renovated, adding a new facade to correspond with the architectural style of Rugby, Founder's, and Woodruff Halls. At the same time, the old library in Founder's Hall was renovated and five new classrooms were added.

Following World War I, a group of Georgia Military alumni built a monument honoring those classmates who gave their lives in that war. A similar action was taken by the Academy honoring those alumni who gave their lives in World War II. Following the example set by previous classes, the Class of 1961 sponsored the erecting of a monument honoring those G.M.A. alumni who were killed in the Korean Conflict.

Demands for increased enrollment continued. It was in 1961, therefore, that the school enrolled twenty-eight students which made up Georgia Military Academy's first kindergarten.

One of the most startling things occurred in 1962. Commander Brewster, with his ever-present desire for improvement, launched a fund raising campaign with a goal of $285,000.00. To be successful, the school was advised that it would be necessary to upgrade the caliber of its students and academic program and to bring into the governing board structure additional men. The Governing board, therefore, named new members in Dr. Noah Langdale, Mr. George Longino, and Mr. Jimmy Carmichael. At the same time, the school initiated regional scholarships, and the school's number of Merit Scholars eventually grew.

Excerpt from “The Woodward Story”, by Robert Ballentine, published 1990 by Jostens Printing and Publishing; content used with permission of the copyright holder, Woodward Academy Inc., College Park, Georgia, USA.