SE L F L E S S S E RVI C E TO S T U D E N T S :
CH U CK A ND CAM I WO D E H O U S E
BY SHERI WEBBER '93
He was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, in
the same hospital as Bruce Springsteen. Not
only that, he attended the same high school as
another rock-and-roller, Huey Lewis. Laughing,
he said, "Other than my beautiful wife, those
are my only claims to fame.”
But that’s not the whole story.
In fact, the Wodehouse name is now
synonymous with education, philanthropy,
and innovation at Jacksonville University.
MEET CHUCK AND CAMI
Charles “Chuck” Wodehouse, Jr. and his wife
Camilla "Cami" need no introduction on the
JU campus. Chuck served as president of
the former University Council, was the initial
Chairman of the Davis College Advisory Board,
and served for 18 years on the University’s
Board of Trustees. He joined the board years
after the tenure of Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne's
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tenure as university president, during a
period he describes as a time when the
University needed renewed leadership to
address issues with student recruitment
and retention, University finances, and a JU
brand that no longer reflected JU's unique
educational offerings.
One might assume that his motivation to
step up as a University advocate came from
his time as a student at JU. But that’s not
the case.
Graduates of the University of Virginia,
Rutgers University, the University of
Pennsylvania, and Sweet Briar College
collectively, Chuck and Cami do not have a
typical alumni link to JU. Their engagement
and philanthropy comes from pure
intentionality and commitment.
"My dad worked as a lineman for a phone
company and later retired as an executive. He
led a determined and interesting life. Never
took anything for granted,” Chuck said. His
family vacationed in spring at Jacksonville's
Beaches—he remembers his father saying
one spring break, “I've found heaven here, and
we're going to move down there someday.”
Chuck agreed with this and was determined
to head straight for Florida after graduating
from business school. So, on October 21,
1972, he and Cami married in her family's
backyard, and the very next day they moved
to Atlantic Beach.
THE JU-WODEHOUSE CONNECTION
Chuck was first introduced to JU as CSX's
chosen representative in response to a
request by then JU president, Paul Tipton.
Cami, however, had a prior connection to
Dr. Kinne. "Fran's niece, Carolyn Kinne