Her grandparents met at George School. She and her father shared the same chemistry teacher. And as part of the fourth generation of her family to attend, Deborah (Cadwallader) Taylor ’84 shared it’s leafy campus with three cousins.

Clearly, the Cadwallader tradition at George School goes back a long way. And since the family established a challenge fund for the arts during the 2025 Great Green Give, their legacy is secured to continue at George School.

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How did the fund come about?

“My dad (William Cadwallader Jr. ’56) was a veterinarian in upstate New York, and my parents were really committed to being involved in the community up there,” said Deb. “As they aged, they set up other initiatives. And George School was foundational for me and my dad.”

After a disappointing freshman year at public school, her mother nudged her to try George School. Deb enrolled for her sophomore year … and quickly began to flourish. 

“George School was a real gift that my parents gave me,” said Deb. “I think we chose to fund the arts because that was such an influential area for me.”

Deb also played field hockey and lacrosse, taking a page from her father’s book: He, too, was happily hyphenated as an athlete-and-theater student. “George School makes sure you’re well-rounded,” she said. “You can be an athlete and an artist and a scholar and just a good person.”

The Cadwallader family recognized that in recent years, arts programming in schools has been trimmed — often to the bone — and that funding typically goes to other initiatives. Deb said this reality was a key motivator for her family to establish the fund to bolster George School arts.

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Why does arts education matter?

“When you’re in the arts, you also learn history and culture. It allows you to see things on a different level. I know more about ancient history because I took art history,” she said.

“Doing art at any level gives people more appreciation for diversity of
thought. It gives people the other side of themselves.” -Deborah (Cadwallader) Taylor '84

“That’s why we continue to give to George School,” Deb continued. “There are pieces of ourselves that grew there, in the arts.”

Arts at GS

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To contribute to arts programming at George School, please contact Millie Bond at mbond@georgeschool.org.