Nancy McMillan Dedman, widow of renowned Dallas entrepreneur Robert H. Dedman Sr., matriarch of the Dedman family and an icon in her own right, died peacefully Wednesday morning in her University Park home.
She was 97.
She was considered a grand dame of Dallas with friends at the highest levels but was also someone who never forgot her humble roots in Creek County, Bristow, Okla.
“Nancy was a good friend of mine,” said former First Lady Laura Bush. “She lived a long and magnificent life with many, many friends. I will miss her so.”
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“Laura and I were fortunate to call Nancy a friend, and so was our community,” said former President George W. Bush. “She was sweet, generous and fun. Her family has our heartfelt condolences.”
She lived fully and traveled the globe until recently, when age finally caught up with her, said her son Robert “Bob” Dedman Jr. “She had 97 great years. Unfortunately, it was a precipitous decline.”
Robert H. Dedman Sr. with wife Nancy, Southern Methodist University President R. Gerald Turner (left) and W.R. Howell, former chair of the SMU Board of Trustees (right) at the kickoff for the capital campaign in 1997.
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Dedman is the general partner of Putterboy Ltd. (the owner of Pinehurst Resort and Country Club) and president and chief executive officer of the Dedman’s family office, DFI Management Ltd. He was chairman of Southern Methodist University’s board of trustees from 2018-2022.
Dedman said his mother helped found ClubCorp in 1957 with his father, who died in 2002, and was integral to its success in becoming the largest owner and operator of private clubs in the world.
His father called to ask his mother’s college roommate for a date, but she already had one. “So my mother asked, ‘Will I do?’ They went on their first date and were married about a year later in 1953.
Nancy was ClubCorp’s vice president of interior design. That wasn’t a made up title, Dedman said.
“She studied interior design, had a great sense of style and gave an amazing attention to detail. She really elevated the standards and experiences of ClubCorp.
She wanted to make sure all of the facilities were beautiful all of the time.”
“She shrank with age. At the end, I think she might have been 4′10″. She was short in stature but not in personality. I’m sure things are going to be lively in heaven.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect mother,” Dedman said, “but she was the perfect mother for me.”
From left, Carolyn Horchow, Nancy Lemmon and Nancy Dedman are seen in this Fete Set photo in 1985.
Clint Grant – staff photog.
She attended Randolph-Macon Women’s College for two years and graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degree in political science magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1950.
R. Gerald Turner, president emeritus of Southern Methodist University, said, “She was a dear friend and trusted adviser to so many of us at SMU and in Dallas. Her passion for education, philanthropy and the city of Dallas enriched the lives of everyone she touched.”
He said that, over his years as president, he’d “witnessed firsthand her deep belief in what SMU could become, and she helped make that vision a reality. She truly was a cornerstone of the Mustang community, and her absence will be felt across our university and our city.”
Brad Cheves, SMU’s senior vice president for development and external affairs, said he considered her a close friend. “Nancy was a tireless advocate for philanthropy and education both at SMU and throughout Dallas,” he said. “I loved her.”
She built her dream home in University Park when she was 80 and lived there until her death — that is unless she was off on another global adventure.
In addition to supporting higher education and research, Nancy Dedman was devoted to advancing health care, public charities and the arts.
She supported the Dallas Museum of Art and the Texas Ballet Theater, as well as the AT&T Performing Arts Center. She was deeply involved with the boards of the Shelter Ministries of Dallas and The Salvation Army, among others.
She was honored with the Annette Strauss Humanitarian Award and the SMU Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004.
Nancy Dedman at the Crystal Charity Ball Fashion Show and Luncheon at Neiman Marcus in 2002.
Nan Coulter / 175648
She was renowned for her designer wardrobe and for knowing the best dining and shopping “opportunities.”
Wherever she traveled, she took classes at the finest culinary schools.
“Everyone loved to come up and talk to her. She was always au courant about current events, history, art, fashion or interior design,” Bob Dedman said. “She was a voracious reader and graciously gave her book recommendations to her friends as well.”
“She was an incredible speller and grammarian,” added Bob’s wife, Rachael. “We would go into restaurants, and she would read the menu and say, ‘This is misspelled.’ ”
Myrna Schlegel, her longtime BFF and matriarch of Dallas’ Schlegel family dynasty, said Nancy had memory that would rival an elephant’s.
“Nancy could give you the names of every restaurant, every store and every place you should visit in every place you wanted to travel to. She was just like a book. Nancy was amazing.”
About once a week, Nancy would call her. “She would say, ‘Myrna, get a pen in your hand right now and write down this book. This is the author. You’ve gotta get it. OK, gotta go.’ That would be the whole conversation.
“She could stand alone as a remarkable icon for Dallas. We’re going to miss her a lot.”
Bob Dedman said several friends have pointed out that she outlived her contemporaries. “But she aged gracefully by making friendships with people of all ages,” Dedman said, “including those who were much younger — Myrna Schlegel being one.”
Another important one in her life was Jeanne Johnson Phillips, former U.S. ambassador with the George W. Bush administration, a member of SMU’s board of trustees and a longtime close friend.
“Nancy was unique, complex and an intellectual,” Johnson Phillips said. “She led the way for women of all ages. She was truly interested in everything and everyone. She understood geopolitics and was well versed in the world of politics. She traveled the globe with enthusiasm and joy.”
When Johnson Phillips’ daughter married in Paris two years ago, Nancy not only flew in for the occasion but she also sat with the family as the surrogate grandmother.
“She did not want to miss a thing. She did not want to miss one minute,” Johnson Phillips said.
“Five years ago, before COVID, I told her I was headed to my little cottage on Nantucket, and she said, ‘I’ve never been to Nantucket. I wanna come see it.’ I said, ‘Nancy let me put this in perspective for you. We have a small cottage on the beach, and it’s not glamorous.’ She said, ‘I don’t need glamorous.’ That was Nancy Dedman.”
But did she wear Chanel clothes?”
“Well, she was the cutest person on the island for sure.”
Nancy Dedman in 2009.
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In her own words
In 1986, Robert and Nancy Dedman gave $10 million to the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas in Austin to help recruit and educate the nation’s top students.
Asked why she thought studying liberal arts was so valuable, Nancy said: “Liberal arts teach you skills to not just make a living, but make a life. They prepare you for your first job and for multiple careers, which is especially important given the projected longevity of today’s students.
“These skills are paramount to a free society — freedom of thought, freedom of inquiry, freedom of seeking new truths and freedom of becoming your best self through learning more about our legal, economic, moral, political and cultural origins and aspirations.
“Finally, they teach you about freedom of choice — to make informed decisions about how to be victors and not victims over whatever challenges or obstacles you encounter in life. Liberal arts develop our capacities, increase our flexibility and expand our horizons for a constantly changing world.”
Nancy Dedman is survived by her daughter, Patricia Dedman Nail, and her husband, Bobby Nail; Robert H. Dedman Jr. and his wife, Rachael. Additionally, she is survived by her older sister, Betty Kelly, in Tulsa and her nephew, Brad Kelly.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday at Highland Park United Methodist Church. A reception will follow the service at the SMU Meadows Museum.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial remembrances be sent to the Dedman Family at 5956 Sherry Lane, Suite 1800, Dallas, TX 75225, and that any contributions in Nancy’s honor be donated to either the Crystal Charity Ball in Dallas, the UTSW O’Donnell Brain Institute or the SMU North Dallas High School Scholars program.