\u201cLaura and I were fortunate to call Nancy a friend, and so was our community,\u201d said former President George W. Bush. \u201cShe was sweet, generous and fun. Her family has our heartfelt condolences.\u201d<\/p>\n
She lived fully and traveled the globe until recently, when age finally caught up with her, said her son Robert \u201cBob\u201d Dedman Jr. \u201cShe had 97 great years. Unfortunately, it was a precipitous decline.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/QRX3LD7KUVEF5B2FLOZDKAUFNY.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Hillsman Jackson \/ Digital File_EMAIL<\/p>\n
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\u2019s family office, DFI Management Ltd. He was chairman of Southern Methodist University\u2019s board of trustees from 2018-2022.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
His father called to ask his mother\u2019s college roommate for a date, but she already had one. \u201cSo my mother asked, \u2018Will I do?\u2019 They went on their first date and were married about a year later in 1953. <\/p>\n
Nancy was ClubCorp\u2019s vice president of interior design. That wasn\u2019t a made up title, Dedman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe 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.<\/p>\n
She wanted to make sure all of the facilities were beautiful all of the time.”<\/p>\n
\u201cShe shrank with age. At the end, I think she might have been 4\u203210\u2033. She was short in stature but not in personality. I\u2019m sure things are going to be lively in heaven.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as a perfect mother,\u201d Dedman said, \u201cbut she was the perfect mother for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"From](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/MKURO5Q5ABGRVOZXBNRVIQ5EQM.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
From left, Carolyn Horchow, Nancy Lemmon and Nancy Dedman are seen in this Fete Set photo in 1985.<\/p>\n
Clint Grant – staff photog.<\/p>\n
She attended Randolph-Macon Women\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
R. Gerald Turner, president emeritus of Southern Methodist University, said, \u201cShe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that, over his years as president, he\u2019d \u201cwitnessed 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brad Cheves, SMU\u2019s senior vice president for development and external affairs, said he considered her a close friend. \u201cNancy was a tireless advocate for philanthropy and education both at SMU and throughout Dallas,\u201d he said. \u201cI loved her.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In addition to supporting higher education and research, Nancy Dedman was devoted to advancing health care, public charities and the arts.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
She was honored with the Annette Strauss Humanitarian Award and the SMU Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004. <\/p>\n
![\"Nancy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Z7RXMHXZPFFOZFQNQIREZZBNUU.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
Nancy Dedman at the Crystal Charity Ball Fashion Show and Luncheon at Neiman Marcus in 2002.<\/p>\n
Nan Coulter \/ 175648<\/p>\n
She was renowned for her designer wardrobe and for knowing the best dining and shopping \u201copportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wherever she traveled, she took classes at the finest culinary schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone loved to come up and talk to her. She was always au courant about current events, history, art, fashion or interior design,\u201d Bob Dedman said. \u201cShe was a voracious reader and graciously gave her book recommendations to her friends as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was an incredible speller and grammarian,\u201d added Bob\u2019s wife, Rachael. \u201cWe would go into restaurants, and she would read the menu and say, \u2018This is misspelled.\u2019 \u201d <\/p>\n
Myrna Schlegel, her longtime BFF and matriarch of Dallas\u2019 Schlegel family dynasty, said Nancy had memory that would rival an elephant\u2019s. <\/p>\n
\u201cNancy 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
About once a week, Nancy would call her. \u201cShe would say, \u2018Myrna, get a pen in your hand right now and write down this book. This is the author. You\u2019ve gotta get it. OK, gotta go.\u2019 That would be the whole conversation. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe could stand alone as a remarkable icon for Dallas. We\u2019re going to miss her a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bob Dedman said several friends have pointed out that she outlived her contemporaries. \u201cBut she aged gracefully by making friendships with people of all ages,\u201d Dedman said, \u201cincluding those who were much younger — Myrna Schlegel being one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another important one in her life was Jeanne Johnson Phillips, former U.S. ambassador with the George W. Bush administration, a member of SMU\u2019s board of trustees and a longtime close friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cNancy was unique, complex and an intellectual,\u201d Johnson Phillips said. \u201cShe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Johnson Phillips\u2019 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did not want to miss a thing. She did not want to miss one minute,\u201d Johnson Phillips said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive years ago, before COVID, I told her I was headed to my little cottage on Nantucket, and she said, \u2018I\u2019ve never been to Nantucket. I wanna come see it.\u2019 I said, \u2018Nancy let me put this in perspective for you. We have a small cottage on the beach, and it\u2019s not glamorous.\u2019 She said, \u2018I don\u2019t need glamorous.\u2019 That was Nancy Dedman.\u201d<\/p>\n
But did she wear Chanel clothes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, she was the cutest person on the island for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Nancy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AKKJFLBVUNA35PFRHWBZPEVMD4.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
Nancy Dedman in 2009.<\/p>\n
NONE GIVEN \/ Digital File_UPLOAD<\/p>\n
In her own words<\/p>\n
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\u2019s top students.<\/p>\n
Asked why she thought studying liberal arts was so valuable, Nancy said: \u201cLiberal 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\u2019s students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese skills are paramount to a free society \u2014 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cFinally, they teach you about freedom of choice \u2014 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.\u201d <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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\u2019s honor be donated to either the Crystal Charity Ball in Dallas, the UTSW O\u2019Donnell Brain Institute or the SMU North Dallas High School Scholars program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nancy McMillan Dedman, widow of renowned Dallas entrepreneur Robert H. Dedman Sr., matriarch of the Dedman family and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":293608,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,1596,593,90129,256,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,48919,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-293607","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-dallas","10":"tag-obituaries","11":"tag-obituarios","12":"tag-philanthropy","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-tx","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-united-states-of-america","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","19":"tag-university-park","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115353367059579975","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}