Remembering Jinny Browning

Jinny Browning, who along with her husband Laurance “Larry” Browning, were among Webster University’s most ardent supporters, passed away on Friday, February 21. She was 93.

Webster’s main campus reflects the impact the couple had on the University with several spaces named after them. Browning Hall is named after Larry, while the Virginia Jackson Browning mainstage in the Loretto-Hilton Center is named after Jinny. The Brownings were introduced to Webster University by then- President Leigh Gerdine. The couple also helped found Opera Theatre of St. Louis, which is housed on Webster’s main campus.

“The entire Webster Community is grieving alongside the Browning family with the passing of Jinny, our great friend and benefactor,” Chancellor Tim Keane said. “Jinny's positive impact on Webster students has been immeasurable and that impact will be felt for generations to come.”

The Brownings developed a keen interest in the University’s pragmatic educational model, its international initiatives, and its capacity as an arts leader in the community. In the early 1980s, they became benefactors of the University, where their tenure transformed the campus and helped place Webster at the forefront of global education and the arts.

Larry became a Webster trustee in 1986, the same year that he and Jinny became charter members of the Webster Society. The Brownings’ philanthropy was unparalleled.  Larry encouraged and supported the University’s early adoption of educational technology and distance learning, helping make Webster one of the first Universities in the country to offer online education, while Jinny was a strong supporter of the performing arts and music programs at Webster. Their passion for Webster culminated in the couple’s leadership gift toward the construction of the award-winning Emerson Library, named after the Emerson Electric Company where Larry served as director. 

In 2003, the Browning Challenge grant catalyzed the successful partnership to expand the Loretto-Hilton Center, resulting in a larger stage that now bears Jinny’s name. Jinny’s recognition of the power of music education to inspire students and change lives was a frequent focus of her stewardship.  Many students over the years who might not have had the means to attend Webster’s Community Music School were given that chance because of Jinny’s scholarship support.  

After Larry passed away in 2012, Jinny continued to support Webster, engaging with the campaign to construct Browning Hall. Jinny was a chemistry major in college and always had an interest in science.  Larry believed that the sciences should be the cornerstone of any good education. 

“Browning Hall has revolutionized how we can teach science and health at Webster University. Due to the abundance of labs, student now can collaborate with faculty on research projects in a broad range of areas,” said College of Science and Health Dean Michael Hulsizer. “In addition, students in the health sciences now have access to world class hands-on and simulation facilities. The Browning gift has had a tremendous impact on the lives of our students, faculty, and staff.”

"Besides the incredibly generous gift that allowed for Browning Hall to be built, Jinny and Larry Browning endowed the Browning Endowed Chair position that Dr. Nicole Miller Struttman holds," said Professor Stephanie Schroeder, chair of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Department. "We are grateful for the opportunity to provide ecological outreach activities and resources to the community as an ongoing legacy."

In recognition of Jinny's support of Webster, she was granted an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2021.

Jinny Browning is survived by her three daughters, Virginia Louise (Joseph) Browning-Illick, Kathryn Nulton (Douglas) Hendrickson, and Dorothy Winslow (Jack) Hunn; eight grandchildren, Eric Illick; Adair Hendrickson (Clint) Ravencraft, Zorayda Hendrickson (Phil) Marchand, Laura Hendrickson (John) Brooks, Alexandra Hendrickson (Chad) Kelly, Winslow Moore (Ross) Blankenship, Maxene Dominey (Eric) Krol, and Moira Ann O'Neil; and 12 great-grandchildren, Cooper Bradford Ravencraft, Claire McCoy Ravencraft, Duffield Bye Ravencraft, Jackson Rose Blankenship, Lily Nulton Blankenship, Theodore Ross Blankenship, Rylan Thomas Marchand, Virginia Adair Brooks, Elizabeth Callaway Brooks, Axel Gene Krol, Kathryn Green Kelly, and Charles Simmons Kelly III.

Her full obituary is online.