Jane Ellen Baucom Stephenson (1938-2026), wife of the seventh president of Berea College John B. Stephenson, and founder of the New Opportunity School for Women, passed away on May 2, 2026, surrounded by loved ones after a brief stay in the hospital.
Jane was born in Banner Elk, NC, to Helen and Braxton Baucom, who preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by her beloved husband John B. Stephenson, who died in 1994. She is survived by her three children, Jennifer Stephenson McLamb (JP Cordray), Rebecca Stephenson (Barry Richardson), David Stephenson (Angie Stephenson), and her grandchildren Jonathan McLamb, Cullen McLamb, and Tory Stephenson.
Jane was an only child, though she was very close to her cousin Judy Crouch, as well as cousins Doug, Robert, and Tyndall Baucom. Her dearest and longest friend, Jackie Burleson, was like a sister to her. She was proud of her heritage and celebrated her mountain life, returning to Banner Elk for months at a time throughout her years.
She attended Lees McCrae College and Appalachian State University for a degree in business and received a master’s degree from UNC Greensboro. She moved to Lexington, KY, with John in 1966, later attending the University of Kentucky for a degree in higher education administration. Jane had a lifelong love of learning and curiosity, always engaging with others to learn more about them and the world around her, even in her last days of life.
Jane and John moved to Berea in 1984, when John became the president of Berea College. Inspired by a phone call from Gurney Norman, who was seeking assistance for a friend, Jane began to design an updated version of a previous Berea College outreach program. In 1986, within months of Gurney’s phone call, Jane had secured funding and a group of committed board members to create the New Opportunity School for Women. This innovative school brought rural Appalachian women to Berea’s campus for a three-week intensive program to gain work experience, create resumes, learn computer skills, obtain dental care and medical screenings, and, most importantly, to tell their life stories and connect with other women with similar lived experiences. Many of the graduates went on to earn their GED and a college degree, inspiring their children to go to college as well.
Over the course of 40 years, Jane raised money to expand the program to locations in four states and established the NOSW Foundation to assist with expansion and funding of the programs. As of 2026, nearly 1,200 women have benefited from the program and improved their health and self-esteem, furthered their education, and developed a life path for themselves and their children.
One of her proudest moments was winning Oprah’s Angel “Use Your Life” Award from Oprah Winfrey, which granted the NOSW $100,000 in 2003. In addition to this award, she received the AARP “Create the Good Award,” the Kentucky Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Martha Layne Collins Leadership Award, and numerous others. Jane was also featured in People Magazine and appeared on The John Walsh Show.
Jane authored several books about the women who attended her program and the story of the program itself, “Courageous Paths: The Stories of Nine Appalachian Women”; “Dear to My Heart: The Story of the New Opportunity School for Women”; “I am Not a Nobody”; and “Changing Lives in Appalachia”. Adapted and produced as a stage play, “Courageous Paths” was performed in seven locations. Jane was also featured in several books such as “Kentucky Women” and “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes”.
Jane served as Appalachian Director of The Steele-Reese Foundation from 1997 to 2007, continuing her commitment to the Appalachian region. She supported applicants for grants made by Steele-Reese in the Appalachian parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and North Carolina. She was a strong advocate for women's, children's, and rural health issues.
In recognition of her contributions to education, Jane was bestowed honorary degrees from Berea College, Eastern Kentucky University and Lees-McRae College. As an alumnae of Lees-McRae, Jane was a dedicated member of the Board of Trustees, including serving as Chair. She was on the boards of the Jesse Stuart Foundation, Berea Hospital, and the Encyclopedia of Appalachia. She was also proud of her work as Commissioner for both the Kentucky Commission on Women and the Kentucky Appalachian Commission. In recent years, she continued to participate in the local Philanthropic Educational Organization and her book club. She loved spending time with friends and family, and her sense of humor was appreciated by everyone she touched, even in her final days.
Jane’s talents were many. She had a deep love for music and shared her talents for years as a piano teacher and organist for Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church. Jane and John loved shape-note singing and were involved in the creation of the Appalachian Association of Sacred Harp Singers in 1980. The group drew singers from Lexington and Berea and was supported by the Appalachian Center at the University of Kentucky from 1979 until John left his role at the center in 1984 to become president of Berea College. Jane also loved to knit and visited yarn shops everywhere she traveled with friends and family. She donated her beautiful pieces for fundraisers and gave many as gifts to lucky recipients. As her grandson Cullen wrote when he was five, “When the world gets crazy, my grandma likes to sit and knit.”
She attended Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church, where she was a deacon for several years. Her celebration of life service will be at Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky, on June 27, 2026. Visitation will start at 9:30 a.m. The service will be at 11:00 a.m., and a reception at noon. The service will be streamed through the Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church website. Memorial donations can be made to the Jane B.Stephenson Memorial Fund at the NOSW Foundation, PO Box 273, Berea, KY 40403.
