Win Mumby

As we look towards the opening of the Win Mumby gym on Friday 18th September, Mr. TZ Chu, Emeritus Member of the Woodstock Board of Directors, Distinguished Alumnus of Woodstock School, and a member of the Woodstock Class of '52, shares some of his memories, and reflects on the significance of the Mumby family in Woodstock history.

Mr. Mumby was my coach during my sophomore and junior years at Woodstock, more than half a century ago. Later, he became my mentor and my friend until he passed away. I would like to share with you my impressions and perspective of Win Mumby.

You might find it surprising that he was a coach at Woodstock for less than 1 ½ years. Even more startling was the fact that his wife Carol Downs Mumby was the school nurse at Woodstock for only about five months, from March to July of 1951, when she unfortunately contracted polio. Yet, they figure so largely in the history of Woodstock. Why?

During his short tenure at Woodstock, Win built us into probably India's best teams then in swimming and diving and basketball. Woodstock won the Mussoorie annual track and field competition handily, as well as winning against the hillside in softball; we didn't play cricket then. When I said that we had the best sport teams in India, I meant exactly that. Our teams won against the Indian university, army and other adult teams in meets and tournaments, and of course against other high school teams as well. At that time, the Woodstock high school classes averaged only around 30 students including boys and girls, but we did well because of Mr. Mumby's coaching.

As our coach, he had never pushed us to win. Instead, he urged us to strive to do better, as he taught us better techniques and to adopt better strategies. He convinced us that there was no limit to what we can strive to achieve. He insisted on good sportsmanship, playing fair and performing better. He inculcated in each of us a culture of striving to excel. He was a great coach not only for sports but for navigating in life.

He was generous with his time, approachable and respectful of others, whether they were students, parents, fellow teachers, chokidars, or dhobiwallahs. He was fluent in Hindustani and communicated easily with anyone. He was loved and respected by everyone in return, and that is why he looms so large in our minds then and now.

Years later, when I met some of his colleagues and friends during his memorial service, I learned that he was the same with his colleagues and with "friends" of all ilk. One of his early Coca Cola Pakistani colleagues told me that Win traveled everywhere installing Coca Cola machines, places where these machines had never been seen before; he hugely expanded the market for Coca Cola. He was able to quickly and accurately identify and recruit individuals who could be trusted to take care of the machines. A retired minister told me a story that illustrates the kind of man Win was. The minister was the first African American missionary dispatched to Pakistan. When he arrived by ship at Karachi, Win was the only one who met him at the dock. Win was living far north in Pakistan and they did not know each other. However, when Win heard that the minister was arriving; he decided that he should be there to welcome him and to ease his adaptation to the new environment. Others told me that he was generous to a fault in helping others in need and doing so without fanfare.

But Win was not a soft touch. He expected accountability and results for himself and from others. About twenty years ago, Jane Cummings - then the Executive Director of KWI, the organization in North America that had done more to support Woodstock and Kodaikanal International School than anyone since the withdrawal of mission support - asked me to call on Win when I was traveling to Singapore on business. I met Win for the first time since graduating from Woodstock which was a lapse of almost 40 years, but we quickly re-established friendship. I asked him to re-engage with Woodstock, describing to him the distressing conditions of facilities I saw when I had visited Woodstock shortly before meeting Win. Win was hesitant because of the poor experience he had with the lack of accountability with his father Ted's bequest to another institution in India. He looked at me closely and asked, "What have you done for Woodstock and how are you going to ensure accountability?"

The rest is history. I believe that was the beginning of transformation of Woodstock's governance structure and the beginning of significant alumni financial support for Woodstock, evidence of which you see all around you today. Win gave generously in money and time and in influencing others to do the same. Honoring him by naming this amazing gymnasium after him, I believe, is most appropriate.

It was Jane Cummings, the Executive Director of KWI, who approached Coca Cola Company in Atlanta requesting financial support for the gym to honor Win. When the word finally reached the CEO it turned out that he had early in his career at Coca Cola International reported to Win and was a great admirer of Win as a mentor and career coach. He immediately authorized it and mandated that Coca Cola India match it.

I want to salute Rick Downs, Sanjay Narang and members of Win's family and the Woodstock family for bringing to reality this wonderful new gym. I know the current and future Woodstock students are grateful to you and so am I - for them, for the Mumby and Downs family, and for Win.