Victoria Devlin, Development Vice President
From the Boston Globe
Victoria Maxine Devlin passed away peacefully on December 23, surrounded by family and friends.
Vicky was born on January 16, 1946, in Stockton, California. She graduated from University of California at Berkeley, where she majored in French. This was the beginning of her long love affair with France and all things French. After graduation, she became a French teacher at the high school level.
She left teaching to work at D.C. Heath as a consultant to their foreign language book sales.
It was during this period when she met the love of her life, Stu Jones. They were married in 1979 and had a long and very happy marriage. After D.C. Heath, Vicky had an extensive career in the non-profit sector as Vice President of Development for WGBH and WETA, the PBS stations for Boston and Washington D.C., respectively.
A Celebration of Life will be held at South Freeport Congregational Church, Saturday, June 17, with a French garden party picnic theme to follow at the home of Fran and George Philip. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to South Freeport Congregational Church and Midcoast Humane Society.
I had the privilege of working with and for Vicky Devlin in my roles at PBS and at WGBH, respectively. She worked tirelessly on behalf of WGBH, and knew how to motivate, collaborate, support, and get the best from her staff. Most importantly, she had an unerring moral compass for business and personal ethics, while still getting the job done. When she left WGBH, we serenaded her with the finale from “A Chorus Line”: “One moment in her presence and you can forget the rest, for the girl is second best to none, son!” Didn’t have to change a word of the lyrics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrLcbi68R_A
I’m very saddened to hear of Vicky’s passing. She was an important role model to me at the very start of my career; she led with a balance of authority, grace, and humor that I have sought to emulate ever since. May she Rest In Peace.
Vicky brought great insight, imagination & skills to her work @ WGBH. She was a mentor to many on her team. She taught me so much. I was blessed to be her friend for over 30 years & will miss her deeply.
I’m so sorry to hear this. I worked closely with Vicky for more than a decade. I first met her when she headed national corporate sponsorship at GBH and I was leading a related function at PBS. She then came to DC as head of development at WETA and we continued to collaborate. We then both landed at GBH about the same time– Vicky heading development and me at WGBY and then heading the TV station group at GBH. She was a fabulous colleague — smart, capable, fun, and tough. I have not seen her in many years but remember her as a valued as a colleague. She did a lot of good for GBH and public media and I’ll always recall her fondly. RIP.
I am saddened to hear about Victoria’s passing. The few years I knew her she was always kind and happy. Peaceful rest Victoria.