Jay Woolsey remains in serious condition at a Tucson, Ariz., hospital after a bike accident more than two weeks ago left him badly injured, said his nephew Scott Woolsey.
Jay Woolsey, 67, was a longtime member of Hebron Academy’s staff, where he both taught and worked in the administration. After retiring in 1997, he served on its board of trustees.
Colleagues speak about him with uncommon respect, and students are said to never forget him after leaving the school.
Scott Woolsey said by phone Monday that the family is trying to balance an outpouring of support for Jay and interest in his condition with his need for privacy.
“Jay is a fairly private person,” his nephew said. “He is much more concerned with contributing to the welfare of others than having others bother over him. We’re trying to keep his wishes regarding that.”
Doctors’ prognoses are guarded, Woolsey said. But his uncle was always very athletic and that strength is helping him carry on now. He was an avid runner and, later, an avid biker.
“Jay is physically very strong,” Woolsey said. “He was hit on his bicycle while out on a 20-mile ride, and he had been biking around 125 miles a week.” Jay Woolsey lives in Greenwood, Maine, and has a winter home in Arizona.
Scott said the family, including his father, Thomas, – who is Jay’s brother – and his mother, as well as Scott’s brother and sister, are taking turns watching over Jay. Friends, too, have volunteered to come and sit by Jay’s side.
“We’re trying to maintain a level of presence in the hope that he will be aware of that and it will comfort him,” Scott said.
Comments are no longer available on this story