Remembering W. Jerome “Jerry” Frautschi

A statement from Blake Changnon, founder, president, and CEO of The Changnon Family Museum of Toys and Collectibles:

I join the Madison, Wisconsin community in honoring and remembering the life and legacy of W. Jerome “Jerry” Frautsch, a quiet yet transformative leader whose generosity, along with that of his wife, Pleasant Rowland, helped shape Madison’s cultural, educational, and artistic landscape. Although I never had the opportunity to meet him personally, his impact is deeply felt, not only through the institutions he helped build but through the opportunities they continue to create for future generations.

Jerry was a lifelong Madisonian whose family had lived in the city since the 1800s. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he spent decades helping run his family’s printing company, Webcrafters, while remaining deeply committed to the future of his hometown. Famously private, he preferred to work behind the scenes and believed strongly in giving back where he saw the greatest need.

Jerry played an important behind-the-scenes role in the early success of American Girl as an early investor in his wife Pleasant Rowland’s company. When American Girl was sold to Mattel in 1998, the company’s success helped enable one of the most extraordinary philanthropic legacies in Madison’s history. His $205 million gift to build the Overture Center for the Arts became the single largest gift to the arts in U.S. history.

Alongside his wife Pleasant, he supported an extraordinary range of institutions, including the Wisconsin History Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison Youth Arts Center, Central Library, UW-Health, the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra facility, the Center for Black Excellence and Culture, One City Schools, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County.

Jerry’s generosity reshaped Madison’s cultural landscape and continues to enrich the city he loved. I honor his life with gratitude and extend my condolences to his wife Pleasant, his family, and all those who were touched by his remarkable legacy.

Picture credit: Wisconsin State Journal