Jane Mead’s deep connection to Napa continues through her generous legacy gift to NVCF. Her bequest established the Fund for Napa Valley, which will make grants to the community she loved for years to come.
Jane, a poet, teacher, author, and rancher, passed away in 2019. We spoke with her sister, Parry Mead Murray, who shared that their family grew up splitting their time between New England and Napa, spending summers at Mead Ranch which had been in the family for five generations. After Parry’s long tenure managing the ranch, Jane took over for another 15 years, balancing vineyard management with her writing. Her time on the ranch profoundly influenced her poetry.
Jane left a significant part of her estate to NVCF. “She would be pleased with however the Foundation decides to disperse the funds,” Parry reflects. “She always wanted to enrich the community, especially those who are less advantaged.”
Jane’s legacy gift reflects her lifetime spent caring for people, animals, and the environment. In addition to her bequest to NVCF, she left Mead Ranch to the Land Trust of Napa County—a family legacy they had long envisioned for the community. She, Parry and their father, Giles, began discussing this idea in the early 1990s, when they collectively placed a conservation easement on the property to permanently protect its natural habitat.
Jane was a dedicated poet and teacher, inspiring others to find their voice. She taught at Napa Valley College, Colby College, University of Iowa Writer’s workshop (among other workshops and institutions) and served as poet-in-residence at Wake Forest University. Her generous spirit and dedication to her craft are well-known. Over her career, she published six books, received numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, and was published in publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times and Poetry Magazine.
