Hearing of wedded couples giving back to their alma maters is always a heartwarming story. It pulls on one’s heartstrings, even more, when the school is where the lovebirds both met and married. This beautiful order of events is the love story of Drs. Toni and David Wilkes, who are now paying it forward to the Lewis Katz School of Medicine — Temple University’s medical school. According to Temple Health News, the 1982 graduates have donated $2 million to the school. The intent behind their gift is to establish an endowed scholarship fund for students underrepresented in medicine. “There’s deep purpose in this scholarship, ” said Dr. Toni Wilkes. “In addition to what it means to us, it’s a thank-you to Temple for giving us a superb education.” Dr. David Wilkes added: “Our scholarship is an enactment of principles and priorities that we — and Temple — prize.”

For the first time in Temple University’s 137-year history, the school has chosen its first Black president. Dr. Jason Wingard was announced as the university’s next president at a press conference by Board of Trustees chairman Mitchell Morgan, The Temple News reports. Wingard will succeed Richard Englert, who has served as the school’s president since 2016. According to Morgan, Wingard — who has held previous administrative positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford University — was just the man for the job after Englert announced his decision to retire at the end of the 2020-21 academic year. “He had every specification, every qualification that we were looking for in the next president,” Morgan said. “He’s a visionary, he’s a great leader and we are really excited about him.” According to The Temple News, Wingard grew up attending the late Temple basketball coach John Chaney’s camps in Philadelphia and Ambler. He’s also lived in Philadelphia for the past 23 years...