UTHSC, COM Alumni and Families Endow Student Scholarship Fund in Honor of Hershel “Pat” Wall
Thanks to the generosity of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine (COM) alumni and families, an endowed student scholarship fund has been created in honor of Chancellor Emeritus Hershel “Pat” Wall, MD. The first recipient of the $50,000 award – dubbed the Dr. Hershel P. Wall Endowed Scholarship — will be named in fall 2013.
A UTHSC alumnus who graduated from the College of Medicine in 1960, Dr. Wall has been part of the UTHSC community since he enrolled some 55 years ago. He has served in a wide variety of roles, including special assistant to the UTHSC chancellor and special assistant to the UT president, where he focused on fundraising, capital development and alumni relations. A longtime UTHSC faculty member and administrator, Dr. Wall has also served as UTHSC chancellor, interim dean for the UT College of Medicine, associate dean for admissions and student affairs, and division chief of General Pediatrics.
“Dr. Wall is Volunteer medicine,” said Joseph DeLozier, MD, a 1982 graduate of the UTHSC College of Medicine and donor to this effort. “He is an example to doctors and our society of what we should all be about – unconditional giving to his students, colleagues, patients, friends, and even strangers. There will be others to follow, but he has created the path and the standard, all out of love.”
Dr. DeLozier’s wife, Jan, is also a 1982 COM graduate, and the couple’s daughter, Meg, recently began medical school at UTHSC. J. Stephen Rich, MD, a 1974 COM graduate, and his wife, Susan, joined the DeLozier family in support of this scholarship.
Dr. Rich agreed with Dr. DeLozier’s opinion. “Dr. Hershel Wall was the most influential professor of my medical school career,” he said. “He instilled a steady calm. He inspired confidence. And he fueled a desire for knowledge. I have always known that I could count on Dr. Wall’s kindness and wisdom for guidance. I am grateful to have him as both a friend and a mentor. By providing scholarships for medical students, this effort simultaneously honors my mentor and positively impacts future graduates from the UTHSC College of Medicine. I can think of no better investment.”
The DeLozier and Rich families hope that other alumni and friends will join them in supporting this effort. To discuss making a donation to the Dr. Hershel P. Wall Endowed Scholarship Fund, please contact Zach Pretzer, director of Development for the UTHSC College of Medicine, at (901) 448-4975 or zpretzer@uthsc.edu.