When the Southwestern Medical Foundation and the UT Southwestern Medical Center join forces for a luncheon honoring Dr. Kern Wildenthal, a former president of both organizations, you can be sure the turnout will be an impressive one.
It was that and still more on Wednesday, June 7, when a noontime event at Dallas’s T. Boone Pickens Biomedical Building feted Kern and celebrated renaming the Foundation’s planned giving society The Wildenthal Society.
Established in 1995 and previously known as The Heritage Society, the exclusive group recognizes those individuals and couples — now numbering several hundred — who pledge support for the Foundation or UTSW through their estate plans.
Kern and his wife, Marnie Wildenthal, were early members of the society, and Kern — known as one of the most prolific fundraisers in American medical history — watched philanthropic support for the two organizations skyrocket on his watch. Indeed, their total endowment increased by more than 3,000 percent under Kern, leaping from $40 million in 1986 to more than $1.3 billion in 2008.
The luncheon assemblage recognizing Kern was a who’s who of civic and philanthropic luminaries, from Sarah Losinger, Mary McDermott Cook, Dan Branch, Lynne and Roy Sheldon and Connie O’Neill to Kay Bailey Hutchison, Jacqueline and Dick Grote, Brent Christopher, Chris Durovich, Foundation Chair Jere Thompson Jr., past Foundation Chair Bill Solomon and newly named Foundation President Michael McMahan.
Renaming the society for Kern was “long overdue,” said Jere. “He was such a significant force in bringing UTSW to where it is today, taking it to a whole other level in terms of land, buildings and people — most importantly, people.”
How true that was.
As the guests learned in a luncheon keynote by Nobel Laureate Dr. Michael S. Brown, the new endowments under Kern included more than 400 chairs, professorships, and research and clinical centers enabling the recruitment to UTSW of internationally renowned physicians and scientists. Many of them became members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and six won Nobel prizes.
None of these achievements would have been possible without the leadership of Kern, who led UTSW “from obscurity to the leading ranks of American medicine,” Michael said. Then he added: “And we did it without a bay, an ocean, or even a hill — in a city where the summer temperature hovers around 100 degrees.”
Trained in cardiology, Kern “gave up his own scientific career to build spaces where science can flourish,” Michael continued. As UTSW president, Kern not only knew where the bodies were buried, “he knew who killed them — and what the murder weapon was.
“He didn’t talk much, but when he did talk, he delivered the straight talk,” Michael said.
Kern wasn’t perfect, though, Michael added.
Once, on a fundraising mission to San Francisco to see Nancy Hamon, Kern mistakenly wrote down a wrong address for the legendary philanthropist and wound up in a “tenement”-type building in a sketchy neighborhood. After realizing his mistake, he regrouped and proceeded to visit Hamon in her rightful digs — a penthouse four blocks away, where she made the gift he’d been seeking.
Noting that Kern and Marnie will be celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary next year, Michael said that none of Kern’s accomplishments would have been possible without Marnie. “It’s a partnership,” he said.
To conclude, Michael said he’d called on the latest technological advancement — ChatGPT — for some assistance with his talk. Specifically, he’d asked the advanced chatbot to “write a poem about Kern,” and the following is what it came up with just seconds later. Recited Michael:
In the realm where passion and knowledge reside,
A figure emerged, with brilliance as his guide.
Kern Wildenthal, a beacon of wisdom and grace,
A visionary mind, leaving trails none can erase.
Through the corridors of learning, he strode,
With dedication, inquisitiveness that flowed.
A scholar, a leader, in the field he excelled,
Unraveling mysteries, where science’s stories dwell.
His words, a symphony of wisdom’s embrace,
Inspiring minds to reach for endless space.
With fervor and vision, he built foundations strong,
Enlightening generations, empowering all along.
In academia’s embrace, his legacy grew,
As president, his stewardship drew,
A tapestry of progress, woven with care,
Fostering innovation, brilliance everywhere.
His kindness and compassion, a gentle breeze,
Nurturing minds, planting hopeful seeds.
He nurtured dreams, empowering the young,
Guiding their footsteps, where knowledge sprung.
Oh, Kern Wildenthal, your legacy is profound,
In the annals of academia, your influence is found.
A beacon of knowledge, forever shall you be,
A source of inspiration for all to see.
Asked later to comment on all the luncheon hoopla, the guest of honor was characteristically understated.
“They said it wasn’t an exaggeration. I’d just as soon people went on believing that, even though it was,” Kern replied.
* Photo provided by Southwestern Medical Foundation