Kern Wildenthal — a longtime Dallas community leader, fundraiser and medical academic — is now the name of the Southwestern Medical Foundation’s giving society.
Wildenthal, 81, is heralded for his accomplishments as president of the hospital and putting Dallas’ medical community onto the map. Under his leadership, UT Southwestern transformed into the prestigious institution it is today,For more than two decades, Wildenthal served as the hospital’s president, where he helped it attain global status through extensive fundraising efforts.
, which launched in 1995 to recognize those who donate gifts to the hospital. Today, the society has close to 300 members — some of whom remain anonymous. Wildenthal’s decades-long career of service resulted in an endowment fund that grew to more than $1.3 billion in 2008. Wildenthal said he knew UT Southwestern could become a world-class institution.