The Willed Body Program Donor Luncheon & Memorial
Each year, the OU Willed Body Program honors the selfless gift of body donation through our Donor Luncheon and Memorial, providing an opportunity for our College of Medicine students, faculty, and donor families to come together in remembrance and gratitude.
The Donor Luncheon offers OU College of Medicine students a unique and meaningful opportunity to meet the families of the donors who have been selected specifically for their anatomy course, allowing students to learn more about the individuals whose generous gifts will become an important part of their medical education. During this meaningful gathering, students hear stories about the donors their families, careers, passions, accomplishments, personalities, and the lives they lived. These conversations remind students that the individuals who become their first teachers were much more than the anatomical structures they study. They were parents, grandparents, spouses, friends, neighbors, professionals, veterans, and cherished members of their communities.
After the conclusion of the fall course, the College of Medicine conducts the Donor Memorial. This solemn and meaningful ceremony provides an opportunity to formally honor and remember each donor by name. Through words of reflection and remembrance, we celebrate the lives of those who made the extraordinary decision to give of themselves for the benefit of others.
The memorial serves as a lasting reminder that every donor had a story, a family, and a life filled with experiences and relationships. Their final gift becomes part of a legacy that extends far beyond their lifetime helping educate future physicians, advancing medical knowledge, and ultimately contributing to the care of future patients.
At the OU Willed Body Program, we believe our donors are not simply participants in medical education; they are our students' first teachers. Their generosity provides lessons that cannot be found in a textbook the importance of compassion, humility, respect, gratitude, and the profound responsibility that comes with caring for another human being.
Through the Donor Luncheon and Memorial, we strive to ensure that our donors are remembered not only for what they gave, but for who they were and the lives they touched. Their legacy lives on in every student they teach, every physician they help shape, and every patient who may one day benefit from the knowledge gained through their remarkable gift.
To our donors and their families: we are deeply grateful for your trust, your generosity, and the lasting legacy you have entrusted to us.