Mildred Wyatt-Wold Bequeaths $1M for Mildred Wyatt and Ivor P. Wold Center for Geriatric Care

Mildred Wyatt-Wold

As they grew older, Mildred Wyatt-Wold and her husband, Ivor P. Wold, began to recognize a need for better and more compassionate medical care for the elderly. This inspired Mrs. Wyatt-Wold to bequeath $1 million to the Foundation to foster geriatric care at UT Southwestern.

The gift will help support the Mildred Wyatt and Ivor P. Wold Center for Geriatric Care, which the couple established in 2000 with a previous $1 million gift. The centerpiece of the center is an innovative house call program designed to provide in-home medical care to elderly patients throughout the Dallas area who are bedridden or largely confined to their homes. The program consists of interdisciplinary teams of geriatric physicians, nurse practitioners and social workers trained to assess a patient's physical, psychological and social needs.

"The generosity of Mildred and Ivor Wold has launched one of the most significant and timely programs in the medical center's history," said Dr. Kern Wildenthal, president of UT Southwestern. "Their enthusiasm for developing preventive and compassionate care for the elderly has translated into a health care program dedicated to aiding a population too often overlooked in our society."

Mildred Wyatt-Wold, who died on January 6, 2005 at the age of 101, and her first husband, the late Earle Wyatt, founded Wyatt's cafeterias in 1931. The Wolds' philanthropy has extended throughout Dallas to include support of the Dallas Arboretum, Children's Medical Center Dallas, Juliette Fowler Homes and the East Dallas Christian Church.