Duke University alum Jack O. Bovender Jr. is funding a $1 million scholarship named in honor of Professor Wilhelmina Reuben-Cooke (and four other students), who were the first African-American students to take classes at Duke University. The scholarship will support Duke University’s commitment to the benefits of diversity.

At the Duke University Alumni Reunion, Professor Reuben-Cooke and the Bovenders embraced on stage to standing applause. "I was completely taken by surprise," said Reuben-Cooke, an emerita member of the Duke University Board of Trustees, law professor and former provost at the University of the District of Columbia. "Little did I expect that President Brodhead [Duke University] would announce such a gift, made more special because it came from a classmate."