Dr. W.M. King, scholar, philanthropist

WILLIAM M. KING had a long record of accomplishment and community service, but when he looked back on his life, one boyhood memory stood out: playing checkers on a South Philadelphia sidewalk with the old men.

"He was 8 years old and proud of the fact that he was the only kid on the block allowed to play with the old men," said his nephew, Lamont King. "That was the kind of thing he talked about."

William King was an osteopathic physician so devoted to his patients that he was available to them day and night, a philanthropist with a special interest in his alma mater, Central High School, where a library is named after him, an educator, a community activist and an Army veteran. He died May 16. He would have been 80 on July 13. He was living in Andorra, but had lived for years in East Falls.

In May 2005, an unusual event occurred at Central High. The Dr. William M. King Communications, Media and Research Center at the Barnwell Library was dedicated with appropriate ceremony.

What made the occasion unusual was the fact that the $4.5 million center at a public high school was paid for exclusively by alumni donations. Dr. King, Class of '45, was the largest contributor.

The complex includes a staff lounge, a home for Central's extensive archives, and the Bernard Spain Conference Center.

The project started in 2000 as a plan to raise a few bucks for a coat of paint, carpeting and furniture. But alumni, including King, had more ambitious plans.

Central was not the only beneficiary of this generous philanthropist. Through his William M. King Charitable Trust, he contributed to the NAACP, the Franklin Institute, Concerned Black Men, the Paul Robeson Center, the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Ghana Study Abroad Program at James Madison University in Virginia, where his nephew teaches.

"He was all about education," his nephew said. "If you went to him and said you needed money for schooling, he would give it to you. But if you asked him for money for a vacation, forget it. He wouldn't even lend you money for that."

His home in East Falls had an open door for needy people, especially his patients. He was always available to them.

King was a brilliant student wherever he went. He graduated from Central with honors, including the coveted Barnwell Honor Roll Gold Key, the Scholastics Honors List and the Gold Service Key.

After high school, he enlisted in the Army and served for three years, attaining the rank of sergeant major.

He completed work for his bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan in three years with distinction in mathematics, chemistry and physics. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Eta Signa fraternities.

He became a biochemist at the National Heart Institute of the National Institutes of Health, where he did research in amino-acid metabolism. He was co-author of three scientific papers in biochemical journals.

Passionate for education, he did graduate work in biochemistry at George Washington University for a year before entering the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1958.

He graduated in 1962, took his internship at Metropolitan Hospital in Philadelphia, became house physician for the PCOM hospital and served as a physician for the U.S. Public Health Service in Philadelphia.

He started in private practice in Germantown and Mount Airy, and opened the Gemedco Family Medical Center in Germantown in 1976 and the City Avenue Medical Center in 1986. He retired in 2005.

"He was a wonderful wonderful man," said Sheldon Pavel, president of Central High School. "He was very generous and caring, for the countless thousands of patients he treated as a physician and the wonderful philanthropic work for the community and Central High School."

Richard Prinz, former president of the Central High Alumni Association, and a leader of the library-fund campaign, said, "Dr. King was a unique individual. He was very generous to Central High School, but, more important, he was there. He attended all our events. He was a wonderful role model."

"The Kings' door was always open," Lamont King said. "It was a continuous party in which you could find dancing in one room and discussions about Latin grammar in another.

"How many people - how many generations of children in his extended family - learned their multiplication tables through his unrelenting inquisition."

He was born in South Philadelphia to Moses and Edna King. He was known as "Tippy" to family and friends. He attended Smith Elementary and Barratt Junior High schools before enrolling at 170-year-old Central.

"You could go to him with 'big talk' or 'small talk' and he would make time for you just as readily at his office in his white coat as he would at his home," his nephew said. "He was always there for us."

King was a member of numerous professional and community organizations, and received many awards for his professional and philanthropic work.

He is survived by his longtime companion, Nina Silverman; a daughter, Renee; two sons, Maarifa and Eric; a brother, Aldrich; four sisters, Theda, Trummell, Wanda and Carole; four grandsons; and one great-grandson. He was predeceased by three brothers, Kenneth, Conrad and Douglas.

Services: 10 a.m. tomorrow at Canaan Baptist Church, 5430 Pulaski Ave. Friends may call at 8 a.m.

Burial will be in Rolling Green Memorial Park, West Chester. *