WASHINGTON - Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder’s gifts as an orator were on full display last Saturday, Jan. 20, in Washington.

But during his remarks before hundreds of family, friends, longtime political supporters, educators, legal professionals and politicians who gathered at the Washington Hilton Hotel to pay tribute to the 93-year-old former governor and help fund student scholarships, it was clear that Mr. Wilder never forgot his humble beginnings in Richmond’s Church Hill community.

Mr. Wilder recalled how his mother encouraged him to attend college, which resulted in his enrollment at Virginia Union University. He arrived at the Lombardy Street school with just $20, the most his mother could muster, he said. No one turned him away at VUU, and he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1951.

After graduating from Virginia Union, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, where he earned a Bronze Star for heroism in ground combat.

When not engaged in combat on the field, Mr. Wilder confronted other forms of battle that led him to speak up for his Black comrades who routinely were passed over for certain jobs and promotions. When his supervising officers listened and acted on the soldiers’ concerns, Mr. Wilder realized the power of using one’s voice for equality and justice.

After the war, Mr. Wilder attended Howard University School of Law, establishing a legal practice in Richmond shortly thereafter. His two sisters were his secretaries, he said. After building his practice, his attention later turned to politics, and he was elected to the Virginia Senate in 1969 as a member of the Democratic Party and served five terms before taking office as the lieutenant governor of Virginia, becoming the first African-American to hold statewide office in the Commonwealth.

And then, in 1989, the unthinkable occurred when Mr. Wilder was elected as the first African-American governor in the United States. A highlight of his tenure while serving as governor from 1990-1994 was repeatedly presenting the state a balanced budget without raising taxes. This was accomplished despite a deep recession and budget crisis, he notes in his 2015 book, “Son of Virginia: A Life in America’s Political Arena.”

At the end of his four-year term, Mr. Wilder began teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University, before being elected mayor of Richmond. In 2004, when he retired as mayor, he returned to VCU as a distinguished professor at the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs.

His remarks were preceded by several speakers, including television journalist Ed Gordon, the evening’s master of ceremonies, VCU L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Dean Susan T. Gooden, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine; Virginia Union University President Dr. Hakim Lucas; Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland; U.S. Representative Bobby Scott; and Mr. Wilder’s family members, Larry Wilder and Loren Wilder.

The gala began with Norfolk State University theater student Keighton Bell’s reenactment and delivery of Mr. Wilder’s inauguration speech from Jan., 13, 1990. The lengthy speech was delivered by memory, Mr. Bell said later in the evening.

NSU’s President, Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston, stood nearby, beaming.

“Wasn’t he wonderful,” she said.

To learn more about the scholarship fund that will benefit students at Howard, VUU and VCU who aspire to a career in public service, or to give online, please visit bit.ly/wilderovation, or contact Stevan Dozier, VCU Director of Development and Alumni Engagement: doziers2@vcu.edu