PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Temple University President JoAnne Epps was remembered as a caring and accomplished leader during a celebration of her life Friday.
Adorned with cherry-red roses, Epps' casket was positioned in front of the stage at the Liacouras Center on the campus of the university she loved and served for 38 years.
Speakers at the two-hour ceremony talked of Epps' warmth and humor. Epps touched countless lives during her tenure at Temple as a law school dean, provost, and acting president before her sudden death on Sept. 19 at the age of 72.
During the service, Attorney Danielle Banks spoke of how Epps nurtured and advocated for young Black lawyers.
"The guiding hand of someone who looked like us meant the world," Banks said, adding that Epps often sent notes to former law school students as they embarked on their careers. "We are celebrating a woman whose heart was as vast as her intellect," Banks said.
In a video message, Gov. Josh Shapiro said she “left an indelible mark here at Temple, in our great city and throughout our beloved Commonwealth."
"It is my hope that the Temple community finds comfort in knowing that JoAnne's strength and her legacy will continue to live on through you."
Former Daily News columnist and Temple alumnus Elmer Smith said he could only imagine the barriers Epps faced.
"She wasn't just in the room. She was wielding the gavel, she was setting the agenda," Smith said. "That was JoAnne behind the curtain in her perfectly tailored size 0 suits working the levers, turning the wheels, pushing the buttons, making this sucker run."
"Maybe it was fitting that she was on duty on that day in a ceremony honoring Charles Blockson," Smith added. "She died as she lived, shining a light on someone else."