Joshua A. Winheld/Charlotte W. Newcombe Endowment Scholarships for students with a physical disability

On Dec. 3, 2010, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the legacies of two remarkable people born generations apart were brought together by the establishment of the Joshua A. Winheld/Charlotte W. Newcombe Scholarship Fund for students with a physical disability. Steven Goldstein and Susan Gordon, Josh’s uncle and aunt, donated a major leadership gift in his honor, an amount equally matched by the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation.

Susan Gordon called her nephew an inspiration, “He never used his physical disability as an excuse. He used it as a call to action. Everything he did was just a million times more difficult for him. We wanted to acknowledge that, and make it a little bit easier for others.”

The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation based in Princeton, N.J., has a long-standing relationship with Temple University and has provided more than $1.1 million in scholarship funds for Temple’s students with a disability since 1981.

this partnership between the family of Joshua A. Winheld and the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation is a testament to the value that both Josh and Mrs. Newcombe placed on education.

Joshua A. Winheld

Josh Winheld was born on March 4, 1978. He lived in Cheltenham Township, with his parents and two sisters. Before he reached five years of age, he was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). There is no treatment or cure for this disease; most boys with DMD die before reaching 30.

Josh valued life and all its experiences. He was dedicated to effecting positive change. Duchenne did not stop Josh from attending mainstream schools, having a Bar Mitzvah and being confirmed, being an honors student at Temple University, and earning a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's in urban studies. Josh told his story in his autobiography, Worth the Ride: My Journey with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and through his blog, Winheld’s World.

While a student at Temple, Josh strived to be involved despite his significant disability. He worked in University News and Communications, tutored students, wrote for the Temple News, spoke at Temple's Great Teachers Award Ceremony in 1999 and was the only student representative on the search committee for a new Dean of the School of Communications and Theater in 1999.

Josh, a Newcombe Scholar, wrote, “I would like to think that I share Mrs. Newcombe’s dedication to leaving this world a better place than she found it. I have written an autobiography and donated its proceeds to an organization that helps those with muscular dystrophy. Furthermore, the master's thesis I have written, thanks to the support of your foundation, is on the subject of housing accessibility for those with disabilities in Philadelphia.”

Josh Winheld, BA '00, MA '09
March 4, 1978 – December 5, 2009

Charlotte W. Newcombe

Charlotte Wilson Newcombe was born on March 28, 1890 in Philadelphia.

Although her older sister and younger brother were college graduates, Charlotte never attended college. Her vision was impaired from childhood and she could not read for long enough periods to make serious study possible.

Her father, Dr. Matthew James Wilson, was a physician and a public-spirited citizen who served several terms on Philadelphia's Board of Education. Before his death in 1931, Dr. Wilson secured a firm promise from his daughter that she would never sell any of the Smith Kline stock she would inherit. Her adherence to that promise over the next 48 years was rewarded by the remarkable growth of the drug company and of her fortune late in her life.

Charlotte Wilson was always committed to helping those around her from an early age. During World War I, she sold war bonds in her community and was active in the Red Cross, teaching women to knit socks, scarves and warm hats for soldiers. Mrs. Newcombe greatly valued higher education. During her lifetime, she sent the children of several friends to college, taking a vigorous interest in their progress. She married Fred Newcombe in 1952 and they lived in Germantown, Philadelphia.

In her will, she established the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation to continue her scholarship gifts. Her legacy continues under the stewardship of the Foundation's trustees. One of the founding trustees of The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation was Millard E. Gladfelter, president of Temple University from 1959 to 1967.

Charlotte W. Newcombe
March 28, 1890 - July 17, 1979