Widener Law Commonwealth Honors Late Student Toty Boley with Memorial, Honorary Degree
Widener University Commonwealth Law School held a solemn and heartfelt memorial service this week to honor Toty Boley, a fourth-year extended division student who tragically passed away in a car accident on June 15, 2024. Boley, known among classmates for his warmth, perseverance, and quiet leadership, would have graduated with the class of 2025 on Sunday, May 18. The law school will award him a posthumous honorary degree during the commencement ceremony.
“I didn’t have the privilege of knowing Toty personally before his passing,” said Dean andré douglas pond cummings during the memorial. “But in learning about his journey—from his childhood in Liberia to joining our community here at Widener Law Commonwealth—I came to understand that he embodied so much of what our law school stands for.”Boley’s story, cummings said, was one of “perseverance, purpose, and joy.” He overcame extraordinary circumstances before reaching law school, and once there, he became a beloved member of the evening student community.
“Though his time with us was cut far too short, his spirit remains with us—in the classrooms he walked, the friendships he formed, and the light he brought to our campus,” said cummings. “We will remember Toty not only with words but with action.”
In addition to awarding Boley his law degree posthumously, the law school has established a scholarship in his name and is exploring an endowed version to carry his legacy forward.
Among the many who shared memories during the memorial was Dean of Students Randi Teplitz, who recalled Boley’s consistent acts of quiet generosity. She described how he would drive a fellow student from Harrisburg to Philadelphia late at night after class so she could safely catch a train home.
“Toty’s kindness was extraordinary—truly the kind that stays with you,” Teplitz said. “That kind of selflessness—doing something for someone else just because you can—is rare. And that was Toty.”
Professor Randy Lee, who taught Boley, remembered him as a student who “was constantly striving to grow, to learn, and to do good.”
“There’s a beautiful moment in a book I read recently, where a child is asked, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ And the child answers, ‘Kind,’” Lee said. “Toty lived that answer. More than anything, he grew up to be kind—and that may be the most important achievement any of us can claim.”
Boley’s classmates spoke about the way he made others feel seen, especially within the close-knit extended-division program, where students attend classes at night and earn their law degrees over four years, often while managing full-time jobs and families.
“I came into the extended division group a little later than most, and I didn’t really know anyone at first,” said Stacy Oppenheim. “But Toty—especially Toty—made me feel welcome right away. His kindness made a big difference in my life.”
Classmate John Hershey recalled a time when students shared their aspirations for their law degrees. “Toty said he wanted to become a prosecutor,” Hershey said. “But he brought a warmth and empathy to every interaction. He was committed to public service, and he really wanted to understand people—what brought them to the table.”
During his time at Widener Law Commonwealth, Boley externed with the Montgomery County Public Defender’s Office. In journal entries from the experience, he reflected with humility and commitment, writing, “I’m eager to learn and better myself.” In another entry, he affirmed his belief that a lawyer’s duty “remains with the client and obtaining the best outcome for them.”
“His last journal entry read, ‘Each week continues to be a learning experience, and I look forward to next week,’” said Liz Simcox, coordinator of externships and an adjunct professor. “That optimism and drive were at the heart of who Toty was.”
cummings closed the memorial by calling on the community to live in a way that honors Boley’s legacy. “Let’s remember Toty by choosing kindness, by living generously, and by supporting one another—just as he did,” he said. Boley’s legacy will live on not only through the honorary degree and scholarship bearing his name, but through the lives of the students, faculty, and staff he impacted during his time at Widener Law Commonwealth.
“Toty was a part of this community, this family,” cummings concluded. “And in a small school like ours, his absence is deeply felt. But he will be remembered with admiration, affection, and love.”
2025 Commencement Ceremony Webpage Live Commencement Webcast Webpage
