Lawrence D. Hopkins, M.D. (’72, MD ’77, P ’12, P ‘15)
By Nathan O. Hatch
February 20, 2020
A superb example of Wake Forest’s mission to educate the whole person and cultivate a deep sense of purpose is found in a student-athlete who excelled in the classroom and on the gridiron. This Double Deacon has not only served thousands of patients in our community with compassionate, expert care as a beloved physician, he has been a valued role model and teacher for hundreds of students in our Medical School. I am pleased to recognize Dr. Lawrence D. “Larry” Hopkins as a 2020 Medallion of Merit recipient.
Fifty years ago, Dr. Hopkins enrolled at Wake Forest, where he emerged as a standout in both chemistry and as a Demon Deacon running back. In the 1970 pre-season, sportswriters pronounced our football team as one with “no offense, no defense, no hope”. Larry Hopkins played a crucial role in what turned out to be perhaps the Deacons’ most memorable season, culminating in Wake Forest’s first ACC football championship. A two-time All-ACC selection, Dr. Hopkins holds the Wake Forest single-season rushing record (1,228 yards) to this day.
His hard work in the classroom earned Dr. Hopkins induction into Gamma Sigma Epsilon, the national honorary society for chemistry in 1972. He received his bachelor’s degree that year, continued his education with graduate work at Virginia State University, then enrolled in Wake Forest’s Medical School from which he graduated in 1977.
Following his residency, Dr. Hopkins enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he rose to the rank of major; he then returned to Winston-Salem in 1983 and entered practice in obstetrics and gynecology. Responding to a serious need in the community, in 1994 he signed on as co-director of the newly-created Women’s Health Center focused on improving prenatal care and reducing infant mortality rates. Dr. Hopkins continued his commitment to his patients and expanded it to students beginning in 1996 as Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wake Forest’s School of Medicine. In addition to volunteer work with many community and professional organizations, he has devoted untold hours to his alma mater, serving on the Alumni Council, Board of Visitors, and since 1986, on our Board of Trustees. Dr. Hopkins is now in a remarkable seventh term as a Wake Forest Trustee. In 1987, Dr. Hopkins received the Distinguished Alumni Award for his extraordinary service to the University, the field of medicine and the Winston-Salem community.
In recognition of his decades of service as a medical professional dedicated to improving women’s health, as an inspiring mentor and teacher, devoted volunteer, and legendary Wake Forest athlete, Wake Forest University confers its highest honor, the Medallion of Merit, on Dr. Lawrence D. “Larry” Hopkins on this Twentieth day of February, Two Thousand Twenty.