It was mid-morning in January 2019, when Dr. Tara Jernigan Wheeler crossed the finish line of the Disney World Marathon. She started the race well before sunrise and alongside nearly 12,000 other runners, she completed 26.2 miles across the Disney properties, and she did it in just over five hours. This feat is made more impressive because just two weeks prior, Wheeler had completed another brutal race, she “rang the bell” after completing radiation treatment for cancer.
Despite successfully finishing radiation, Wheeler passed away in July of the following year leaving behind a legacy and lasting effect on many people.
“Tara was someone who always encouraged those around her,” Dr. Amy Wilson said, “she was confident, and she was going to go as far as she could…and she wanted to ensure that all of us got to go far too.”
Wheeler graduated from the school of dentistry in 2010, having returned to school after a career at U.S. Pipe. She was awarded the Dean’s Medal for Outstanding Scholarship and Leadership by Dean Huw Thomas. Following graduation, she opened Wheeler Dental in Foley, AL.
“Tara could have been any kind of specialist, but she wanted to serve her community and the best way she could do that was as a general dentist,” said Dr. Leslie Talbert. “She saw more people that way, all ages, all kinds of problems, she enjoyed being able to help every person in the community.”
Wheeler’s patient care, like her friendships, reflected her faith and her heart. Known for humming hymns while she completed her dental work, Wheeler left her patients feeling like they were being cared for by someone who valued them heart and soul.
“Even in her morning huddles with her staff, she was reminding them to try and let God’s light shine. She always tried to do that herself by helping and serving others,” said Talbert.
“She was someone who cared about others and wouldn’t leave anyone out. All were loved by Tara, and she welcomed them to join her in enjoy life in whatever way she was doing it,” said Wilson. Wheeler invited Wilson and her husband to Big Sky, MT, where she taught them both to ski.
In February of 2025, the Class of 2010 will celebrate their 15 Year Reunion and remember Wheeler on the fifth anniversary of her passing, however, her family and friends have memorialized Tara in such a way that her values, her spirit, and her legacy will always remain.
“I don't even remember who thought of the idea,” said Dr. Reid Marshall, “but creating a memorial scholarship seemed like such a perfect way to remember her. Once the idea was out there, it took off and became real very quickly.”
Friends of Wheeler’s, such as Marshall, Drs. Amy Wilson, Leslie Talbert, Angie Canales, Cory B. White, and others in the Class of 2010, chose to create the Tara Jernigan Wheeler Scholarship Fund. They collected their resources and with the help of Scott Huffman, Executive Director of Development and Strategic Planning for UASOD, the fund was fully endowed within months of her passing.
“Memorial funds can be helpful because they are places you can put your grief towards something bad and do something good with it,” said Kerry Chesnut, Director of Development for UASOD.
The upcoming reunion marks another milestone from graduation for the Class of 2010 and the tragic loss of Tara Jernigan Wheeler reemerges, but so too does a chance to remember and share her story to new audiences.
“Tara was always kind and wanted to help others. She was so hard working and driven, she moved out on her own early, left a successful career in the private sector, put herself through dental school, raised a daughter on her own, she was such an incredibly strong person,” Talbert said.
Wheeler relied on scholarships to afford dental school and in 2025, her scholarship fund will be awarded for the very first time.
“We were still fresh in our grief when [her fund] was started,” Brian Wheeler, Tara’s husband, said, “but seeing people talk about her again and knowing that more people will benefit from a scholarship with her name on it is special. It feels great to be paying tribute to her once again like this.”
Original donors, such as Wilson, Marshall, and Talbert are renewing their gifts to the scholarship fund this year. To celebrate Wheeler, and the Class of 2010, her friends and family are pushing the fund to reach $100,000 by the class reunion in February. The greater amount in the fund allows it to benefit more students and to higher degrees.
“Tara would have given anyone anything she could. She had such a servant’s heart, and this scholarship would help someone achieve their dreams of becoming a dentist. She had that dream too and since this scholarship will last for years and years, it will continue to grow and help more people,” Wilson said, “she would love this legacy.”