A blind date involving a young man from Wofford and a Winthrop coed has had lasting benefits for our region of South Carolina. Fred and Jessie DuBard have brought an energy and passion to many areas of community service and have made a legacy commitment to honor the care both have received at McLeod.

A job offer from John Kassab brought Fred and Jessie to Florence in 1972 to work with N.B. Baroody Beverage Company. After managing the business for 17 years, they became the owners of DuBard, Inc. and grew this Florence institution from 1989 through 2006.

Fred recalls early years of meeting friends at the Eat More and watching the new McLeod Medical Center building going up. He said that the late Charlie Mitchell actually asked him for his first gift to support McLeod.

Fred served as a member of the McLeod Community Board for three years. After graduating from the McLeod Fellows Class of 2011 he was, in Fred’s terminology, "roped into" assisting the One Vision, One Future Campaign which has provided critical funding for the new McLeod Dillon Emergency Department, the McLeod Hospice House Addition and now the new McLeod Center for Cancer Treatment and Research.

Fred and Jessie have both received life saving care at McLeod in the past few years. In a letter to Rob Colones in 2011 Fred included these words:

"Having had the privilege to serve on the McLeod Health Community Board, the Campaign Leadership Council, and as a McLeod Fellow, I have heard all the presentations concerning excellent treatment, professionalism, patient care and friendliness in service from the staff members. I heard what was said but those five days in July made a believer out of me. I almost hated to leave after such great service and care."

Fred will also tell anyone, and with great passion, that he is grateful to McLeod for saving Jessie’s life.

Fred has shared that he and Jessie never felt pressured to make this legacy commitment. He said they were glad they could do it and felt inspired to do so because when the "chips were down, McLeod was even more than anticipated."

The DuBard’s gift will be recognized by naming the Courtyard Garden which will be located at the base of the new McLeod Center for Intensive Care.

To learn more about Legacy Giving, please visit www.mcleodhealthlegacy.org.