Learn more about Alfred I. and Jessie Ball duPont, and the impact their Trust continues to enable, in the timeline below.

1935

Upon the death of Mr. duPont, the Alfred I. duPont Charitable Trust is created to maintain his estate in perpetuity and execute his vision of healthier lives for children around the world.

1936

The Nemours Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to the health of children, is incorporated in Florida.

1940

The Nemours Foundation opens its first healthcare facility for children — the Alfred I. duPont Institute — on the grounds of the The Nemours Estate® in Wilmington, Delaware.

1960

By the 1960s, under the direction of famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alfred R. Shands Jr., Nemours has become world-renowned for medicine and research in the field of pediatric orthopedics.

1971

After the death of Mr. duPont’s wife, Jessie Ball duPont, the annual income to Nemours from the Trust significantly increases.

1976

The Nemours Foundation Board expands the health system’s mission to treat a greater range of childhood diseases.

1981

Nemours purchases the Hope Haven Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. Also in 1981, Nemours SeniorCare is established to provide health services to low-income seniors throughout Delaware.

1984

The 800,000-square-foot Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware opens adjacent to the original Alfred I. duPont Institute in Wilmington.

1995

The Nemours Center for Children’s Health Media creates the award-winning KidsHealth.org, offering millions of parents, kids and teens trusted health information from leading pediatric experts.

1996

Nemours establishes additional Nemours Children’s Clinics in Delaware and in Pensacola and Orlando, Florida, all staffed by Nemours physicians and surgeons, but collaborating with local hospitals.

2002

The Nemours Foundation’s mission expands to add “leadership” as part of its purpose and delete limiting words like “acute” and “chronic.” To support the expanded mission, Nemours Health & Prevention Services is chartered to promote holistic health, beginning in Delaware.

2008

The Trust moves into its permanent headquarters on the St. Johns River in Mr. duPont’s adopted hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.

2012

The 630,000-square-foot Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando, Florida opens its doors, making Nemours the only pediatric health system in the nation with two freestanding children’s hospitals.

2019

The 40,000 square-foot Cardiac Center at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida opens. Also in 2019, the Hospital welcomes its first-ever class of pediatric residents.

2021

Nemours Children’s Health launches a new brand, “Well Beyond Medicine,” reflecting its bold strategy to redefine children’s health.