Hospital employee plans his legacy

Carl Rinder spent virtually his entire career at Lurie Children's and its predecessor, Children's Memorial Hospital, in planning and business development. Now retired, Carl has decided to give back by including the hospital he worked at for 36 years as a beneficiary of his estate.

"I'm grateful for the opportunities the hospital provided me, and I want to support the hospital in turn in my own small way," he says.

Carl's tenure at the hospital spanned a period of historic growth. He says that by far his biggest challenges were assessing potential locations for Lurie Children's, with each location having its own unique impact on building design, and initial space planning to guide the design of the new building. The hospital opened in downtown Chicago in 2012.

"It's ironic that the highlight of my career was, in effect, tearing down the old Children's Memorial, where I spent most of my career," says Carl.

Carl retired in 2014 from the Business Development department. Today he enjoys spending time with his adult children and grandchildren, gardening and playing guitar.

He still keeps up with developments at the hospital, and enjoys attending the quarterly Chairman's Luncheons for John P. Wilson Society members. He's particularly interested in advances in research - the area he has designated for his estate gift.

"In the end, everything translates back to patient care," he says. "And the care of tomorrow will be better than the care of today if we continue to support pediatric research."