Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children history

Alfred I. duPont supposedly said he built the wall with the glass shards around his estate “to keep out intruders, mainly of the name of duPont,” according to Marquis James’s 1941 book "Alfred I. duPont: The Family Rebel."

1968: G. Dean MacEwen, MD, succeeded Doctor Shands as medical director of the Alfred I. duPont Institute.

In 1971, after the death of duPont’s wife, Jessie Ball duPont, the annual income to Nemours from the Trust significantly increases.

In his will, Mr. duPont requested his trustees maintain and preserve Nemours Estate “for the pleasure and benefit of the public.” Open for tours since 1977, Nemours has hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors.

1979: First phase of the Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware in Wilmington, Del., is completed.

1982: Nemours announced its first President & CEO, W. Jeffrey Wadsworth.

1983: Nemours Children's Clinic, a complementary outpatient and ambulatory care facility adjacent to the Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, opened in Wilmington, Del.

In 1984, a new 800,000-square-foot hospital opens adjacent to the original Alfred I. duPont Institute in Wilmington.

A slight variation of the quote was repeated in the 1990 biography "Alfred I. duPont: The Man & His Family," by Joseph Frazier Wall.

1991: Nemours Children’s Clinic, a comprehensive pediatric subspecialty ambulatory care system, is opened in Jacksonville, Fla.

1995: The award-winning KidsHealth.org is created through the Nemours Center for Children’s Health Media, offering millions of parents, kids and teens trusted health information from leading pediatric experts.

1996: Nemours Children’s Clinic is opened in Orlando.

2002: Nemours Board of Directors expanded the Foundation’s mission, adding “leadership” as an avowed part of its purpose and deleting the limiting words “acute” and “chronic.”

The Nemours Foundation again expands its reach in 2004, when the duPont Trustees authorize Nemours to pursue a holistic system of health and healthcare for children with the creation of Nemours Health and Prevention Services.

2005: Nemours BrightStart! is launched in Duval County, Florida, to provide free screening and intervention services for preschoolers at risk of reading difficulties.

2006: Nemours Board of Directors welcomed six new members, who in addition to Richard Christopher (who was appointed a year earlier) formed a majority of “non-Trustees” to help fully realize the design of Nemours as a leading children’s health system.

In 2008, the Trust moves into its permanent headquarters on the St Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, Mr. duPont’s adopted hometown.

The Nemours Foundation is the sole beneficiary of the A.I. duPont Testamentary Trust which was valued at $3.4 billion in 2009.

2011: Nemours celebrates “sky-breaking” for the expansion of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital in Wilmington, Del.

In 2012, the hospital opens its doors to the new 630,000-square-foot hospital, offering 95 beds to children in need.

2014: Nemours CareConnect — our 24/7, on-demand telehealth service — launched.

The trusts supporting the Nemours Foundation (the A.I. duPont Testamentary Trust and the Edward Ball Trust) were valued at a combined $5.5 billion in 2015.

2018: The Nemours App launched, providing an integrated, personalized point of access to help families manage their child’s health and keep clinicians in the loop between appointments.

2019: The 40,000-square-foot Cardiac Center at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, is opened.

On May 12, 2021, the hospital announced that its name will be changed to "Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware", in the summer of 2021.