William C. "Billy" Hubbard, MD, died May 9, 2024, at the age of 84. Born March 31, 1940, in Morehead City, NC, he was the son of Mary Alice and Earle C. Hubbard. At age two, Bill moved to Raleigh, a city he cherished as his hometown.
Bill attended Broughton High School where he played baseball and was a first team all-state basketball player. He attended UNC Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar and was a starter on the UNC freshman basketball team coached by Dean Smith. Whether it was baseball, basketball or football, as lifelong Tar Heel fans, Bill and Jane enthusiastically supported their alma mater.
Dr. Hubbard graduated from the UNC School of Medicine in 1966, then divided four years of Pediatric residency between U.Va. and UNC where he was Chief Resident. He served two years as a Captain and Chief of Pediatrics at Edwards Air Force Base before returning to Raleigh in 1972 to establish a new pediatric practice. Over the next two years partners Dr. Wally Brown and Dr. Jerry Bernstein joined Dr. Hubbard, and under their combined leadership the practice grew to become Raleigh and Garner Pediatrics.
The NC Children's Hospital opened in 2001 and Dr. Hubbard returned to Chapel Hill as a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. In 2006, the graduating residents honored him with the Tunnessen Award, given annually to the pediatric faculty member who contributed most to their years of training. On two occasions Dr. Hubbard was listed among the “Best Doctors in America”.
Bill served on multiple boards primarily focused on children. He was particularly committed to the Raleigh YMCA and Camp Sea Gull where he served as a counselor, camp physician, board member and was inducted into the Camp Hall of Fame. Bill’s love for Camp Sea Gull was passed down through generations, as he brought his children and grandchildren into the camp family. He was an active member of the NC Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, served as president, and was conferred Honorary Membership.
Bill had many interests outside of medicine. He enjoyed golf, reading and writing poetry, and Wire Fox terriers. He loved sharing his home on the Neuse River with family and friends, where he spent many happy hours fishing for Speckled Trout. Bill participated in the NC Senior Games basketball shooting competition, annually winning the Chatham County competition for ten years and setting the record in his age group in the statewide competition. He also won blue ribbons for his poetry. Above all, he enjoyed time with his beloved wife, Jane, their six children and families, including fifteen grandchildren.
Dr. Hubbard is survived by his wife of 37 years, Jane Jordan Hubbard, and his children: Will Hubbard (Lesley), Alice Wright (Steve), Sally Wyche (James), and his stepchildren: Lindley Stroud, Trex Stroud (Cynthia), and Ashley Hinton (Mike), and his grandchildren: Lucy and Kate Hubbard, Taylor Wright, Louise, Bill, and Walt Wyche, Jordan and Ashlyn Baity, Emily and Justin Stroud, Katie Wetherby (Jackson), Philip LoVerde, Kaeli, Makenna, and Greer Hinton.
A service of remembrance will take place on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 2:00 pm in the Chapin Auditorium at Galloway Ridge, 3000 Galloway Ridge, Pittsboro, NC.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly suggests memorial contributions to the NC Pediatric Society Foundation, 1100 Wake Forest Rd., Raleigh, NC 27604, or The UNC Children's Hospital, PO Box 1050, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, Memo line: Fund 343427 for William Hubbard Tribute, or a charity of one's choice.
Services provided by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh.
DONATIONS
NC Pediatric Society Foundation1100 Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh, North Carolina 27604
The UNC Children's HospitalPO Box 1050, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514
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