DONOR PROFILE:
Jabez “Jabie” and Helen Hardin In an office over a restaurant at Florida and Calhoun in Memphis, TN, Helen stuck by the phone and put together orders for specialty foods. Meanwhile, Jabie drove a 1934 Chevrolet throughout the Mid-South. He would walk into a store, examine the stock, determine what was needed, get the customer to approve the order, and drive to the next store. He would do that all day, stopping only at noon to call the orders in to Helen. She would package and label the orders in the afternoon. Helen paid school children to help load the delivery truck, which was owned and operated by another company, in the early years. The ambition and irrepressible persistence of the late Jabez “Jabie” and Helen Hardin are legendary. Co-founders of wholesale food distributors, Hardin-Sysco, the Hardin’s have made significant investments in Memphis and now represent one of the great philanthropic couples in Memphis. Jabie and Helen, his wife of 76 years, believed strongly in giving back to the community. During their lifetime and with the legacy they left, Helen and Jabie supported local organizations that serve our region in important and valuable ways. Their generosity made a profound and lasting impact and set a powerful example for the next generation of business leaders and philanthropists. Nowhere has their leadership and impact been felt more deeply than at the University of Memphis. Before her death in 2008, Mrs. Hardin, a long-time supporter of the University of Memphis, gave a significant gift for the benefit of honor students. In recognition of the significance of the gift for the University’s high-ability students, the program was named The Helen Hardin Honors Program. The University’s past President Shirley Raines and retired Provost Ralph Faudree both acknowledged the significance of Mrs. Hardin’s gift, saying that “... honors students enliven the academic performance of the campus at large by creating a climate that encourages hard work, serious study, and high expectations of all students. The Hardin legacy will have a far-reaching and long-lived effect on the University and its students.” The Hardin’s also established the Jabie Sanford Hardin II Chair of Excellence in Combinatoric Mathematics in memory of their only son. In 1994, the Hardin’s established a chair of excellence in economics/managerial journalism.
The School of Public Health is the most recent beneficiary of their generosity. In 2012, the Hardin’s established the Jabie and Helen Hardin Professorship, and Fund in the School of Public Health. The quality of a university’s faculty drives the success of its academic programming. The Hardin’s gift allows the School of Public Health to invest in its faculty to ensure the integrity and quality of our academic programs. Professorships and Endowed Chairs provide support and recognition to faculty who have earned distinction in research, teaching, and outreach. The Hardins have made an immeasurable impact on the University of Memphis. Their contributions have allowed the University to recruit world-renowned researchers and educators, and attract talented students who help our city grow stronger and more vibrant.
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