Jean Stanford leaves $130,000 bequest for Jones Eye Institute at UAMS

Jean Chesbro Stanford was born in Heber Springs, Ark., in 1917. She became a nurse in 1938, and, while caring for one of her patients, met Jim Stanford. Jim was the patient's uncle, and within a year Jean and Jim were married. They would remain together for 73 years. Caring for others was a major theme of Jean's life. In addition to nursing, she was a longtime volunteer at the Waychoff Senior Center in Heber Springs, where she was instrumental in helping establish the Meals on Wheels program and where she continued to serve even as she struggled with her eyesight.

Jean was a patient at the Jones Eye Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she was treated for macular degeneration, a disorder that affects sight. The treatment she received at the institute slowed the progression of her condition. While she eventually lost her sight, Jean was so grateful for the care she received that she chose to give back, through her estate, to help the physicians and researchers at the Jones Eye Institute. Jean died in 2013 at the age of 96. She will be remembered for a lifetime of service to others and for her visionary gift to help others struggling with their eyesight.

"When a donor includes the Jones Eye Institute in their estate planning, they demonstrate their belief in the importance of our mission to fight blindness in Arkansas and beyond," said Meredith Fraiser, director of development for the Jones Eye Institute. "Gifts like Mrs. Stanford's allow our researchers to continue their work toward finding a cure for age-related macular degeneration."

Anyone interested in learning more about making a difference through an estate gift, should contact Meredith Fraiser or Tim Dockery, director of planned giving, at (501) 686-7894.