A Legacy Built Forward
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A week before Christmas in 1980, Paula and Randy Ringhaver lost their son, Randal Lee Ringhaver, Jr., to an aggressive form of leukemia. He was just 8 ½ months old.
"We just wanted to overcome the loss,” Paula says. Emotional survival was their only goal.
But in time, their grief began to take on new meaning. The Ringhavers came to see philanthropy as a way to honor Lee’s life and help others facing their own health journeys at Mayo Clinic.
“We started realizing our ability to make an impact through philanthropy,” Paula says, "for people across the community and for Lee's legacy.”
The couple has turned that desire to make a difference into a transformational gift supporting Mayo Clinic’s expansion in Florida as part of Bold. Forward. Unbound., the organization’s initiative to reimagine healthcare for the future. Through Bold. Forward. Unbound., Mayo Clinic is creating integrated, technology-enabled environments that bring together clinical care, research and education in new ways. The initiative is designed to seamlessly connect physical space with digital capabilities, accelerating innovation and expanding access for people with serious or complex diseases. The project will add more than 600,000 square feet of new clinical and research space to the Jacksonville campus, including a five-story addition to the hospital tower.
With what we’re doing — and with Mayo Clinic’s track record and plans — the sky’s the limit for Lee’s legacy and our impact.
— Paula Ringhaver
The expansion adds 121 new patient rooms, space for future growth and a redesigned emergency department that will double in size. The new rooms introduce digital technologies that give patients more control and help care teams tailor their treatment to their individual needs. Floor-to-ceiling windows also bring in 80% more natural light than previous hospital designs.
The tower is named for their son, Lee, in honor of Paula and Randy’s gift, a tribute they say creates an ideal match for the spirit motivating their philanthropy.
“I walk into the tower, and I just feel optimism, confidence and trust,” Paula says. “And the whole idea of a tower just fits our mindset. It symbolizes growth and moving forward.”
Built from Decades of Experience
The Ringhavers’ commitment is also rooted in decades of their family’s experiences with Mayo Clinic.
Ever since Randy’s father, L.C. “Ring” Ringhaver, traveled to Rochester for open-heart surgery, the family has been a devoted advocate for Mayo Clinic.
“Dad always thought bringing Mayo Clinic to Jacksonville would ‘put us on the map,’ kind of like getting an NFL team,” Randy says. “And when Mayo Clinic announced it was coming here, I remember him saying, ‘We got our NFL team.’”
After the Jacksonville campus opened in 1986, Paula’s mother received care there for Parkinson’s and Lewy body disease. Over 15 years, the family developed close relationships with her care team.
Randy and Paula later became patients themselves, with experiences that reinforced their trust in Mayo Clinic. The care they have received has helped them enjoy an active lifestyle that includes hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities.
Their philanthropy is also shaped by the clinical experiences of their employees at Ring Power, their family-founded company and one of the largest sellers of heavy construction equipment in the Southeast.
“In addition to our family’s history and the experiences of our employees who received lifesaving care at Mayo Clinic, it’s been really rewarding to see what the organization has done for people across Jacksonville,” says Paula.
Taking it to the Limit
Over the years, the Ringhavers have watched Mayo Clinic’s presence in Florida steadily grow — from a single outpatient building in 1986 to a sprawling campus that now cares for more than 175,000 patients each year and employs more than 10,000 people.
Even as the latest expansion nears completion, plans are already underway for the future, supported by the recent purchase of more than 200 additional acres to accommodate long-term growth.
For Paula, that forward motion mirrors the spirit behind their gift.
“With what we’re doing — and with Mayo Clinic’s track record and plans — the sky’s the limit for Lee’s legacy and our impact,” she says.