Campaign Leader Biographies

Leonard Carmichael

Honorary Campaign Chairman

My name is Leonard Carmichael and I was born in 1920 and raised on the same farm in Ogle County as my father and on which my grandfather settled in 1877. My wife Marge, now deceased, and I raised 5 children on this farm. This same farm is now being farmed by the 5th generation of Carmichael’s. Our roots run deep here in Ogle County.

I served as President of the Ogle County Farm Bureau. My grandfather, James, helped organize the Ogle County Farm Bureau and was its first President. My father also served as President of the Farm Bureau.

I have been active in many civic projects including the forming of Rochelle’s “Not for Profit” hospital, and serving as its first President. I served on the boards of the Rochelle Child Care Center and Rochelle’s Lincoln Manor for retired people. I am a member of Rotary #6420, and I served as President and District Governor. I helped establish GREDCO for Rochelle and served as the first president. I worked for 12 years on the board of the DeKalb Oak Crest Retirement Home. I also served on the Foundation board of the Rockford Rescue Mission during the construction of Hope Place.

Before Hospice, my wife and I would serve as caregivers for various relatives when they were too ill or too old to care for themselves. You might say, we were Hospice for them. Through all these years I have seen the great service Ogle County Hospice has performed. The comfort and assistance Hospice has rendered over the years to families is almost beyond realization.
I am now presently retired from farming and the grain operations, which is being continued by our family.   As I have moved along through life I have begun to realize the seeds we plant along the way may be as important as the harvests we reap. I truly believe we should all get on the bandwagon with our support of this great community service organization called Ogle County Hospice.

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