People often ask Fred Hill what he is most proud of.
Some expect him to talk about football: winning a national championship at USC in 1962, playing in the 1963 Rose Bowl, leading USC in receptions, earning Second-Team All-America honors and being drafted by both the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders in 1965.
Baseball fans may recall that Hill also helped USC win the 1963 College World Series, played for a Dodgers rookie team and later received a contract offer from the Boston Red Sox.
In the local business community, he is known for owning McDonald’s franchise restaurants in South Orange County.
“I’ve been fortunate to experience things I never imagined as a kid growing up in Southern California,” Hill told the Business Journal.
“But the experience that shaped my life the most didn’t happen on a football field, a baseball diamond or in a restaurant. It happened because of my daughter—and introduced me to the real greatest team I ever played on.”
Beyond the Game
In 1969, Hill and his wife learned their three-year-old daughter, Kimberly, had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At the time, survival rates were far lower than they are today, and the parents were told she likely had only months to live.
“Nothing prepares a parent for those words,” Hill said.
Kimberly was treated by Dr. Lawrence Naiman at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. While there, the couple met families who had traveled hundreds of miles for care.
“Many slept in waiting rooms or their cars because they couldn’t afford a hotel. There was nowhere else for them to go. You couldn’t see that without wanting to help.”
With the support of his friends, teammates and the Philadelphia Eagles organization, his neighbor Stan Lane joined Fran and Fred in founding Eagles Fly for Leukemia, raising money to help children battling cancer.
After one successful fundraiser, Hill told Dr. Naiman, “We think we can raise more than $100,000. What does the hospital need?”
Instead of asking to help St. Christopher’s, Dr. Naiman said another hospital had an even greater need. He introduced the Hills to Dr. Audrey Evans, head of pediatric oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Dr. Evans handed them a wish list. It included an isolation room, a research laboratory and several other priorities. Then there was one more item: a house.
“I remember asking, `A house?’ She explained that families needed a place to stay close to their children during treatment. Keeping families together, she believed, was part of healing.”
From the Huddle to the House
The couple took the list to then-Eagles owner Leonard Tose, who immediately pledged his support and rallied the football organization, including General Manager Jim Murray, behind the effort. His commitment inspired others to join.
Fast-food giant McDonald’s joined the effort, with Philadelphia regional manager Ed Rensi and local franchisees donating proceeds from Shamrock Shake sales. Businesses, volunteers and the broader Philadelphia community also rallied behind the cause. (Rensi would later become CEO of McDonald’s.)
“No one person built the first Ronald McDonald House. A community did,” Hill said.
When the first Ronald McDonald House opened on Oct. 15, 1974, across from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, it welcomed seven families.
The early founders never imagined that one house would grow into more than 390 Ronald McDonald Houses, 275 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms and 650-plus programs serving millions of families in more than 60 countries and regions.
Whenever someone thanks Hill for helping start Ronald McDonald House, he reminds them that the story belongs to a team of people including Naiman, who directed him to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia rather than seeking support for his own hospital. He also credits Evans, whose vision changed pediatric care, and thousands of generous people who believed they could make a difference.
“Most of all, it belongs to families like ours. That team—doctors, teammates, business partners, strangers who became friends—is the one I’m proudest to have played on. That experience shaped the way I’ve approached business ever since,” Hill said.
Their daughter Kim remained an important part of that team throughout her life. For years, she served as an ambassador for Ronald McDonald House, attending ribbon-cuttings, special events and celebrations and being honored for the difference her story had made.
“After everything she had overcome as a child, losing her at just 44 years old was heartbreaking,” he said. “But I’m grateful for the years we had with her and for the incredible doctors, friends, volunteers and supporters who helped give her those years.” n
The Home Team
Fred Hill carried his belief in the power of community home to Orange County, where he built a second career as a McDonald’s franchisee.
In 1979, Hill and his daughter Kim attended the groundbreaking for the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House. There, he met McDonald’s franchisee Bill Brownstein, who along with other franchisees, encouraged Hill to apply for a restaurant of his own.
But McDonald’s initially rejected his application. A few years later, Brownstein helped Hill enter the company’s franchisee training program. After working 15 to 20 hours a week without pay for more than two years, Hill was approved and opened restaurants in Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita and Ladera Ranch.
He retired from all three restaurants at age 80.
“Through my years as a McDonald’s owner, I’ve learned that businesses can strengthen communities, create opportunities and inspire others to give back,” he said.
He sees that same spirit continue at Ronald McDonald House Orange County, located just across from Rady Children’s Hospital Orange County (formerly CHOC) in Orange.
While the house has a small, dedicated staff, its mission is sustained every day by volunteers and community support. People from all walks of life give their time to prepare meals, welcome families, organize activities, and offer comfort during an incredibly difficult chapter in a family’s life.
“If you’ve ever wondered whether one person can make a difference, visit or volunteer at a Ronald McDonald House. You’ll have your answer,” Hill said.
Calling the Right Play
Did Fred Hill ever imagine that asking one question of Dr. Audrey Evans, head of pediatric oncology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, would ultimately help millions of families?
“No. We weren’t trying to change the world,” Hill told the Business Journal. “We were trying to help our little girl. If I’ve learned anything from football, business and life, it’s that the greatest successes are never built by one person. They’re built by communities willing to listen, care and help.
“Looking back, I think that’s how the most meaningful work begins. You listen. You care. You ask one simple question: ‘What do you need?’
“Sometimes that question becomes a legacy.”
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Ronald McDonald House Orange County’s Annual Soirée: Making Waves for Families, is on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 at Pasea Hotel & Spa in Huntington Beach.
For more information on the Ronald McDonald House Orange County, visit: https://rmhcsc.org/orangecounty/