Theodore B. "Ted" Seagroves Jr.
Though born and raised in Durham, Ted Seagroves was a pillar of Orange County business and civic life. As an insurance agent, he helped people protect what was important to them. As a volunteer and leader, he enriched our community with service and support. After returning from military service in Vietnam as an intelligence officer and tank leader, Ted joined Nationwide Insurance in 1972. Just two years later, he purchased the agency in Chapel Hill, eventually expanding into Mebane, Pittsboro and Raleigh. He learned early that the key to building his business was through community involvement and relationships, but his volunteer work was done with genuine
heart. A close friend dubbed him “the patriarch of Chapel Hill,” and with good reason. Ted was a father figure to all who knew him, connecting across generations and making time for everyone he came in contact with. Ted’s personal and sincere interest in everyone he met, and a genuine belief in the insurance he offered, earned him a large and loyal customer base. During his 40 years in the business, he received multiple accolades from Nationwide and the insurance industry. Ted’s children, Pete and Amy, continue the agency’s work and their father’s legacy.
His caring nature extended to organizations and causes. If there was a cause that needed support, people knew to look to Ted. He was so adept at raising awareness and support that his friends say he rivaled the telephone, jokingly referring to him as the “tele-Teddy” because
if you needed to spread the word, you simply needed to tell Ted. An active and intense volunteer and advocate, he was president of the Chapel Hill Jaycees and the Chapel Hill Country Club, and a member of the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Ted also lent his support to the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center and, after his own diagnosis, was active in raising awareness of and funds for pancreatic cancer and UNC Lineberger. An avid golfer, Ted endowed two golf scholarships at UNC.
For his dedication to caring for local residents and businesses, and his unbridled support of many important organizations in our community, we proudly induct Theodore B. “Ted” Seagroves Jr. into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.
heart. A close friend dubbed him “the patriarch of Chapel Hill,” and with good reason. Ted was a father figure to all who knew him, connecting across generations and making time for everyone he came in contact with. Ted’s personal and sincere interest in everyone he met, and a genuine belief in the insurance he offered, earned him a large and loyal customer base. During his 40 years in the business, he received multiple accolades from Nationwide and the insurance industry. Ted’s children, Pete and Amy, continue the agency’s work and their father’s legacy.
His caring nature extended to organizations and causes. If there was a cause that needed support, people knew to look to Ted. He was so adept at raising awareness and support that his friends say he rivaled the telephone, jokingly referring to him as the “tele-Teddy” because
if you needed to spread the word, you simply needed to tell Ted. An active and intense volunteer and advocate, he was president of the Chapel Hill Jaycees and the Chapel Hill Country Club, and a member of the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Ted also lent his support to the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center and, after his own diagnosis, was active in raising awareness of and funds for pancreatic cancer and UNC Lineberger. An avid golfer, Ted endowed two golf scholarships at UNC.
For his dedication to caring for local residents and businesses, and his unbridled support of many important organizations in our community, we proudly induct Theodore B. “Ted” Seagroves Jr. into the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Business Hall of Fame.