In 1997 Gustaf W. McIlhenny created the nonprofit charitable organization that bears his name, the Gustaf W. McIlhenny Foundation. Born in 1914, “Bo” (as family and friends called him) was the second of five children born to Dr. Paul Avery McIlhenny and Louise W. McIlhenny of New Orleans. Bo’s paternal grandfather was Edmund McIlhenny, inventor of renowned TABASCO® brand pepper sauce. Each summer Bo’s mother took her children from New Orleans to escape the heat and risk of yellow fever, and to expose them to other places and cultures. These trips usually included a visit to Rugby Lodge, her family’s summer home in western North Carolina. Bo’s father would meet them there when permitted by his hectic schedule as a surgeon. Read Full History