LeBauer Healthcare turns 75 later this year and might well not be here but for the popularity of silk hosiery.  What is now one of the largest multispecialty practices in the Southeast had a modest beginning. In the 1920s, businessman Joe LeBauer moved his silk hosiery operation from New Jersey to Greensboro.  His sons, Sidney LeBauer, MD, an internist and cardiologist, and Maurice LeBauer, MD, a general surgeon, started practicing medicine on the third floor of the old Jefferson Pilot building in downtown Greensboro in 1931.  In time, nylons would replace silk hosiery, and the family's interest would shift from textiles to medicine.  Sidney LeBauer had three sons who joined the practice, Joe LeBauer, MD, a cardiologist; Sam LeBauer, MD, a gastroenterologist; and Eugene LeBauer, MD, a pulmonary and allergy medicine specialist. A fourth son, Sidney Jr., died of heart disease two days before he was to graduate from Duke University School of Medicine.  By the time the three joined their father and uncle in the 1960s and 1970s, things were getting busy and 80 to 100 hour weeks were commonplace.  "Our father instilled in us a love of medicine, and we recognized the satisfaction he got from his practice," Sam LeBauer says. "There has never been a day I didn't enjoy practicing medicine."  Sidney LeBauer died in 1989. Maurice LeBauer died in 1998.  Over time, LeBauer HealthCare has grown into a large multi-specialty organization. The goal, the LeBauers say, has always been to offer the best possible medical care to the community. As the patient base grew, the practice added new physicians to help carry out its mission.  This growth led to the development of four divisions - cardiology, gastroenterology, pulmonary and primary care.  In 1988, the practice moved to the Sidney F. LeBauer Medical Center on N. Elam Avenue. Today, there are eight branch offices throughout Guilford and Rockingham counties. The cardiology division is on N. Church Street. LeBauer HealthCare also has been a leader in clinical research in cardiology, gastroenterology and pulmonology, with many members of the cardiology research team, led by Bruce Brodie, MD, developing national and even international reputations.  "We have been very fortunate to attract a diverse group of highly trained and motivated physicians over the years," Joe LeBauer says. "We are proud to have played a significant role in the development of medicine throughout Guilford County. Our physicians are also proud that they have been able to work closely with many other fine physicians in the area."