Alumnus Mark Legare Retires from Industry and Begins New Career as Volunteer Nurse and Adjunct Instructor

PRESS RELEASE
Date: April 1, 2026
Contact: lgarrett@tctc.edu

Alumnus Mark Legare Retires from Industry and Begins New Career as Volunteer Nurse and Adjunct Instructor

Pendleton, SC – Before his retirement in 2023, Mark Legare spent his final year as an engineer at Robert Bosch taking prerequisite nursing classes at TCTC, with the goal of starting a second career at age 63.

Two weeks after his last workday at the Anderson plant, Legare, who was 61 and held a bachelor’s degree in automated manufacturing technology and a master’s degree in education, began his first year in TCTC’s Associate Degree Nursing program.

Legare said he didn’t retire, he just reset.

Pursuing a nursing career wasn’t as far a stretch as many of his friends and coworkers thought when hearing about his plans.  Eleven years before he retired, he served on the medical team for Bosch as a first responder.

“I liked helping in that way.  I planned to retire and change careers,” said the Anderson resident.

He chose TCTC to begin his next chapter because of its great reputation among doctors and nurses in the area.  “They gave me good feedback and listed TCTC nursing graduates as among the first they hire,” he said. 

After graduating in 2025, he initially worked at a hospital, but following a friend’s suggestion, decided to change direction and volunteer at a free clinic.  There, he spends two days a week providing patients with one-on-one education on managing their chronic illnesses.

“I really enjoy teaching,” he said, drawing on his experience teaching while stationed in Germany during his Army service and later at a two-year college.

In addition to volunteering as an RN at a Pickens County free clinic, he is an adjunct Mechatronics instructor at TCTC, which allows him to combine his loves of teaching and nursing with his manufacturing/engineering expertise.

“I’m doing retirement the right way.  I’m contributing to things I really love. I want to pass my knowledge on to others,” he said.

When Legare isn’t in the classroom or volunteering at the free clinic, he works around 20 hours a month as an advanced state constable. He began his part-time law enforcement career in late 2018 as a reserve deputy.  

“It’s exhausting but energizing,” he said.

School wasn’t always easy for Legare, who said he struggled academically from an early age due to undiagnosed dyslexia.  “I really disliked school. It was difficult because for years people told me I couldn’t, so I never considered college.  I thought I just didn’t have the ability,” said Legare. After high school, he enlisted in the Army, serving six years on active duty as a combat engineer, followed by a year in the Army Reserves and nine years in the Air National Guard.  “Working with my hands as a combat engineer helped me realize I could learn,” he said. While stationed in Germany, he decided to enroll in college, taking classes at night and earning 30 units in just under three years.

“I was always good at math and science and struggled with history and English. Dyslexia wasn’t understood back then,” he said. It was at age 20 he discovered he was reading at a fourth-grade level.  “I dug in and it just took me longer to apply myself.  I learned strategies to be successful,” said Legare, a first-generation college student.

When he exited the Army, he entered California Community College. “I was diagnosed with dyslexia my last semester in college,” he said.  By that time, he had mastered reading comprehension skills and was an A/B student.  He earned an Associate in Science degree. 

It took determination but at age 26 he was teaching Electronics Engineering Technology classes at ITT Technical Institute in San Bernardino, CA. His military experience coupled with his military and civilian technical college education, and his degree, qualified him to teach.

He taught for three years at ITT Technical Institute and started the bachelor’s program in Automated Manufacturing Technology. He was hired as a technical trainer for Johnson Control where he stayed for 10 years.

He earned his master’s degree in education through the company’s tuition reimbursement program. 

After leaving Johnson Controls, he took a position as a controls specialist for Bosch in Stuttgart, Germany. About a year later, after transferring to Bosch’s Charleston plant, he was promoted to controls engineer.  Following three years in Charleston, he relocated to the company’s Anderson plant where he finished his career as a senior controls engineer.

He began teaching part time in TCTC’s Mechatronics program during a summer break while in the nursing program.

He advises all of his students, regardless of their age, to keep learning. “Combining their Mechatronics degree with a bachelor’s degree in manufacturing management, for example, makes them very marketable,” he said. “I also encourage my students to apply for apprenticeships like Bosch’s Tech Scholars program,” he said.

“I graduated debt free. Both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees were paid for by my employers through a tuition reimbursement program,” he said.

“This is my happy place. I relate to TCTC students. I see myself in many of them.”

“Mark brings a strong background in automation and electronics to our Mechatronics classes, along with great enthusiasm for the field,” said Michael Oates, TCTC Mechatronics department head. “He keeps students engaged and makes the material relatable with real-world examples. Mark is always willing to go the extra mile to help his students succeed, making him a valuable part of the program.”

About Tri-County Technical College

Tri-County Technical College, a public two-year community and technical college serving Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties in South Carolina, enrolls more than 9,000 students annually and offers more than 70 major fields of study, including computer technology, business administration, mechatronics, nursing, and university transfer programs. Tri-County boasts the highest student success rate among two-year colleges in the state and ranks in the top one percent nationally for successful student transfers to four-year colleges and universities. To learn more, visit tctc.edu. 

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