INSPIRING FUTURE PHYSICIANS WHO SERVE
Nadine “ Baby Pearl ” Acloque ( l-r ): Jim McNeill , Dr . Gerard Acloque ; scholarship recipients Frederline Jean Philippe , Kristin Fleming and Alicie Raymond ; and Dr . Anthony Speights .
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Around the same time the FSU College of Medicine was created to develop more physicians for medically underserved communities , Nadine “ Baby Pearl ” Acloque was helping Bobby Bowden recruit football players to Florida State University .
She was a Garnet and Gold Girl who served as a recruiting hostess for FSU football and basketball , where her personality and smile helped her quickly become friends with nearly everyone she met . Her brother , Dr . Gerard Acloque , describes her as “ the superstar ” of a large and “ very close ” family .
Nadine went on to become a registered nurse specializing in cardiac care , while her brother went to medical school . Two kids living the American dream from a Haitian family that migrated to the U . S . in the 1970s , settling in South Florida before Nadine enrolled as a student at FSU and Gerard enrolled at Florida A & M University .
Gerard now supports the FSU College of Medicine mission – and his sister ’ s memory . Inspired by the influence she had on others , he and the Acloque family created the Nadine L . Acloque “ Baby Pearl ” Scholarship Endowment as a lasting tribute to her vision of commitment to education and community service in health-care sciences and medicine .
Nadine Acloque died suddenly from a heart attack at age 27 in 2008 .
“ Nadine had a magnetic personality that made her the life of the party – always ,” Gerard Acloque said . “ She really thrived at Florida State and in everything she did .”
The scholarship endowment began with support for three FSU students majoring in Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences ( IMS ), one of the feeder programs that helps the College of Medicine produce more physicians who will choose to practice in underserved areas . One additional IMS student will be selected each fall and spring semester .
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