For their first date, Nell asked Jim to tailgate with a couple of friends
before a Gator game. They enjoyed a picnic in the wooded area near the
Reitz Union, and soon they were spending most of their nights together,
going for pizza at 3 a.m. after study sessions or watching sports. The UF
College of Medicine campus provided the backdrop for their budding
romance, which ultimately resulted in a family of four children, nine
grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The Potters say they are grateful for their shared memories — getting
married during their second year of medical school, the birth of their first
child during their third year — as well as the training they received at the
UF College of Medicine. With the establishment of the Nell W. Potter, MD,
Assistant Professorship in Adolescent Medicine, the Potters aim to pay
it forward. The couple’s fund will support an assistant professorship in
adolescent medicine within the UF department of pediatrics.
“It’s important for us to give back,” Jim Potter says. “We came from
families that didn’t have a lot of money. Now, we see ourselves as
recipients of an asset for which we need to make a return.”
His wife agrees.
“UF made it possible for us to have the life we have now, to practice a
profession we enjoy, to make an adequate living, to be able to see and
experience all kinds of places and things,” she says.
After graduation, Jim served in the U.S. Navy as a flight surgeon
before completing a pathology residency at the UF College of Medicine.
Nell worked as a resident with a general practice, treating many Navy
wives. When they moved to Gainesville, she became a physician treating
UF students at the Student Health Care Center.
“I found I really enjoyed treating young people. Adolescent medicine
was a way to teach teenagers how to take control of their own care,” Nell
Potter says.
The Potters have been part of the west Florida community of
Pensacola since 1972. Looking back on 30 years of practicing medicine,
one lesson stands out to Jim. He recalls training the phlebotomists at
his hospital to refer to patients by their names, rather than their room
number or symptoms. Throughout his career, he made sure to never
lose sight of the importance of connecting with the patient.
“We were taught to introduce ourselves, shake a hand, establish
contact. You’re not dealing with a test tube. You’re dealing with an
individual who’s looking for more than a diagnosis. Can you give them
reassurance or an explanation of what’s going to happen next?” he says.
As the Potters celebrated their 55th reunion in the fall, they are
appreciated for their timeless support of the UF College of Medicine.
For 20 years, Nell served on the UF Medical Alumni Association Board of
Directors and also spent time on the UF Foundation Board of Directors.
“Jim and Nell have consistently demonstrated their commitment
to the university and our medical school. We are grateful they have
remained so closely connected to UF,” says Joseph A. Tyndall, MD, MPH,
interim dean of the UF College of Medicine.
Jim’s confident that his generation of physicians will be more than
adequately replaced by today’s graduates. For those currently struggling
with grueling medical school schedules, he offers encouragement.
“In medical school, days were long, nights were short. You learn to
stick it out,” he says. “They tell you during the application process that
medical school is hard, but you’ll never know until you get there. You
just have to pull your pants up and work with it.”
PHOTOS TOP AND BOTTOM LEFT: COURTESY OF UF DIGITAL COLLECTIONS
(Bottom left) George T. Harrell, MD, founding dean of the UF College of Medicine, and Jim Potter, MD ’63. (Main photo) Jim and Nell Potter, who return
to Gainesville almost every year for Alumni Weekend, are pictured at the UF College of Medicine’s 2013 Alumni Weekend.
PHOTO BY JESSE S. JONES
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