Charlotte Edwards Maguire, M.D.

1. Naming of The College of Medicine Library.

2. Charlotte Maguire, Pediatrician.

3. Charlotte Maguire, Local, National and International Leader.

4. Charlotte Maguire's Other Pursuits.

5. Charlotte Maguire, Benefactor to Medical Education.

6. Charlotte Maguire Scholarship Recipients.

1. Naming of the College of Medicine Library.

In a ceremony on February 25, 2005, the FSUCOM Medical Library was named for distinguished pediatrician and early and active supporter of the College of Medicine, Charlotte Edwards Maguire.

Dr. Maguire dedicated most of her life to caring for children in need, especially those with disabilities, and to advocating on behalf of women, minorities and people in need. A pioneering female physician, her distinguished career has taken her from private practice, to public advocacy, to teaching, to national leadership roles in health care. She is also a generous supporter of medical education.

We are honored that our library will be named for Dr. Maguire.

2. Charlotte Maguire, Pediatrician.

Now a Tallahassee resident, Maguire was born in 1918 and grew up in Orlando. In the summer of 1937, she was awarded scholarship to study chemistry and physics at the University of Heidelberg. Afterward, she earned her bachelor's degree from Memphis Teachers College in 1940 and her medical degree in 1944 from the University of Arkansas, where she was the only woman in her class.

After graduation from medical school she returned to Orlando to serve on the medical staff of Orange General Hospital, and in 1946, became the first woman in Orlando to establish a private practice in pediatrics, which she ran successfully for 22 years. The opening of her pediatric practice in Orlando after her graduation was greeted with the newspaper headline, "Orlando's first girl doctor returns." She took a special interest in children with disabilities, and from the beginning of her practice, she provided free services to those in need.

While in Orlando, she was appointed director of the Orlando Child Health Clinic in 1949. From 1947 to 1956, she served as chief of staff for the Central Florida Division of Children's Home Society of Florida and became the first woman president of the Florida Pediatric Society in 1952. She also served as chief of the department of pediatrics at Mercy Hospital in Orlando from 1965 to 1968.

She left her Orlando private practice of pediatrics to become medical director of the Florida Crippled Children's Commission, followed by several medical positions for the state of Florida. From 1980 to 1987, Maguire was a member of the clinical staff in the department of pediatrics at the University of Florida.

Dr. Maguire retired from the practice of medicine at the age of 70. She now works from her home in Tallahassee, researching projects on the Internet or painting.

3. Charlotte Maguire, Local, National and International Leader.

Dr. Maguire also assumed leadership roles in state and national health care organizations. She helped create and served as secretary of the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, now operating as the Department of Health and the Department of Children and Families.

She served as a delegate to the World Health Conference in London in 1957, working directly with Prince Phillip who was the honorary chair.

Bust of Dr. Maguire.

She was a founder the Irish and American Pediatric Society in Dublin, Ireland, in 1965 and in 1970 was honored with the Distinguished Achievement Commendation by London's Two Thousand Women of Distinction.

Dr. Maguire and sculptor
George Shackelford.

She was one of the highest ranking women in the federal government under the Nixon Administration as assistant secretary of health and scientific affairs for the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in Atlanta.

She returned to Florida in 1975 to take a position as medical services director for HRS in Tallahassee.

A life membership in the Florida Medical Association was conferred upon Maguire in 1981. In addition, she was named International Woman of the Year in 1992-93 by the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge.

Maguire named Local Legend

Dr. Maguire, a pioneering woman physician and benefactor of the FSU College of Medicine, was recognized with Alma Littles, associate dean of academic affairs, by Congressman Allen Boyd Jr. in 2004 as a Local Legend from Florida.

The honor is bestowed upon women physicians who have demonstrated commitment, originality, innovation or creativity in medicine. Award recipients will be part of an interactive DVD produced by the American Medical Women’s Association and the National Library of Medicine. The DVD, “Changing the Face of Medicine: Celebrating America’s Women Physicians,” is designed to encourage women who are pursuing careers in medicine.

4. Charlotte Maguire's Other Pursuits.

Dr. Maguire's busy life has been filled with diverse activities in addition to those associated with her medical career. She raised a family with her husband, Raymer F. Maguire, an attorney, citrus farmer, and land developer. Upon his death in 1960, while still maintaining her pediatric practice, she assumed management of the family business, driving an hour to and from Lakeland for evening classes in citrus grove management. She also earned a real estate license to help with the family business.

Although she is retired, she has not abandoned her habit of pursuing new interests, most recently, geneology and painting. She exercises and walks every day and enjoys each summer in the mountains of North Carolina, returning to Tallahassee in the fall. The subjects of her painting include colorful florals, scenic rivers, and her pets, Misty, a golden retriever, and Windy, an Australian sheepdog.

Several examples of her art are hanging in the library.

5. Charlotte Maguire, Benefactor to Medical Education.

Charlotte Edwards Maguire with
students Luc Tran and Natosha Canty.

Dr. Maguire has augmented her lifelong dedication to the practice of medicine, the care of the underserved and the enhancement of medical education with her generous financial support for FSU's Program in Medical Sciences (PIMS), and more recently for the College of Medicine.

In 1999, Maguire donated $1 million to FSU's then Program in Medical Sciences, and later the College of Medicine, to create the Charlotte Edwards Maguire Endowed Scholarship Fund. The next year she was an outspoken advocate for the creation of the College of Medicine, and she has since donated additional funds to support a variety of programs within the College of Medicine.

"Dr. Maguire is a pioneer for women in medical sciences and an inspiration for future doctors," said FSU President Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte. "She has dedicated her career to caring for those who needed it most - minorities, disabled children and the indigent - and has helped FSU establish a medical school where that philosophy will flourish."

Dr. Maguire with FSU President D'Alemberte and Provost Abele
at the ceremony conferring her honarary degree.

On February 14, 2002, Dr. Charlotte Edwards Maguire, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in a ceremony in the College of Medicine Administration Building.

Maguire's honorary degree was the 107th conferred by the university.

6. Charlotte Maguire Scholarship Recipients.

Two students in the Class of 2008 were able to make FSU their choice for medical school thanks to the latest gift from Charlotte Maguire, M.D. They were highly qualified academically and they also had interests consistent with the college’s mission, including a desire to stay in Florida, as well as a commitment to working with medically underserved patients. But with other medical schools trying to lure them by offering them full-tuition scholarships, it didn’t look good for FSU, which as a new medical school didn’t have the big scholarship endowments of its more established rivals.

When she learned of the situation, Maguire, who already had created an endowed scholarship fund with a $1 million gift to the College of Medicine, came forward with a separate gift for two full-tuition scholarships. Her gift put FSU’s offer on a par with those the students had received elsewhere.

Maguire is matter-of-fact about the motivation behind her generosity. “I think the urgent need was what did it, nothing else,” she said. “We had the two students that were the quality type, and there didn’t seem to be any money around.”

“I hope that the recipients will be the ones that in the future will pick up the tab and help out when it’s needed,” she said. “ They should keep it in mind to do for their community what they can.”