14
COM Outlook . Winter 2015
Fond Farewell from a Treasured Friend and Colleague
Reverential Recollections of a
Woman Named Rosebud
How could one ever fully capture the essence
of Dr. Rosebud Foster? How could you sum
up her essence as our beautiful Rose, whose
radiance, brilliance, grace, and elegance
have shined so brightly throughout all of
our community for so many years? Which
of the so many beautiful petals of our Rose
would you speak about?
Would you focus on her extraordi-
nary career and professional ac-
complishments in higher education
and the community?
As a nationally recognized leader
in higher
education at three Florida universities, includ-
ing here at NSU as well as at Florida Interna-
tional University and the University of Miami,
where she played a pivotal role in establishing
numerous health professions training programs
and served as a dynamic member of national
academic accreditation site-visit teams.
Or her widespread recognition
as one of
the most respected health policy advocates
for underserved and disenfranchised popula-
tions in our state and nation for nearly 50
years, including her integral role in securing
approximately $250 million from national,
state, and foundation funding sources for
academic and community-based programs
here in South Florida and across the state.
Or her extraordinary service to com-
munity groups
, such as the Miami-Dade
County Public Health Trust that oversees
Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Miami-Dade
Alliance for Aging, South Florida health
planning councils, and scores of others,
as well as her service on four gubernatorial
advisory councils (selected by three dif-
ferent Florida governors, both Republican
and Democrat), and on the White House
Council on Aging.
Or her being the recipient of over 30 pres-
tigious awards
from major organizations
throughout our state and nation, including
her selection as the inaugural recipient of
the Sherman Winn I Care Award and the
Greater Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce
Health Industry Groups’ Health Care Heroes
Lifetime Achievement Award.
Or her prolific role as a presenter and
keynote speaker
at conferences and work-
shops throughout the state and nation,
including being a fixture as a presenter at
annual meetings of the American Public
Health Association.
Would you focus on her extraordinary
devotion to her family and friends?
How devoted she was
to her four beautiful
and successful children, her grandchildren,
brothers, and extended family, all of whom
she loved so very much.
How about her tireless trips
throughout
the country to visit her family whenever the
opportunities arose or the need occurred.
Or her boundless energy and joy
through
the Christmas shopping period and when-
ever birthdays arose.
Or her visiting her parents’ graves each
Sunday
after church services, which she
continued doing faithfully for so many years.
Or how she cared for
her grandchildren,
nephews, and extended family wherever and
whenever family issues necessitated her help.
Or the most amazing way
she personally
moved into my house as a true friend and
cared so compassionately for my very ill
mother and nursed her so tenderly for an
entire week when I unexpectedly had to
undergo a coronary bypass operation and
remain in the hospital.
Would you focus on her love and
devotion to religion and the church?
The way Rose was so proud
of her family’s
role in the evolution of the beautiful Historic
St. Agnes Episcopal Church in Overtown,
because she was a true child of God and a
person of great and deep faith.
“Don’t Cry Because it’s Over…Smile
Because it Happened” – Dr. Seuss
By Steven Zucker, D.M.D., M.Ed.
Associate Dean for Community Affairs and AHEC Program Director
