“Debbie will be seen and remembered every day by students who are cared for here,” said Head of School Kathleen McNutt. “We’re very excited to celebrate her and celebrate the File family.”

File died last September at Goodwin House following a brief illness.

“Debbie spent much of her life helping others,” said her widower Jerry File. “Her heroes were Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. She was a strong practicing Catholic so the naming of the clinic in her honor is very fitting.” 

During her career, File practiced at the old Alexandria Hospital, the Circle Terrace Hospital and the Washington Hospital Center. She worked in the Alexandria public school system at Parker-Gray Elementary School and as a volunteer nurse at St. Mary’s Elementary School and St. Mary’s Academy.

“In the Beverley Hills neighborhood where we lived, whenever a child was sick, Debbie got the first call even before the doctor,” said Jerry File. He added with a laugh, “In addition to wise counsel, she also provided you with ideas to maintain good health, even when you didn’t ask.”

File’s daughter Jocelyn Adamoli was also in attendance.

“Mom was a nurse to everybody,” Adamoli said. “But she was more than a nurse, she was an angel on earth. This is a perfect way to honor her.”

Added McNutt, “Our clinic is used non-stop for our students, so this is a special way to honor Mrs. File, who did tremendous work in the area of nursing.”

A plaque hangs in the Bishop Ireton Health Clinic in memory of Debbie File, a dedicated nurse in the Alexandria community.