The Jacot Family Legacy at NWHSU

As part of our 80th Anniversary, we’re celebrating the legacy families who have played an important role in NWHSU’s history. The Jacot family, with six graduates of the school, has made an incredible impact on the lives of their patients, and on the university through recruitment efforts and giving. 

According to the Baldwin Bulletin, the Jacot family has treated more than 50,000 patients, and convinced more than a dozen people to join the profession. For their contributions, they were named “Chiropractic Family of the Year” in 1992 by NWHSU. 

It all started with Dr. Earl Jacot, who graduated in 1952. He was followed by his brother, Harold Jacot (1962); his children Douglas Jacot (1979) and Teri Adams (1992); his niece (Harold’s daughter) Lori DeChene (1995); and his granddaughter Holly Walker Kim (Suarez) (2007). 

Dr. Earl retired in 2012, after working for 56 years in Baldwin, Wisconsin. Many of those years he worked alongside his children: both Dr. Doug and Dr. Teri joined him in his practice. 

For Dr. Earl, the reward was the “warm, warm fuzzies from helping people.” He treated all kinds of conditions, and got to know his patients as if they were family: making house calls and providing whatever treatment he could. Sometimes, that meant taking x-rays and treating a medical condition, and sometimes that meant simply holding a patient’s hand. 

He loved his practice so much that he failed at his first retirement attempt in 1994. “I missed it right away. Dr. Doug and Dr. Teri asked if I would work part-time for their vacation times. I said yes, not knowing it would be 18 years,” he laughed. 

“We Lived Chiropractic”  

How did six members of the family choose chiropractic? It started with an even earlier relative.

As a child during the Great Depression, Dr. Earl was diagnosed with appendicitis. His family couldn’t afford surgery, and took him to see his great uncle, who was a chiropractor. After weeks of treatment, Dr. Earl recovered. He never forgot that experience. I was so impressed with what chiropractic care did for me,” he shared. “I wanted to be a chiropractor like my great uncle.” His brother Dr. Harold started dental school, but switched to chiropractic after seeing what his brother was doing. 

According to Dr. Earl, Drs. Doug and Teri decided to pursue chiropractic on their own. Their childhoods were definitely full of inspiration. “We were a chiropractic family,” he shared, “we lived it.” Dr. Earl was active in the chiropractic community and his kids regularly tagged along to meetings, seminars, and conferences. 

As for his granddaughter,  Dr. Earl takes a bit more credit. They spent a lot of time together when she was young and “she wanted to follow grandpa.” Now at her practice in St. Paul, she incorporates some of his techniques into her own treatment, telling patients about her grandpa Earl.  

Given his passion, it is no surprise that Dr. Earl brought five family members and countless others (his favorite way to give back has been through recruitment) into the profession. 

“Chiropractors were together, it was a family. You knew that what you were doing was the best thing in the world.” 

As part of our 80th Anniversary Celebration, we’re telling the stories of legacy families at NWHSU. If you have a story you’d like to share, please send us an email.