The Society has moved forward to further its mission in a number of ways this year. One part of our mission is to honor and preserve the rich history of the Court; in doing so, the Society commissioned portraits of five justices earlier this year; four of the paintings are of our sitting justices and one retired justice. All of the portraits are now complete and I am pleased to announce that their public debut was during the Society's Annual Dinner on January 29^th 2015 at the University Center Club in Tallahassee. 

The official installation ceremony of the portraits is being planned for the Spring, when the current justice’s portraits will be placed on public display in the lawyers’ lounge of the Florida Supreme Court building. When a justice retires from the bench, the portrait is then moved into the Supreme Court chambers to join the portraits of the other former justices.

On June 30, 2014, Justice Jorge Labarga was sworn in as Florida’s 56th Chief Justice and Florida’s first Cuban-American to hold the post, succeeding Chief Justice Ricky Polston. This year, we were pleased to revive the tradition of the Society's involvement in the Passing of the Gavel of the Chief Justice,  a custom started in 1996 when then incoming Chief Justice Gerald Kogan, for the first time in the 150 years of Florida history, opened the installing of the Chief Justice ceremony as a public event. 

To honor the original historic event, the then president of the Society, Robert M. Ervin commissioned a special ceremonial gavel. This handcrafted Florida Cherry wood gavel has the Great Seal of the State of Florida carved on one side and the Great Seal of the Supreme Court of Florida on the other side.  The gavel has been passed from one Chief Justice to the next at each “Passing of the Gavel” ceremony since then. At Chief Justice Jorge Labarga’s installation, the Society was pleased to sponsor the post-ceremony reception that featured coffee and desserts honoring his Cuban-American heritage.

The Society’s mission also includes informing the public about the court and this year we are involved in two exciting educational projects. Earlier this year, the Society was pleased to sponsor the graphic redesign and updating of the “Evolution of Justice” historical panels for public use on the Court’s website.  Visit us at www.flcourthistory.org  and enjoy our newly designed website, view the updated historical panels, and take advantage of our many new resources profiling court history available for our members and the general public. 

Under the leadership of Kelly O’Keefe, First Vice President, the Society is re-instituting the docent program at the Supreme Court Florida Bar.  The docent program recruits and trains volunteers to provide guided tours of the Supreme Court building.  This opportunity to share the Court’s rich history with visitors and students is a key feature in communicating our message to the public.  The Society is extremely grateful to Irene Kogan, the original creator and champion of this program over 30 years ago.  Irene continues to assist the Society and has been an invaluable resource as the Society breathes new life into this program.

Planning is well underway for the Society’s Annual Dinner, scheduled for Thursday, January 29, 2015, in Tallahassee.  The evening will feature the Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Sandy D’Alemberte, the public debut of the five recently commissioned portraits of the justices, along with our keynote speaker, Gilbert King, the best-selling author of “Devil in the Grove:  Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America”. Once again the talented and articulate Hank Coxe, former Society President, will be the Master of Ceremonies. Mark your calendar now and plan to join your friends and colleagues for this wonderful event, registration is now open on our web site, please visit us at www.flcourthistory.org   

Last year was a significant transition year for the Society. Among other things, we updated our financial protocols and invigorated our membership rolls. Many thanks must be extended to the active involvement of many of our Trustees.  But there are two individuals in particular who deserve special recognition for their leadership and hard work that made the transition possible.

Miles A. McGrane III, as the then president of the Society, provided his experience and wise management style, as the organization evolved to the next level and its continued growth, which we are all grateful.   Ruth McDonald has provided decades of service to the Society from its very beginning through the last few years as the dedicated Treasurer that ensured that every dollar of the Society's hard-earned funds were accounted for and well spent on its mission. 

Ruth has chosen to step back from her day-to-day active role as of July of 2014; however, she has graciously offered to be of assistance whenever her expertise and historical perspective is needed. With her years of service and endless dedication to the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, the Board of Trustees was pleased to honor Ruth with an Honorary Life Membership; the recognition of this honor was etched into a crystal vase and presented to her by Kelly O’Keefe, first vice president of the Historical Society, at a special lunch in her honor at the Governor’s Club in Tallahassee.

We look forward to a successful year for the Society in 2015!

The Society has moved forward to further its mission in a number of ways this year. One part of our mission is to honor and preserve the rich history of the Court; in doing so, the Society commissioned portraits of five justices earlier this year; four of the paintings are of our sitting justices and one retired justice. All of the portraits are now complete and I am pleased to announce that their public debut was during the Society's Annual Dinner on January 29^th 2015 at the University Center Club in Tallahassee. 

The official installation ceremony of the portraits is being planned for the Spring, when the current justice’s portraits will be placed on public display in the lawyers’ lounge of the Florida Supreme Court building. When a justice retires from the bench, the portrait is then moved into the Supreme Court chambers to join the portraits of the other former justices.

On June 30, 2014, Justice Jorge Labarga was sworn in as Florida’s 56th Chief Justice and Florida’s first Cuban-American to hold the post, succeeding Chief Justice Ricky Polston. This year, we were pleased to revive the tradition of the Society's involvement in the Passing of the Gavel of the Chief Justice,  a custom started in 1996 when then incoming Chief Justice Gerald Kogan, for the first time in the 150 years of Florida history, opened the installing of the Chief Justice ceremony as a public event. 

To honor the original historic event, the then president of the Society, Robert M. Ervin commissioned a special ceremonial gavel. This handcrafted Florida Cherry wood gavel has the Great Seal of the State of Florida carved on one side and the Great Seal of the Supreme Court of Florida on the other side.  The gavel has been passed from one Chief Justice to the next at each “Passing of the Gavel” ceremony since then. At Chief Justice Jorge Labarga’s installation, the Society was pleased to sponsor the post-ceremony reception that featured coffee and desserts honoring his Cuban-American heritage.

The Society’s mission also includes informing the public about the court and this year we are involved in two exciting educational projects. Earlier this year, the Society was pleased to sponsor the graphic redesign and updating of the “Evolution of Justice” historical panels for public use on the Court’s website.  Visit us at www.flcourthistory.org  and enjoy our newly designed website, view the updated historical panels, and take advantage of our many new resources profiling court history available for our members and the general public. 

Under the leadership of Kelly O’Keefe, First Vice President, the Society is re-instituting the docent program at the Supreme Court Florida Bar.  The docent program recruits and trains volunteers to provide guided tours of the Supreme Court building.  This opportunity to share the Court’s rich history with visitors and students is a key feature in communicating our message to the public.  The Society is extremely grateful to Irene Kogan, the original creator and champion of this program over 30 years ago.  Irene continues to assist the Society and has been an invaluable resource as the Society breathes new life into this program.

Planning is well underway for the Society’s Annual Dinner, scheduled for Thursday, January 29, 2015, in Tallahassee.  The evening will feature the Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Sandy D’Alemberte, the public debut of the five recently commissioned portraits of the justices, along with our keynote speaker, Gilbert King, the best-selling author of “Devil in the Grove:  Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America”. Once again the talented and articulate Hank Coxe, former Society President, will be the Master of Ceremonies. Mark your calendar now and plan to join your friends and colleagues for this wonderful event, registration is now open on our web site, please visit us at www.flcourthistory.org   

Last year was a significant transition year for the Society. Among other things, we updated our financial protocols and invigorated our membership rolls. Many thanks must be extended to the active involvement of many of our Trustees.  But there are two individuals in particular who deserve special recognition for their leadership and hard work that made the transition possible.

Miles A. McGrane III, as the then president of the Society, provided his experience and wise management style, as the organization evolved to the next level and its continued growth, which we are all grateful.   Ruth McDonald has provided decades of service to the Society from its very beginning through the last few years as the dedicated Treasurer that ensured that every dollar of the Society's hard-earned funds were accounted for and well spent on its mission. 

Ruth has chosen to step back from her day-to-day active role as of July of 2014; however, she has graciously offered to be of assistance whenever her expertise and historical perspective is needed. With her years of service and endless dedication to the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society, the Board of Trustees was pleased to honor Ruth with an Honorary Life Membership; the recognition of this honor was etched into a crystal vase and presented to her by Kelly O’Keefe, first vice president of the Historical Society, at a special lunch in her honor at the Governor’s Club in Tallahassee.

We look forward to a successful year for the Society in 2015!