George H. Starke Jr.

Last updated

George H. Starke Jr. was the first Black student admitted to the University of Florida.

In 1958, Starke entered the University of Florida's law school after graduating from Morehouse College. He was given police protection during his first semester at the university, due to a plot by the KKK to kill him. [1]

Starke and Fred Levin, for whom the law school is now named, became friends and faced many challenges together. Levin was one of the few Jewish students to attend the law school. Starke and Levin often studied together or alone while classmates formed separate study groups. [2] Eventually, Starke left the university after three semesters without graduating. After leaving the school, he had a 40-year career in finance working as an energy consultant, mortgage broker, and an investment banker. [1]

Starke had no relationship with the university until 1981 when former University of Florida President J. Wayne Reitz, who led the school when Starke was admitted, invited Starke to become involved with the university. Reitz's overture was an icebreaker and the impetus for the university to include Starke in future activities and events. [3]

As an active alumni member, Starke participated in several programs and visited the law school regularly. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2009. [4]

In spring 2019, the University of Florida recognized Starke with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. [5] Starke attended the ceremony with his wife Barbara, son Andrew (Drew), daughter-in-law Angela and grandchildren Sydney and Spencer, along with other relatives.

Florida State Representative Geraldine Thompson sponsored a resolution on April 15, 2021, that honored Starke for his contribution to Florida education and history. The Gator Caucus, led by State Representative Charles "Chuck" Clemons, cosponsored the resolution. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Florida</span> Public university in Gainesville, Florida, US

The University of Florida is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. The university traces its origins to 1853 and has operated continuously on its Gainesville campus since September 1906.

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Penn Carey Law offers the degrees of Juris Doctor (J.D.), Master of Laws (LL.M.), Master of Comparative Laws (LL.C.M.), Master in Law (M.L.), and Doctor of the Science of Law (S.J.D.).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Blue Key</span> Leadership honor society at the University of Florida

Florida Blue Key is a student leadership honor society at the University of Florida. It was founded in 1923. The organization is the oldest and most prestigious leadership honorary in the state of Florida. Members include notable politicians and prominent business leaders. Florida Blue Key recognizes a class of students each semester who have displayed exemplary leadership on campus and have made significant contributions to the University of Florida through service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Levin</span> American lawyer (1937–2021)

Fredric Gerson Levin was an American plaintiffs' lawyer who served as chairman of Levin, Papantonio, Rafferty, Proctor, Buchanan, O'Brien, Barr, Mougey, P.A., a law firm in Northwest Florida. The Fredric G. Levin College of Law at the University of Florida is named for him because of a monetary donation he made to the school in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffolk University Law School</span> Law school in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Suffolk University Law School is the private, non-sectarian law school of Suffolk University located in downtown Boston, across the street from the Boston Common and the Freedom Trail, two blocks from the Massachusetts State House, and a short walk to the financial district. Suffolk Law was founded in 1906 by Gleason Archer Sr. to provide a legal education for those who traditionally lacked the opportunity to study law because of socio-economic or racial discrimination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Florida Levin College of Law</span> Public law school in Gainesville, Florida, US

The University of Florida Levin College of Law is the law school of the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest operating public law school in Florida and second oldest overall in the state.

Marshall McAllister Criser, Jr. is an American corporate lawyer and former university administrator. Criser is a native of New Jersey, and earned his bachelor's and law degrees before becoming a practicing attorney. He was the eighth president of the University of Florida, serving from 1984 to 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne State University Law School</span> Public law school in Detroit, Michigan, US

Wayne State University Law School is the law school of Wayne State University in Detroit. Wayne Law is located in Midtown, Detroit's Cultural Center. Founded in 1927, the law school offers juris doctor (J.D.), master of laws (LL.M.), online master of studies in law, and minors in law degree programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen C. O'Connell</span> American judge

Stephen Cornelius O'Connell was an American attorney, appellate judge and university president. O'Connell was a native of Florida, and earned bachelor's and law degrees before becoming a practicing attorney. He later was chosen to be a justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 1955 to 1967, and served as the sixth president of the University of Florida from 1967 to 1973.

Alfred Coard "Al" Warrington, IV is a former American accountant and business executive. Warrington was a managing partner of Arthur Andersen and the co-founder of Sanifill, Inc., a company which ultimately merged to create the new Waste Management, Inc. Warrington is an alumnus and significant benefactor of the University of Florida, and has held various positions in the governance of the university and its related organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James W. Kynes</span> American politician

James Walter Kynes Jr. was an American college and professional football player, lawyer, political appointee, and corporate executive. Kynes served as Florida Attorney General.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Wayne Reitz</span> American university president (1908–1993)

Julius Wayne Reitz was an American agricultural economist, professor and university president. Reitz was a native of Kansas, and earned bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in his chosen field. After working as an agricultural economist, university professor and U.S. government agricultural administrator, Reitz was selected to be the fifth president of the University of Florida, serving from 1955 until 1967.

Samuel Proctor was an American history professor and author. He taught at the University of Florida (UF) and wrote about the school and the state's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Florida College of Pharmacy</span> Pharmacy school in Gainesville, Florida

The University of Florida College of Pharmacy is the pharmacy school of the University of Florida. The College of Pharmacy was founded in 1923 and is located on the university's Gainesville, Florida main campus. The college offers the entry-level Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree as the first professional degree for students entering the profession. The college offered a Working Professional Pharm.D. (WPPD) program for bachelor's-trained pharmacists already in practice with its last cohort of students enrolled in 2016. Additionally, various graduate degrees are offered. The professional program is fully accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education. Since 2011 the college has been offering online degree programs at the graduate level, such as the Forensic Science Program, Pharmaceutical Chemistry Program and Clinical Toxicology Program. In total the College of Pharmacy received over $32 million in total Research Revenues in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Wayne Reitz Union</span> Student union in Florida, United States

The J. Wayne Reitz Union is the student union of the University of Florida, located on Museum Road on the university campus in Gainesville, Florida, United States. The union was named in honor of J. Wayne Reitz, the fifth president of the university, who served from 1955 to 1967. The building, which was originally completed in 1967, contains dining facilities, meeting rooms, offices, a computer lab, a game room, an outdoor amphitheater, retail stores, a movie theater and a hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center</span> University of Florida library

The Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center at the Levin College of Law is part of the library system at the University of Florida. The Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center contains legal research materials supporting the study of state, federal, and international law. Notable collection areas housed by the library include materials on and relating to Florida law, United States federal taxation, and the British Commonwealth.

Lassie Moore Goodbread was an American farmer and educator who, in 1925, became the first woman to enroll at the University of Florida in the College of Agriculture. In 2000, Goodbread was named a Great Floridian by the State of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the University of Florida</span>

The history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida originated as several distinct institutions that were consolidated to create a single state-supported university by the Buckman Act of 1905. The oldest of these was the East Florida Seminary, one of two seminaries of higher learning established by the Florida Legislature. The East Florida Seminary opened in Ocala 1853, becoming the first state-supported institution of higher learning in the state of Florida. As it is the oldest of the modern University of Florida's predecessor institutions, the school traces its founding date to that year. The East Florida Seminary closed its Ocala campus at the outbreak of the American Civil War and reopened in Gainesville in 1866.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Birchfield</span> American politician

William O. Birchfield Jr. was an American politician, lawyer, and civic leader in Jacksonville, Florida. He referred to himself as the "Duke of Mayo" from the small town where he was born and raised.

References

  1. 1 2 Tinker, Cleveland (September 7, 2020). "UF celebrates 60 years of desegregation". The Gainesville Sun . Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  2. ↑ Interview, April 20, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Past Presidents - President - University of Florida".
  4. ↑ "UF Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus Award Recipients" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2021.
  5. ↑ "George H. Starke, Jr. Receives Honorary Degree". Levin College of Law. May 3, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  6. ↑ "4/15/21 House Session - the Florida Channel".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.