Law pioneers to be honored by Levin College of Law

April 21, 2006

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Clara Gehan, the first woman to graduate from the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law and go on to practice law and pave the way for other women in the field, also will be the first of her gender inducted into the school’s Heritage of Leadership Recognition Society, which honors the school’s most distinguished alumni.

She is joined in the 2006 group by three other trail-blazing alumni: Chester H. Ferguson, a pioneer of Florida’s higher education system; William O.E. Henry, an outstanding practitioner who helped build one of the nation’s largest firms; and precedent-setting jurist John T. Wigginton.

“The Heritage of Leadership Recognition Society is a testament to the UF College of Law’s rich tradition of educating men and women who demonstrate a lifelong commitment to education, civic, charitable and cultural causes,” said Dean Robert Jerry. “Through their careers, these alumni brought distinction to their families and our law school.”

“These UF law school graduates demonstrated through their professional and personal lives the high leadership and public service standards that have helped guide our state to this time,” said Marshall Criser, University of Florida president emeritus.

The families of the four inductees, will be recognized at an April 21 banquet in Gainesville. The Class of 2006 inductees are:

• Clara Backus Floyd Gehan (1909-1992), a 1933 graduate, who contributed substantially to the law profession during a time of male domination, and paved the way for females in the field. She was the first woman to graduate from the University of Florida College of Law and go on to practice law. She founded the first law practice by a woman in Gainesville in 1963 with a focus on real property and probate law. Gehan was devoted to community service. As a member of the Gainesville Advisory Bi-Racial Committee, she helped desegregate local Gainesville businesses and helped establish the Storefront Legal Aid Service, the predecessor to Three Rivers Legal Services, a Gainesville legal clinic providing service to low-income residents. Gehan was president of the Eighth Judicial Circuit Bar Association and was awarded both the Florida Bar Pro Bono Award in 1982 and the Pro Bono Publico Award in 1986 by the Supreme Court of Florida.
• Chester H. Ferguson (1908-1983), a 1930 graduate, was at the forefront of organizing higher education in Florida at a time when it was seen as a backwater state. He is credited with paving the way for Tampa’s growth, including downtown revitalization and positioning of Tampa as a major shipping and financial center. Ferguson was an initial member of the State University System Board of Regents, where he served for 14 years, including three as chairman. He also was the chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Lykes Bros.— with interests in shipping, cattle, packing and processing, banking, real estate and energy and the chairman and chief executive officer of First Florida Banks Inc. He was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Probate Counsel.
• William O.E. Henry (1928-2005), a 1952 graduate, was an outstanding practitioner who helped build one of the nation’s largest firms, Holland & Knight. He was president of The Florida Bar in 1983, served for six years as a member of the Board of Governors and chaired several Bar committees. He also was president of The Florida Bar Foundation from 1988 to 1989, trustee of The Florida Bar Foundation Endowment Trust and chair of the Tax Section of the Florida Bar. Henry was the first Floridian in 50 years to serve on the council of the Section of Business Law for the American Bar Association. A loyal alumnus to his alma mater, he was president of the University of Florida National Alumni Association. His awards included the Medal of Honor by The Florida Bar Foundation, the Outstanding Past-President Award by the Voluntary Bar Association, and the Outstanding Tax Attorney in the State of Florida by the Tax Section of The Florida Bar. He practiced law in Lakeland, with a focus on corporate, tax, health, alternative dispute resolutions and trusts and estates.
• John T. Wigginton (1908-1979), a 1932 graduate, was a superb judge, who set an example for future jurists by his impeccable character. He was the first president of the integrated Florida Bar in 1951. During World War II, he served as a “special United States attorney” for the U.S. Department of Justice. Wigginton played an active role in the gubernatorial elections of Millard Caldwell, Spessard Holland and Leroy Collins, and was the executive assistant to Caldwell as governor. He was a partner in the Tallahassee law firm Caldwell, Foster & Wigginton. In 1957, he became judge of the inaugural bench of the First District Court of Appeals, going on to serve, including one term as chief judge, until his retirement in 1974. He continued his public service by serving as the first executive director of the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission. Wigginton was well known for his leadership of the Fabisinski committee that drafted the first set of Florida’s civil procedure laws from common law practices.

• The Heritage of Leadership Recognition Society was officially activated in 2003 with the induction of 12 men who collectively had served as five chief justices of the State Supreme Court, two governors, two Florida Bar presidents, two U.S. senators, two university presidents, two law school deans and one U.S. district court judge.

  “These inductees were of the highest moral character and ethics,” said Scott G. Hawkins, chair of the selection committee and attorney at Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs. “They stand out because of their willingness to serve others.”