The Foundation thanks Bill Loucks and the Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company
for their generous support of the Foundation's Annual Reception & Dinner, at which the Medal of Honor Awards are presented.

Lawyer Recipients Non-Lawyer Recipients

Lawyer Recipients

Year	Recipient	Achievement
2011	Bruce B. Blackwell	For his professional leadership, both by example and through service to the organized Bar; for his work to secure funding for legal aid locally, statewide and nationally; and for his extensive history of handling the most difficult pro bono cases, often going well beyond providing legal help to become a transformative force in his clients’ lives.
2010	Joseph P. Milton	For his leadership in promoting professionalism and ethics to his fellow attorneys through his extensive service to the bar and by setting the highest example in his own law practice.
2009	Sylvia H. Walbolt	For her 45 years of providing free legal services to clients ranging from Guantanamo detainees to a St. Petersburg organization that feeds the hungry.
2008	Terrence Russell	For his exceptional lifelong compassion and undaunting efforts to secure state funding for legal assistance for the poor through the Florida Access to Civil Legal Assistance Act.
2007	A. Hamilton Cooke	For his many contributions to providing access to justice for those living in poverty throughout Florida, and his tireless service to HabiJax.
2006	W. Dexter Douglass	For a lifetime of service and sacrifice, particularly as chair of the Constitutional Revision Commission in 1998.
2005	J. Dudley Goodlette	For spearheading the passage of the Florida Civil Legal Assistance Act.
2004	William J. Sheppard	For a long and distinguished legal career working on behalf of the underprivileged and oppressed, ensuring that "equal justice for all" is not a hollow phrase.
2003	Robert M. Ervin	For his unselfish, dedicated career of service to the public and the legal profession.
2002	Martha W. Barnett	For her outstanding service as immediate past president of the American Bar Association and her commitment to the principles of duty and service to the public.
2001	Patrick G. Emmanuel	For his distinguished record of active participation and lifelong dedication to the objectives of The Florida Bar.
2000	Joseph W. Hatchett	For his distinguished 22-year career of judicial service dedicated to upholding the civil rights of the oppressed, the vulnerable, and the unpopular.
1999	Samuel S. Smith	For his unswerving dedication to the legal profession, and for his leadership in establishing the Guardianship Program of Dade County.
1998	Burton Young	For his distinguished selfless service in working toward the betterment of The Florida Bar and the legal profession.
1997	Justice Richard W. Ervin	For his achievement and service to the public by improving the institutions of government and the administration of justice in Florida.
1996	William O.E. Henry	For his dedicated leadership to the community, public service in the legal profession, and outstanding efforts in representation of death row inmates.
1995	Steven M. Goldstein	For devotion of time and energy to providing legal services to the poor, for his voluntary services to the Bar, and for serving as a role model to his colleagues and students at the university law school.
1994	Thomas H. Barkdull, Jr.	For his distinguished career as a practicing lawyer and appellate judge.
1993	Raymond Ehrlich	For his commitment to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism.
1992	James C. Adkins	For his contributions to the law and legal profession as a member of the Supreme Court of Florida.
1991	Thomas LeRoy Collins	For his dedication to change in Florida’s legislature, civil rights and constitutional reform.
1990	Janet Reno	For her dedication to the highest ideals of our institutions of justice, children and the poor.
1989	Neal R. Sonnett	For his commitment and leadership in improving the criminal justice system and in protection of individual rights.
1988	James C. Rinaman, Jr.	For his work in furthering the public service activities of the organized bar.
1987	Talbot D'Alemberte	For significant achievements in judicial and legislative reform, civil liberties, legal education, advancement of the legal profession and the work of the organized bar.
1986	Russell E. Carlisle	For his dedication to the advancement of pro bono service by the legal profession and for his work in carrying IOTA across the nation.
1985	Mark Hulsey	For his leadership as a member of Florida’s judicial qualifications commission and his dedication to the principles of The Florida Bar.
1984	Ben F. Overton	For leadership of the bench and bar, support for continuing judicial education and service to the public.
1983	Arthur J. England, Jr.	For his leadership in establishing the interest on trust accounts in Florida and nationally.
1981	Wm. Reece Smith, Jr.	For his long years of service to the Bar in establishing the first judicial nominating commission and for service on behalf of legal services to the poor.
1980	Chesterfield H. Smith	For his years of dedicated service to the bench and bar.
1979	Reubin O'D. Askew	For his leadership in establishing judicial nominating commissions, and for the re-organization of the judicial system.
1978	Tobias Simon	For his protection of the rights of the oppressed and the poor and for his advocacy for improved prison conditions in Florida.
1977	Richard T. Earle, Jr.	For his outstanding leadership of Florida’s Judicial Qualifications Commission.

Non-Lawyer Recipients

Year	Recipient	Achievement
2011	Kathleen "Katie" Self	For her pioneering work in the implementation of Teen Courts across Florida; the volunteering of her services in establishing the Teen Court of Sarasota, the state’s first; and for her leadership in expanding the program to 50 Florida counties that together divert more than 22,000 at-risk children into Teen Courts every year.
2008	Elizabeth Lander "Budd" Bell	For over four decades of volunteer advocacy to improve the lives of Florida's children, elderly and disabled persons.
2007	Dr. Walter F. Lambert	For his life's work as a medical advocate for abused and neglected children, and for his significant volunteer work for South Florida children in foster care.
2006	Janet McAliley	For selfless dedication to the better lives of children and immigrants, through her service to the Dade County School Board, and as president of the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center.
2005	Abraham S. Fischler, Ed.D	For turning the dreams of countless people into realities through his intellect, commitment, drive and spirit.
2004	Rosalie Heffernan	For giving meaning and substance to the U.S. Constitution by starting an after-school elective called "Constitutional Studies."
2003	Lois Thacker Graessle	For a lifetime of selfless volunteer service in the pursuit of justice.
2002	Raul G. Barrera	For improving the administration of justice by bringing truth to the ideal of equal justice under the law for migrant farmworkers.
2001	John B. Orr, Jr.	For his courageous stand against a 1956 package of bills filed in the Florida legislature whose purpose was to perpetuate school segregation.
1999	Gene Miller	For his integrity as an investigative reporter in the coverage of the murder trials of two wrongfully convicted death row inmates.
1998	Reverend Fred L. Maxwell	For his leadership in Orlando to provide housing for for the homeless.
1996	Jean F. Norman	For her efforts and contributions in organizing "Law School for the Layman" and "Helping Children Cope with Divorce" programs for Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
1994	Major John Smith	For his leadership, dedication and pioneering efforts in establishing the "GUTS" program for at-risk African-American males.
1993	Elaine Webb-Alvarez	For her outstanding efforts and leadership as a child advocate in the State of Florida.
1992	Abraham R. Brown	For his tireless efforts to address the spiritual needs of those confined to penal institutions.
1991	Mary Ellen Beaver	For her tireless advocacy for legal rights on behalf of migrant farmworkers.
1990	Audrey Lincourt Schiebler	For her pioneering achievements in improving the administration of justice to abused and neglected children.
1989	Marshall McDonald	For his work in improving the State Judicial System by bringing judicial reform and improved judicial compensation standards to Florida.
1988	Sr. Cathy Gorman	For her work to provide access to legal services, housing, health care, education and fair employment standards to migrant farmworkers.
1987	Rev. A. Leon Lowry, Sr.	For community leadership in promoting civil rights through constructive change.
1985	Sylvia Alberdi	For her dedication to the ideals of good government in service to the people of Florida as staff director of the Florida Senate’s Civil Judiciary Committee.
1984	Martin A. Dyckman	For his leadership in establishing and maintaining open government in Florida and excellence and accountability in our elected and appointed officials and for support for reform of the state’s prison system.
1982	Lucy Batchelor	For her work as director of the Human Relations Programs at state correctional facilities.
1981	William C. Clark	For his work as a lay member of Florida’s Judicial Qualifications Commission.
1978	Robert A. Rosof	For his pioneering work with juvenile offenders at the Dade Marine Institute.