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VOLUME II, No. 2
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
March, 1968
DILLON SUCCEEDS SEBRINC AS DEAN, SEPTEMBER 1
Has Been Associated With The College Since 1954 As
Student, Librarian, Professor And Assistant Dean
Richard T. Dillon, '57, presently Assistant Dean and Professor of Law, will become
the new dean of Stetson College of Law, September I, the effective date of the
resignation of Justice Harold L. Sebring, dean since 1955.
Dillon was elected to the position by the Trustees of Stetson University, February
16, upon the recommendation of President Paul Geren.
Richard T. Dillon
The retiring dean will remain at The
College of Law to teach and write in his
favorite fields—state constitutional law
and state and local taxation.
Uniquely Experienced
Professor Dillon will enter his new office
fully indoctrinated in Stetson's policies
and traditions and uniquely experienced
to deal with the particular problems of
the law school. He was a member of the
first class enrolled on the St. Petersburg
campus and has been with the school as
student, teacher or administrator during
every phase of its rebirth and development since its removal from DeLand to
its present site.
Immediately following his graduation
from the College in 1957, Dillon was
named its librarian and an assistant professor of law. Impressed by the organizational and administrative ability he displayed in putting the Charles A. Dana
library (completed in 1958) on an operational basis, and in arranging institutes
and seminars as chairman of the faculty
committee on continuing legal education,
Dean Sebring named the young teacher
assistant dean in 1959. He has held this
post continuously since that time and the
title of Professor of Law since 1962.
Although he will be only 41 when he
assumes the parietal duties of the College in September, the dean-to-be is a
man of proven scholarship and rich in
practical experience. Through the years
he has acquired a Bachelor of Science
degree in Business Administration, with
a major in accounting, a Juris Doctor,
and a Master of Laws, always standing
at the top or near the top of his class in
academic achievement. Of his record at
New York University, Robert McKay,
distinguished dean of the law school, remarked: "Mr. Dillon's work for the LL.M.
was completed with one of the highest
averages ever to be achieved in that
particular program ... we are all most
enthusiastic about him."
Before entering Stetson in 1954, he
had owned and operated a retail and
wholesale drugs and sundries business,
and a real estate brokerage firm and
taught liberal arts and business subjects
at the Stenotype Institute of Tampa.
Excelled Academically
At Stetson, he excelled academically
and established himself as a leader in
student affairs, while supporting himself
and his family by continuing to teach
simultaneously at not one, but two institutions of higher learning—Florida Centra! College and the University of Tampa.
During his teaching years at Stetson,
he has been a lecturer for the Tampa Bar
Review and the Bay Area Law Review
and appeared on legal institute programs
in most of the leading cities in Florida.
At the national level he has served three
terms as a member of the Bar Admis
sions Committee of the Association of
American Law Schools.
President Geren's selection of the man
to succeed Dean Sebring is heartily endorsed by all members of the Stetson
family. Immediately following Dean Se-
bring's announcement this fall that he
intended to retire September I, 1968,
the faculty unanimously recommended to
the President that Professor Dillon be appointed to fill the vacancy. Between that
time and his appointment, in response
to a request by the President of the Stetson Lawyers Association for suggestions
as to who could best "fill Dean Sebring's
shoes," scores of alumni from all over the
country and several leading educators
and friends indicated that Professor Dillon was "the man." (More on page 4).
Statement By Dillon
I am very pleased to have the opportunity to serve my alma mater as its
next dean. During the administration
of the present Dean, Justice Harold L.
Sebring, the law school has made remarkable progress. Stetson University,
alumni, and friends and supporters of
the College of Law can take great pride
in the record of achievement of the
school and in the national reputation it
has earned under his leadership. Commencing September 1, I will make every
effort to continue the administration of
the College in the fine tradition already
established by him.
BRIEFING. The Dean Designate (left) gets
breakdown of already approved budget for 1968-
69 from Dean Sebring and Business Manager
Unger.
