STETSON EiWrYER
Stetson University College of Law
Volume 19, Number 1, August, 1976
SEBRING COURTROOM
DEDICATION NOV. 12
AT HOMECOMING
Construction of the Harold L.
Sebring Courtroom, begun in February, is expected to be completed
in time to be dedicated on Nov. 12
at the Stetson Lawyers Association
Homecoming. The new courtroom
is a memorial to the late Harold L.
"Tom" Sebring, former Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of
Florida and dean of Stetson College
of Law from 1955 until his death in
July, 1968.
A plaque, to be installed in the
Courtroom, will give special recognition to the numerous alumni and
friends of the college who have participated in this tribute to the man
whose leadership had a significant
impact on the growth and development of the college during its formative years on the St. Petersburg
campus.
The Building Committee comprised
of Board of Overseers members,
Carl Kuttler, Jr., '67, and William J.
Clapp, with advice on interior decor
from two of Justice Sebring's close
friends, fellow Florida Supreme
Court justice, E. Harris Drew, '23,
and trial lawyer, Perry Nichols, '37,
has approved plans which call for a
total renovation of the old courtroom.
At one point during construction,
four walls were all that remained
of the existing structure.
The architects have designed a
courtroom which will be appropriate
for civil and criminal trials but is
easily converted to an appellate
courtroom. The curved bench will be
designed to accommodate the Supreme Court of Florida sitting en
banc, or panels can be installed for
an appellate court of three judges,
or for jury trials with a single judge.
The walls and bench will be oak
paneled with black marble behind
the bench. The ceiling will be gold
grid with dimmer-controlled lighting.
Persimmon colored carpet and gold-
toned upholstered seats for nearly
100 spectators will complete the
decor.
Built into the room will be a conduit system for audio-visual equipment cables so that microphones and
cameras can be placed at key locations and the proceedings recorded
on video or audio tapes.
The old jury room will become
judges' chambers and a new jury
room, added. Outside, a covered
walkway with wooden beams and a
red tile roof will lead from the
arcade between the courtroom wing
and Eleanor Dana Hall to the Great
Hall.
In the courtroom foyer a portrait
of Justice Sebring will hang and
memorabilia will be displayed from
his distinguished career which included his appointment as a member
of the Nazi War Crimes Tribunals at
Nuremberg by President Harry S.
Truman and 12 years as Justice of
the Supreme Court of Florida including two terms as Chief Justice.
In 1955 Justice Sebring retired to
become dean at Stetson and to teach
and write in his favorite fields of
state constitutional law, legislation
and state taxation. At Stetson one
year after the college moved from
DeLand, Justice Sebring served as
the impetus behind growth and development of the St. Petersburg
campus. During his 13 years as
dean, the main portion of the library,
the classroom building and the administration building were constructed.
In addition to his contributions as
judge and dean, Justice Sebring
helped to bring about much-needed
judicial reform in Florida; he drafted
the Appellate Rules of Florida and
helped draft the Florida Rules of
Civil Procedure; he was a member
of three committees on Florida Constitutional revision, and a lecturer
at state trial judges' seminars.
Harold L. Sebring
Mrs. Harold L. Sebring and
Harold L. Sebring, Jr., will be
guests of honor at the courtroom
dedication ceremonies along with
justices of the Supreme Court
of Florida. In addition to the
dedication, the Stetson Lawyers
Association Homecoming will
include a seminar and the
traditional dinner. A schedule of
Homecoming events with specific
dates and time will soon be complete and will be mailed to each
Stetson lawyer.
COLLEGE OF LAW STARTS
SEVENTY-SEVENTH YEAR
Stetson College of Law will begin
its 77th year of operation on August
31 with 17 full time and 12 adjunct
professors, the largest complement
of instructional personnel in the
history of the college. Dean Richard
T. Dillon announced the appointment
of six new full time professors and
Adjunct Professor James T. Russell,
state attorney for the 6th Judicial
Circuit, who will teach the Prosecution Clinic.
Full time appointments went to
D. Fenton Adams, Jon William
