Stetson University College of Law Inducts Seven Into Hall of Fame

GULFPORT, Fla., Nov. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stetson University College of Law inducted seven members into its Hall of Fame on Oct. 29 in Gulfport.

This year's inductees include:

Professor Robert Batey
Robert Batey joined Stetson Law's faculty in 1977 and has taught a wide range of legal courses. He was the first Stetson professor to teach courses on sentencing, law and literature, sexual orientation and the law, and juvenile law. He was the first moot court and Lambda Legal Society adviser. He has written extensively on criminal justice, law and literature, and related topics. Since 1995, Professor Batey has been a member of the Families Against Mandatory Minimums organization.

Dean Albert Farrah-award presented posthumously
Albert Farrah was the inaugural dean of Florida's first law school, Stetson Law, from 1900-1907. Dean Farrah instituted "practice court," believed to be the first trial advocacy program in the country. Farrah was also one of the first law deans to hire a woman on the faculty. He went on to serve as the first law dean of both the University of Florida and the University of Alabama.

General Roy Stanley Geiger '07- award presented posthumously
Roy Stanley Geiger earned his law degree from Stetson Law in 1907. During World War II, he became Commanding General of the First Marine Aircraft Wing, Fleet Marine Force. His most famous victory was the success of his Marine Aircraft Wing at Guadalcanal. General Geiger was awarded in excess of 25 decorations, including a Presidential Citation for the battle of Guadalcanal, a Distinguished Service Medal, and a World War II Victory Medal. Camp Geiger at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina is named after the war hero. Geiger was promoted to four-star rank posthumously by the 80th Congress in 1947.

Judge Amelia G. Govan '80
Amelia G. Govan co-founded Stetson's Black Law Students Association (BLSA) in 1979 with fellow student Malcolm J.L. Harper.  Today, Judge Govan is an administrative law judge with the Labor Standards Office for the District of Columbia. She is a member of the judicial council of judges, the Florida and D.C. bars, and is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Judge Kenneth A. Marra '77
Kenneth A. Marra is a judge with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. He started his legal career in the U.S. Department of Justice's highly competitive Honors Program in Washington, D.C., where he was assigned to represent the interests of Native Americans. He continued working in that area of law in private practice before being appointed to the 15th Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County. Judge Marra is also the recipient of Stetson Law's Distinguished Alumnus Award.  

Judge Irene H. Sullivan JD '77
Irene H. Sullivan is the author of Raised by the Courts: One Judge's Insight into Juvenile Justice. Judge Sullivan retired in 2010 after serving 12 years as a Circuit Court Judge in the Unified Family Court of Florida's sixth judicial circuit − handling juvenile delinquency, dependency and domestic violence cases. She has served on numerous advisory boards including the MacArthur Foundation and the American Bar Association's Youth at Risk Commission. In 2007, Judge Sullivan received Stetson's Ben C. Willard Award for distinguished humanitarian achievements that have benefited Florida citizens and people throughout the world. Judge Sullivan is also the recipient of the St. Petersburg Bar Association Judicial Appreciation Award and the Children's Justice Award from the Salvation Army. Judge Sullivan was one of only four women in her law class at Stetson.

C. Allen Watts BA '67, JD '71
C. Allen Watts is a city, county and local government law attorney with the law firm of Cobb Cole and has practiced in many areas of land use and administrative law, including environmental regulation, governmental law, education law, concurrency, wetlands and habitat conservation, and related trial and appellate practice. He is a member of the board of directors of 1000 Friends of Florida. Watts is a founding member of the Stetson Law Review and served as editor-in-chief.  He served as a Stetson University adjunct professor in the School of Business Administration and as board advisor with the College of Arts and Sciences. He also served as a founding member of the faculty of Campbell University School of Law from 1976-78.

Editor's Note: To download high-resolution images of the inductees, as well as videos about their contributions, please visit: http://www.law.stetson.edu/news/index.php/2011/11/02/stetson-university-college-of-law-inducts-seven-into-hall-of-fame/.

Stetson University College of Law is Florida's first law school. It has educated lawyers for more than a century. The law school is located in the Gulfport/St. Petersburg area with a satellite campus in downtown Tampa. Stetson University's historic campus, founded in 1883 in DeLand, is home to the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Business Administration and School of Music. It also has a satellite center in Celebration offering advanced degrees.  

SOURCE Stetson University College of Law