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To honor the life and accomplishments of the late
Honorable Lenore C. Nesbitt, a UM alumnus and
federal judge who graduated first in her law school
class in 1957, colleagues and friends established an
endowed scholarship at the School of Law in her
name. Under the leadership of Thomas D. Wood,
chairman of the Nesbitt Scholarship Committee and a
University of Miami Board of Trustee member, more
than $225,000 has been raised to date, including a
gift of $100,000 from the Coral Gables law firm
Hanzman & Criden, P.A..
Before her death from brain cancer in October
2001, Judge Nesbitt was asked how she would like to
be remembered by her alma mater. She replied that
having a scholarship in her name would be the most
meaningful to her.
Ellen A. Ross is the first recipient of the
Nesbitt scholarship, and a shining example of the
type of student Judge Nesbitt wanted to help. A
third year student at the School of Law, Ellen, who
hails from South Florida, is a member of the Law
Review and a Dean's Fellow.
"The first Nesbitt scholar was selected because
she is an excellent student who embodies the
qualities that Judge Nesbitt stood for, including a
commitment to public service," says Dean of the Law
School, Dennis Lynch. "The generosity of family,
friends, colleagues, alumni, and our community have
ensured that Judge Nesbitt's spirit lives on."
Ellen, who did her undergraduate work at the
University of Texas at Austin, has interned for the
District Judges Office in the Travis County
Courthouse in Austin, Texas, where she researched
and developed a profile of divorces filed in Travis
County for aid in implementing a program within the
County court system to help create a less
adversarial environment for the children of
divorcing parents. She also interned for Justice
Anstead of the Florida Supreme Court, and worked as
an intern at the Miami firm of Hunton & Williams.
After graduation Ellen will serve as a law clerk
for Judge Peter Fay of the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Eleventh Circuit, and would like to pursue a
career in general commercial litigation.
"Everyone has told me what a wonderful woman
Judge Nesbitt was," says Ellen. "She was also very
influential to many. I want to be able to live up to
that."
As the only woman in her law school class, Judge
Nesbitt was the first woman to be appointed to the
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of
Florida. She served as a federal judge for over 15
years and was a member of the Executive Committee of
the court. Judge Nesbitt also played a critical role
here at the University of Miami - first as an alumna
trustee in the 1980s and then as a member of the
Board of Trustees.
"Judge Nesbitt was not only an exceptional jurist
who selflessly served her country and community, she
was a remarkable human being, always up to the task,
no matter how difficult," says Michael Hanzman of
Hanzman & Criden, P.A. "She was an inspiration to
our legal community and we are honored to
participate in establishing a scholarship dedicated
to her legacy."
- Michelle Valencia
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