Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy A. Quince was awarded FFLA’s Medal of Honor Award for a Lawyer, and retired college president Dr. Lawrence W. Tyree was awarded the Medal of Honor Award for a Non-Lawyer at FFLA’s 2024 Award Ceremony and Breakfast in June.
The Medal of Honor is FFLA’s highest honor. Sponsored by Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, it is presented each year to a member of The Florida Bar who has demonstrated his or her dedication to the objectives of The Florida Bar. The Medal of Honor may also be awarded to a member of the public or a lawyer not actively engaged in the practice of law who has made outstanding achievements in
improving the administration of justice in Florida.
Quince, who served as Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 2008 to 2010, was honored for her decades-long legal and judicial career spent in service to the public, her extensive volunteer work on behalf of those less fortunate and her dedication to ensuring the halls of justice are open to all.
“Justice Quince never yielded to the public pressure and tension to win at the expense of professionalism,” said Judge Chris Altenbernd in a letter of support for Quince’s nomination. “Her arguments before the Second District and the Supreme Court were models of professionalism. Virtually her entire career was spent in service of the public. Peggy Quince was obedient to the rule of law. But equally, she was an ordinary, real person who chose to appear at countless public meetings to give people the assurance that the judiciary was their judiciary, and not a court controlled by the elite. Both in her personal and professional life, she has had that rare ability to be a kind and gentle person, who still has the courage and strength to stand up for what she believes is right.”
Tyree, who led nine separate colleges as president or interim president over his career, was honored for his leadership in and stewarding of others through the higher education system to promote equal justice and his devotion to serving The Florida Bar as a volunteer. He was nominated by seven past presidents of The Florida Bar Foundation (now FFLA).
“Countless underprivileged and underserved segments of our population, including those served both directly and indirectly by The Florida Bar Foundation (now FFLA), have benefited from the skill sets incubated through the lifelong efforts of Dr. Tyree,” wrote the past presidents. “He has personally and corporately stewarded many to make a difference. Critical to us, he has been a stalwart for the
organized Bar, at both the local and state level. Several Florida Bar presidents have relied on his counsel. He was awarded the Bar’s President’s Award of Merit. Dr. Tyree showed a deep interest in the work of The Florida Bar Foundation (now FFLA)and spent much time becoming engaged in its work and its governance. He championed the Foundation’s work and its mission to serve the underserved through funding legal aid groups throughout Florida.”
