by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
Solomon Badger has looked at the legal profession from both sides now, and he really likes what he sees.
“On the outside, we have our impressions of what we think the legal profession is all about,” said Badger, one of only two public members on The Florida Bar Association’s board of governors. “They’re all that and a bag of chips.
“But then you get inside and see how close they monitor and discipline themselves, probably more than any other profession. To be honest, it was such a surprise to me. They’re really kind of tough on their own.”
Dr. Solomon Badger III, only four years removed from a career in education, is now in his second year serving on the 52-member board. The other public member of the board is J. Blair Culpepper of Winter Park, who recently replaced Dr. Vivian Hobbs of Tallahassee.
Bar rules restrict members to two two-year terms.
“I’ve always had an interest in the responsibility of the legal profession to the entire society,” Badger said. “In my mind, it sets the bar for every other aspect of our community.
“It allows me an opportunity to take my learning and experience in the world outside the legal system to a different level.”
After four years in the U.S. Air Force, the Jacksonville native earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Florida A&M University. He received a doctorate in education in 1975 from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.
His first job in education was as a high school teacher in 1964. He began his career as a counselor at Florida Community College in Jacksonville in 1970 and became FCCJ’s dean of students in 1995. He held that position till his retirement in 2000.
“Thirty-six years was enough time,” said Badger. “I’d done most of the things that I could do.
“And I’ve always been active in community and civic activities. I always told myself I wanted to spend more time doing that kind of thing.”
Badger was still plenty busy back in the days when he could only devote the evening hours to civic projects and commissions. At one time he was chairman of the HUD board and of the area planning board, “which kind of set the die for development in Jacksonville.”
He was also one of three co-chairmen of the Jacksonville Insight Visioning Process.
“That came under Mayor Ed Austin,” said Badger. “It was never labeled this, but I called it the forerunner to the Better Jacksonville Plan. We conducted workshops all around Jacksonville, getting feedback from citizens about where they wanted Jacksonville to go, what they wanted Jacksonville to be.”
It goes without saying that students, educators, and methods of teaching have changed dramatically since the 1960s. To a large extent, Badger said, the changes have been positive.
But he’s enough of a traditionalist to suggest that something important is lost when in-depth study is swapped for speed.
“The technical aspects of education tend to be really taking over from the humanities and the fine arts that we once were responsible for knowing,” said Badger, seguing seamlessly into the last verse of the poem “Thanatopsis.” “It seems we’re in an information-processing society rather than a learn-and-retain mode.
“Whether you know where to find it is more important than whether you remember it.”
Badger had earlier been denied a seat on the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, which screens, tests and certifies candidates for admission to the practice of law.
“Normally you apply for one or two things before you really get a blessing,” he said of that experience. “I made the cut list, but I was not chosen for that appointment.”
An attorney friend in Fort Lauderdale then suggested he apply for the board of governors.
He and the other members of the board are responsible for setting policy and conducting disciplinary proceedings.
“The image of lawyers in the community is a big thing for them,” said Badger. “They’re protecting that, first of all, by disciplining from within.
“And they also do a lot of outreach work, a lot for the children. Every year, they take on a children’s issue.”
Many lawyers in The Florida Bar, and a good number in Jacksonville, take on more than their fair share of pro bono work, he said. And most of them, he pointed out, aren’t looking for a pat on the back.
“That’s the image the Bar projects,” Badger said. “Do it from within, not for the publicity of it.”