Staff Writer
Gray skies and umbrellas may have been a sign to stay inside Wednesday, but that didn’t stop former Florida Bar and The Jacksonville Bar Association President Rutledge “Rut” Liles from taking JBA members on a walk down memory lane.
Liles was the guest speaker at the last JBA meeting of the 2009-2010 term and he chose to delve into the association’s archives to let its members know its history.
The JBA was founded Feb. 26, 1897, with 38 members and Duncan Fletcher served as its first president.
“I had access to the Bar’s archives, which included hundreds of photographs going back to the early 1960s and Bar Bulletins, the oldest of which was dated 1959,” said Liles. “Unfortunately, not much exists regarding the (JBA) from its founding until the late 1950s.”
Liles was able to recall his first experience with The JBA as he told the story of attending an infamous concert at the Florida Theatre.
“My first real encounter, for lack of a better word, with The Bar involved a member of the bench, Judge David Gooding’s dad, then juvenile Judge Marion Gooding,” said Liles. “The year was 1956 and the place was The Florida Theatre. Elvis ‘The Pelvis’ Presley was appearing live in concert. I was 14 and attended,” he said.
“(Gooding) warned Elvis that if he crossed the line and performed vulgar moves, he would have him whisked from the stage and hustled off to jail. Elvis came close, but he did not cross the judge’s line.”
Moving along the time line, Liles revealed that The Jacksonville Bar Auxiliary was formed by the wives of judges and lawyers in 1963. It engaged in charitable and service-oriented activities and hosted an annual dinner party, but it no longer exists. The Bar also sponsored a Boy Scout Troop at the time.
Liles addressed the racial tensions that were present in the City and The JBA in the late 1960s.
“Our Bar had its fair share of hard-core segregationists, and the membership was limited to whites only,” said Liles. “In the mid-1960s, Bar members began to whisper about opening up the membership of the Bar.”
Liles referred to the writings of member and former Judge Bill Maness that were contained in a Feb. 17, 1966, Bar Bulletin: “We owe much gratitude to those few who stood with courage for what was right and brought down the racial barrier that had historically been a part of The Bar.”
Maness, who attended the Wednesday meeting, was recognized for his efforts to open up The Bar membership.
In 1966, there were 9,400 members of the Florida Bar, with 707 of them in the Fourth Judicial Circuit, and 600 of those in Duval County. The latest tally is 87,000 members of the Florida Bar and more than 2,000 in The JBA.
Also in 1966, The JBA budget was income of $17,425, with expenses of $18,655.
“Just like the federal government, we spent more than we took in,” said Liles.
In 1976, in a move to improve lawyer-doctor relations, Liles, who was JBA president at the time, organized a lawyer-doctor golf and tennis outing at Hidden Hills.
“(Medical malpractice) lawsuits were on the rise, and, as president, I was trying to bring us together for dialogue,” said Liles. “It ended up in a food fight that spilled into the parking lot. We don’t have joint meetings anymore.”
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