Former Mayor Ed Austin and former Public Defender Lou Frost helped shape the Jacksonville legal community and were recognized Wednesday for their contributions to the practice of law and the city.
Courtroom 406, one of the largest in the Duval County Courthouse, was close to standing room only for portrait unveilings of each man.
"There were two very important attributes that both Ed and Lou had in common. The first is that they were both mentors," said U.S. Court of Appeals Senior Judge Susan Black.
"They would select people, hire them and then they would permit them to grow," she said.
During the ceremony, Black asked for those who worked for either Austin or Frost to stand. The majority did.
"I rest my case. They were mentors to many," said Black.
Those who stood included Black, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Gerald Tjoflat, Chief Circuit Judge Donald Moran, former State Attorney Harry Shorstein and former The Florida Bar President Hank Coxe.
Black said the second shared attribute was serving as public defender for the 4th Judicial Circuit, where they were zealous advocates committed to serving the public interest.
Before serving as mayor from 1991-95, Austin served as the first public defender for the circuit in 1963 and named Frost his chief assistant public defender. They had known each other at the University of Florida Law School and during their military service before their roles in Jacksonville.
Austin stepped down from the public defender's office in 1968 to campaign for the state attorney's office. Frost was appointed to fill Austin's term.
Austin won the election and served as state attorney for about 20 years. Frost served as public defender for about 36 years and ran for election nine times without opposition.
"The one thing that he (Austin) pounded into us was that you had to be fair," said University of North Florida President John Delaney, who served under Austin as an assistant state attorney.
Frost's chief assistant Bill White, who succeeded Frost as public defender, discussed one of the guiding influences in his former boss' life.
"He was interviewed and asked, 'What is your philosophy of life?' He said, 'I just want to have fun.' And he did, he enjoyed life to the fullest," White said.
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