[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 21, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E639-E640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING SANDY D'ALEMBERTE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 21, 2019

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I am saddened to hear of the 
passing of a truly

[[Page E640]]

great Floridian, Sandy D'Alemberte. As it does for so many, his passing 
pains me both personally and for our state and country. Sandy was a 
voice for reason, the rule of law, decency and kindness--a ``necessary 
man'' for all his time and certainly for these times. It is enough to 
remember him as a brilliant legislator, president of the American Bar 
Association (ABA), Florida State University (FSU) president and Florida 
Constitutional scholar. And, much loved dean while I was at FSU College 
of Law. However, Sandy was indispensable in so many instances in 
Florida's history--both the big moments and some moments that most of 
his fellow Floridians might never know about but which were just as 
grand. One of the latter was his embrace of Jose Manuel Godinez-
Samperio and his fight to be admitted to the Florida Bar. Jose 
graduated valedictorian of his class at Armwood High School in 
Hillsborough County, Fla. and went on to attend FSU College of Law. 
Jose made history when he graduated from FSU College of Law and passed 
the Florida Bar exam, but when he sought admittance to the Florida Bar 
as an undocumented immigrant, this great American Story almost came to 
an end. Sandy's belief in the law, fair play and young people caused 
him to take on this injustice. He brought together a team, including 
me, past presidents of the ABA, bipartisan members of the Florida 
Legislature and others, to successfully confront this quiet individual 
inequity just as he had taken on more large and public challenges for 
all of Florida. Like so many public officials, I can say that Sandy has 
helped make me a better representative for my neighbors in Tampa and 
throughout Florida. I sought his counsel for Florida's future as 
recently as last fall. The gracious efforts by Sandy on behalf of the 
small and the grand, and the foundation he has laid for the legal 
community, higher education, his state and his country will hopefully 
be of some solace to Patsy and his family.

                          ____________________