Stetson University Florida

Four Treasure Coast lawyers to be honored by Florida Bar for 50 years of service

A half-century of dedication to the practice of law earned four Treasure Coast lawyers honorable mention during a luncheon at the Florida Bar's annual convention Friday.

Thomas H. Thurlow Jr. of Stuart, John T. Brennan of Fort Pierce, William F. Crary of Stuart and Kenneth M. Wilkinson of Palm City are the Treasure Coast honorees.

The event will be held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee to honor 133 lawyers who reached their 50th anniversary of being admitted to the Florida Bar this year.

Wilkinson passed away in March, only three months before his 50th anniversary as an attorney. He received his law degree from Stetson University College of Law in 1961.

The other three veteran attorneys graduated in 1961 from the University of Florida law school.

Thurlow. began his career as a partner in his father's real estate, probate and estate planning law firm, Thurlow & Thurlow. Last year he retired, leaving the family-run firm in his son's hands, which has since been renamed Thurlow, Thurlow & Giachino.

Thurlow, 74, loved working with clients and helping others.

"By working at my father's office in the summer and being exposed to the law, I became very interested in it and followed up on it," he said. "I always enjoyed working in Stuart and practicing law here."

Brennan still is a practicing lawyer at the age of 77. He has been working independently at his law firm, John T. Brennan, LLB PLC, for the past five years. His greatest passion has always been eminent domain law, mainly because it is gratifying for him to help his clients attain compensation when their property is being taken away from them for public use.

Brennan was appointed Florida's state attorney in 1970, which required him to represent the state in all felony cases for the Treasure Coast area. In 1973, he became city attorney for Fort Pierce and remained in that position for 37 years.

Although he will not be attending the luncheon because he is busy at the firm, he is proud to be receiving recognition.

"I've always liked the competition and winning for my clients," Brennan said. "I also enjoy helping people and I enjoy the fact that when you're successful, your clients spread the good word and you keep getting more and more clients."

Crary could not be reached for comment.

The event is sponsored by the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division.

"We look up to them and hope to be them one day," said Thompson, president of the Young Lawyers Division. "It's a pretty neat event and very special for the attendees who have practiced that long.

First graduates of new online program receive ... - Stetson University

After 24 years in Pharmacy, Blanca Rivera wanted a broader perspective, but she was a little dubious about learning anything new. After all, she had been Pharmacy director at University of Miami Hospital for more than a dozen years and taught classes at Nova Southeastern University, too.

“I wanted to know how the rest of the business world did things,” she said, “but I went into the program slightly skeptical because, like most old-timers in the pharmacy field, I had the mentality of ‘been there, done that.’

“Boy, was I wrong!”

Rivera was one of 10 students from across the nation who graduated in May from a program that offers unusual joint degrees: a Master of Business Administration from Stetson University and a Master of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Florida. It was the first joint degree of the two universities.

Some of Rivera’s fellow students were never on campus while they took classes, but most did travel to DeLand to receive their MBA diploma during Stetson’s Commencement on May 7. The Pharmacy degree is awarded at UF’s commencement.

Commencement 2011 was noteworthy not only because it was the first for online MBA students, but many online Master of Accountancy students walked the stage that day, too. They completed course work as long ago as last summer, but this was the first opportunity to attend Stetson’s commencement.

Some 15 percent of the candidates for postgraduate diplomas were graduates of the two online programs.

“The program went above and beyond my expectations,” said Brian Sizemore of South Bend, Ind. He has been a pharmacist for eight years and oversees 35 Walgreens pharmacies in Indiana and Michigan. “I am more than convinced that the return on the investment of tuition will far outweigh the tuition itself.”

The program and partnership between Stetson and UF is in good health and students continue to enroll, administrators say.

“Absolutely,” said Dr. Ted Surynt, associate dean of the Business School. “Faculty love to teach it, and course and exit survey results are outstanding.”

“Many of our students have joined the MSPharm program specifically because they want not just the MSPharm degree, but the combination of our degree with the MBA offered through our partnership with Stetson,” said Dr. David Brushwood, UF Pharmacy professor.

Fifty-eight students are currently enrolled.

Professors sit at their office computers wearing headphones and communicate with far-flung students who are at a computer in their home or office. They have group discussions in the virtual classroom, ask questions, use textbooks and visual aids and participate in problem-solving exercises.

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