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1999 Nelson Poynter Banquet a Moving Tribute
The Sheraton Ft. Lauderdale provided the locale for this year's ACLU Foundation of Florida Nelson Poynter Award Banquet. The ACLU honored former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court Gerald Kogan with the Poynter Award and ACLU leader Sam Clark with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The evening began by the hotel fountain with an outdoor cocktail reception. Later, Dinner Chair Siobhan McLaughlin welcomed all ACLU members and civil libertarians, introducing the ACLU of Florida staff, chapter and state board members and the many honored guests present. She also thanked the host committee for the excellent job they did in organizing the banquet.
Bill Boyd, Vice President of the ACLU of Florida, served as Master of Ceremonies. He touched on the meaning of the Poynter Award, named for former crusading editor and publisher of the St. Petersburg Times Nelson Poynter, whose work defending the Bill of Rights the award commemorates. He recognized several past recipients of the Award in attendance, including former Senator Jack Gordon, Chesterfield Smith, Janet McAliley, and James K. Green, adding that Justice Kogan was an excellent addition to the long line of distinguished honorees.
ACLU of Florida President, Ray Arsenault, presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to longtime activist and Palm Beach Chapter Chair Sam Clark. Clark began his acceptance by talking about his youth playing summer ball with a great first baseman named Moose. "Her real name was Margaret, but we all called her Moose," he said. "She was a better player than I was, and most of the boys, too. So whenever a woman wants to do something unconventional, I always encourage her." He also noted that, at 85, he was older than the ACLU itself. He received a standing ovation.
Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, Secretary of the ACLU of Florida and an attorney at Akerman Senterfitt, delivered a moving tribute to Nelson Poynter Award recipient Justice Kogan. She applauded his tremendous courage and empathy in his powerful dissent in the McIver v. Krischer right-to-die case as well as his public stance against the death penalty, which she said should serve as a model for attorneys and civil libertarians everywhere.
In his acceptance speech, Justice Kogan praised the work of the ACLU and stressed the obligation attorneys and others have in upholding the principles of the Bill of Rights.
Executive Director Howard Simon introduced National ACLU President Nadine Strossen, who delivered an inspiring and energizing keynote address. Strossen, whose many publications and nationwide speaking engagements have made her the premiere voice for civil liberties in America, called for continuing vigilance in defending constitutional rights.
From Lifetime Achievement Award winner Sam Clark, to the presentation of the ACLU of Florida Nelson Poynter Award to Justice Gerald Kogan, to riveting keynote speaker Nadine Strossen, the 1999 Nelson Poynter Award banquet was an inspiring occasion, motivating all attendees to press on in their work to preserve freedom.
