Celebrations continued for the 50th anniversary of integration at UF with a ceremony at the Levin College of Law on Wednesday.
The events, held on Constitution Day 2008, which is the 221st anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, included a panel discussion about desegregation and a speech from UF's first black student, George H. Starke Jr., who attended UF's law school for a year before withdrawing.
The event also honored Virgil Hawkins, who paved the way for Starke's acceptance to UF. Hawkins applied to UF in 1949 but was denied admission because of his race.
After nine years of litigation, Hawkins agreed to withdraw his application in exchange for a court order that desegregated UF's graduate and professional schools, according to the law school's Web site.
In 1958, Starke was admitted to UF.
Hawkins eventually became a member of the Florida Bar but resigned after he was brought before the bar on ethics charges.
"I told my wife they're going to write him out of history," said Harley Herman, a lawyer who successfully fought to get Hawkins reinstated to the bar before his death in 1988 at the age of 81, during a break in the day's events.
Members of Hawkins' family attended the celebration.
The day's events culminated in the planting of a magnolia tree in front of the law school to commemorate the anniversary.
