PROFILE
Robert M. Ervin
A Lifetime of Service
By Aline Baker
At 92, he is the oldest living past president of The Florida Bar, but that doesn’t stop Robert M. Ervin (JD 47) from maintaining an active role in the legal profession.
In acknowledging Ervin’s dedication and service to the field, the Tallahassee Bar Association (TBA) honored its oldest active member by naming the new Lawyers’ Commons in the Leon County Courthouse after Ervin. TBA President Meredith Trammell Roop declared on August 7, 2007, that the TBA board voted unanimously for the “Robert M. Ervin Lawyers’ Commons” and held a ribbon-cutting ceremony after the completed construction in March.
Bob Ervin (right) with Tampa Bar Association President Meredith Trammel Roop during a recent TBA meeting.
(PHOTO COURTESY OF TALLAHASSEE BAR ASSOCIATION.)
“Most people do not know the depth of Bob’s service to our profession both directly and indirectly, but are even more unaware of his contributions of infinite time, energy, vision and dedication to our citizenry outside of the bar associations,” Trammell Roop said. “He is probably the most accomplished person I have ever known, yet he is a man full of humility and compassion who never misses a chance to be nice to others.”
Ervin’s service to his country is something many of his friends and co-workers admire him for as well. In the middle of his law school career, Ervin, a “Double-Gator,” left to join the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II and served for two tours before being discharged in 1946 with the rank of Major — all before completing his law degree. Ervin continued this patriotism as a retired Colonel of the USMC, leading the organization of and commanding the Marine Corps Reserve Staff Unit (VTU 6-13) in Tallahassee for 18 years.
His leadership and accomplishments on paper do not begin to illustrate the wonderful contribution and influence Ervin has made on attorneys throughout the state. Throughout his illustrious career, Ervin served as president of the TBA, served on the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, authored much legislation, as well as articles in various scholarly publications.
“We can all learn how to practice our profession, treat others, to get the job done, and to make the world a better place,” Trammell Roop said. “Bob Ervin’s list of accomplishments and successes serve as a blueprint for how to get the most out of a law degree and how to use every opportunity in life to make a difference rather than just get by.”
“My debt of gratitude to the University of Florida, particularly to the College of Law is boundless; not simply for the formal and professional training but the commencement of my 'Gator Nation' awareness,” Ervin said.