UF Law Links Three Generations of Double Gators
Pilar Harris (JD 86) hoods daughter Savannah Unruh (JD 18) during the UF Law Spring 2018 Commencement Ceremony. Photo by Matt Pendleton
When Charles Wendell Harris (BA 59, LLB 61) passed away at a young age, he was unaware two familial generations would follow in his footsteps at UF Law.
“The fact that we can have those shared experiences decades apart is just something so special,” said Savannah Unruh, Harris’s granddaughter, who graduated from UF Law in May 2018. She received her B.A. in Classical Studies from UF in 2014.
Unruh’s mother, Pilar Harris (BA 83, JD 86), currently serves as a managing attorney for Children’s Legal Services in Florida’s 19th Judicial Circuit. She was born just before her father completed his legal education at UF Law. Following his graduation in the early ‘60s, Charles Harris decided to pursue a career in criminal defense during the civil rights movement.
“My father really believed in those fundamental constitutional rights, and that really came, I think, from the University of Florida law school perspective,” Pilar Harris said. “Being around those types of people, with those college professors, that’s what really changed history.”
Watching her father’s criminal defense work influenced Pilar Harris’s career trajectory.
“I went to law school thinking that I wanted to save the world and really try to do something that would make a difference,” she said.
During her time at UF Law, Pilar Harris took a course with Professor Walter Weyrauch, who also taught Charles Harris. While Pilar Harris and Unruh have not shared any professors, they often compare law school experiences. Both women agree the education has been extremely valuable.
“I think the education you get here is really something that would serve anyone, even if they don’t necessarily think law school is for them,” Unruh said.
Another common thread? The power of the Gator Law Nation.
“It really does feel like a tangible asset to say, ‘I went to UF, I’m a Gator’,” Unruh said. “It always brings a smile to people’s faces, they are more willing to talk to you and get to know you. In my experience, being a Gator has only been an asset.”
While Unruh never had a chance to meet her grandfather, her mother talks about him often. Unruh has been told of his eloquence and stellar skills as an attorney and advocate. “He’s a huge presence in our household,” she said.