FACULT Y F OCU S
The FSU Law community was profoundly saddened by the loss of Professor Emeritus David L. Markell, who passed away on March 22, 2021, after a heroic battle with cancer. Although Markell retired from teaching in 2020 after 18 years at FSU, he remained actively engaged with many in our community and will be terribly missed.
The Lasting Legacy of David Markell (1953–2021)
“Dave was beloved for his kindness, generosity, hard work, inspired teaching, scholarly productivity, and service to the law school and broader community,” said Dean Erin O’Connor. Markell grew up in Newark, Delaware. He graduated magna cum laude from Brandeis University and received his J.D. from the University of Virginia. Markell was an all-around athlete and played college and semipro baseball. After law school, Markell began his career with a prestigious judicial clerkship in his home state’s Supreme Court and brief stints at two D.C. law firms. He then moved from corporate law to a career with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Environmental Enforcement Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, and leadership roles at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Even after entering academia, he spent years engaged in 2021
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