STETSON LEGACY
NEW ENDOWMENTS HONOR TREASURED ALUMNI AND FACULTY Robert E. Jagger Public Defender Scholarship This scholarship was established by Robert Jagger’s family – including his wife, Mrs. Jo Ann Jagger, and sons, The Hon. Edwin Jagger, J.D. ’91 and Robert F. Jagger – to honor his memory.
William R. Nunno, J.D. ’71, created this new scholarship to both thank Stetson Law for giving him “the opportunity to become a lawyer,” and to recognize Dean Alexandre for her good governance of the law school.
Robert E. Jagger, J.D. ’58, was the first Public Defender for the Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court in 1961 and served in that role for 35 years. At the time, he was believed to have been the longest-standing elected Public Defender in the country. He was an adjunct professor at Stetson Law for many years and served several terms on the law school’s Board of Overseers. He was known for his devotion and commitment to the legal profession, and he worked to establish and mentor the students in the Public Defender Clinic at Stetson Law. In 2005, Jagger was inducted into Stetson Law’s Hall of Fame.
“I am endowing this scholarship in the name of Dean Alexandre to honor her for the exemplary leadership role she has taken at Stetson University College of Law,” he said.
The ideal recipient of the Robert E. Jagger Public Defender Scholarship will have successfully completed the Public Defender Clinic Program or be enrolled in the program, will be in good academic standing, and aspire to pursue a career in public service.
The Hon. Thomas B. McCoun III Scholarship Thomas McCoun’s wife and children, Mrs. Jennie McCoun, Bullitt, Jonathan, Cameron and Katie, established this scholarship in his honor. Judge McCoun, J.D. ’77, lived an accomplished and dutiful life. He practiced law for 41 years, serving the last 24 years as a Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida. Judge McCoun taught as an adjunct professor at Stetson for many years. He valued active church membership, coaching his children in various sports, teaching Sunday school, and was the go-to dictionary and mathematician for the family. Candidates for this scholarship should participate in the federal judicial externship program, be a member of the trial team or in the Trial Advocacy Concentration, demonstrate a financial need, and be in good academic standing. 18
Dean Michèle Alexandre Scholarship
Nunno was a solo personal injury practitioner from 1972 until his daughters joined his law firm 20 years ago. He has been appointed by the Superior Court of New Jersey and has served as a personal injury arbitrator for over 30 years. His daughters, Alisa Nunno Di Chiara, J.D. ’95 and Tracie Nunno D’Amico, J.D. ’96 are also Stetson Law graduates and certified Civil Trial Attorneys. The Dean Michèle Alexandre Scholarship is intended for students with financial need in either the full-time or part-time J.D. programs.
Bernie McCabe Prosecution Clinic Scholarship Bernie McCabe’s classmates, including Denis M. de Vlaming, J.D. ’72, created this scholarship to honor the longtime State Attorney. McCabe was a “Double Hatter,” earning his bachelor’s in 1969 from Stetson University and Juris Doctor from Stetson Law in 1972. He began his career as the Assistant State Attorney in the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Florida and was eventually elected as State Attorney for Pinellas and Pasco counties in 1992, a role he held until his passing in 2020. McCabe was a steadfast presence at Stetson Law, being appointed to the Board of Overseers in 1994, supervising the Stetson Prosecution Clinic for 28 years, teaching young law students as an Adjunct Professor, and hiring and mentoring many Stetson Law alumni. The Bernie McCabe Prosecution Clinic Scholarship is intended to provide tuition assistance to a student participating in the Prosecution Clinic.
