About Me
The Very Short Version
I am a fifth-generation Floridian. I practiced law and served in public office on the state and local level for 25 years, but have always wanted to teach. Seventeen years ago, I joined the faculty at Flagler College where I teach law and the occasional history course. My wife and I have been married for 43 years, and have four happily married adult children, and twelve grandchildren, all of whom live nearby. We call Anastasia Island, on the northeast coast of Florida, home.
The Rest of the Story
I have lived the vast majority of my sixty-seven years within a two-mile radius of where I sit as I write this. I pass my elementary school each day on my way to teach at Flagler College. Our Presbyterian church, where I was baptized and where my wife’s and my ashes will be placed, is across the street from the college. My first law office was two blocks from the college and my second office was three blocks in the other direction. Some might argue this is a narrow life, but I prefer to think of it as deep life, one rooted in a wonderful community.
My grandfather and father were both lawyers, as were several other family members. I practiced law for twenty-five years. I was a good lawyer, although I was restless. As one of my partners put it, “Tracy was always bucking the harness.” He wasn't wrong.
For the last seventeen years, I have served as a faculty member at Flagler. I teach primarily law related courses including constitutional law and American legal history. I had always wanted to teach, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of this college community.
I was honored to have served as Mayor of St. Augustine on two sepearate occassions and in the state House of Representatives.
My wife and I married while we were both in college and we started a family soon after graduation. This is a decision we would absolutely do over. Our children and grandchildren are a great joy to both of us. My wife’s parents and my father have passed on, but my 97-year-old mother remains with us. She is incredibly brave and strong, and I admire her so much.
I love to read, mainly fiction and history. I made the most rudimentary efforts to write when I was a teenager and never wrote a full story until I was married and had four kids. But that humble story was the genesis of The Road to Picolata.
I am partial to whiskey and I enjoy cooking. I piddle in the yard and have some luck with orchids. I'm a Gator fan and have recently fallen for the Jaguars. Baseball? The Orioles, but it's nothing serious. The NBA for me is only Steph Curry and I have no idea about hockey. I look forward to the World Cup every four years.