SCBA
President ’ s
COLUMN
What is Your
Legacy ?
Last month , I encouraged you all to attend our Annual Awards Dinner . Unfortunately , with the surge of new Covid cases , we had to cancel the event and the Bar will be going back to an all-virtual schedule until things calm down and it is safe for our members to return to meeting in person . Needless to say , we are all very disappointed at this turn of events . We will still honor our award recipients , likely at our May general membership meeting , which serves as the annual meeting for our Association . Please continue to keep an eye on the weekly e-blasts sent by our intrepid executive director , Holly Lipps , for upcoming events and any changes with regards to returning to in-person meetings .
Since I likely won ’ t have the opportunity to give my installation speech in person , I want to share with you part of what I planned to talk about . As many of you know , I am a second-generation member of the Sarasota County Bar Association and a second-generation president . I am proud to be part of the first father-daughter duo to lead our Association . It would be easy to look at my presidency as a continuation of my father ’ s legacy , but I see it a little differently .
You may be surprised to learn that my family comes from fairly humble beginnings . My father grew up in a tiny house in Westbury , New York . The Long Island accent is likely not shocking if you ’ ve ever heard him talk . My grandfather was a firefighter with the
FDNY and my grandmother was a school crossing guard . Neither had college degrees but my grandmother valued education and made sure my father and uncle received good educations . However , if you ’ re picturing my grandmother as a forerunner of the modern “ tiger mom ,” nothing could be further from the truth . My father went to his first day of kindergarten , announced it was “ for the birds ” and my grandmother never made him go back . She didn ’ t believe in discipline for children . Despite that less than auspicious start to his education , my father and his brother both went on to get graduate degrees . My father attained his J . D . and my uncle a Ph . D . Three out of the four Keane grandchildren are bar-admitted attorneys and my other cousin is an accountant . My grandmother never could have dreamed that this would be the result of her emphasis on education and , quite honestly , she would have been proud of us if we all ended up flipping burgers for a living .
The second value that my grandmother passed on to us is service . My grandmother was one of the most selfless and giving people you would ever meet . Whether it was a family member , friend , or neighbor , my grandmother was always willing to help in any way she could . When I started as a candy striper at Doctor ’ s Hospital to get my volunteer hours in high school , my grandmother joined me as a volunteer in the senior auxiliary . She volunteered almost every Sunday in the emergency room for fifteen years . If any of you ended
6 | THE DOCKET - FEBRUARY 2022