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ERITAGE OF THE COLLEGE Alan G. Greer ALAN G. GREER OF CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA HAS ADVISED PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, REPRESENTED CLIENTS IN MAJOR LITIGATION, BEEN AN ACTIVE COMMUNITY LEADER AND AUTHORED TWO BOOKS. ALAN WAS INDUCTED AS A FELLOW OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF TRIAL LAWYERS IN 1992 AND HAS SERVED AS FLORIDA STATE CHAIR FOR FLORIDA, AS A TRUSTEE OF THE ACTL U.S. FOUNDATION, AND AS CHAIR OF THE LEGAL ETHICS AND PROFESSIONALISM COMMITTEE. Alan is married to United States District Court Senior Judge Patricia A. Seitz. Early in their acquaintanceship, Alan’s accom- plishments did not impress Judge Seitz. Alan recalls, “At the time she thought I was a forked tongued devil.” It took some time to win her over, but more about that later. Alan was born and grew up in Arkansas and Virginia. Because of his father’s health issues, the family moved to Miami, where Alan’s father passed away when Alan was only fifteen. While in Virginia, Alan visited the United States Naval Academy to attend football games. The Academy so impressed him that Alan determined that was the place for him and it was the only college to which he applied. Alan served a total of ten years in the Navy; four years in Annapolis and six years of active duty, much of it aboard submarines. But one weekend when he was in sub school at the Academy, Alan visited a high school friend who was then a Yale law student and sat in on a Con law class. It was fascinating. Alan decided he wanted to study law. Toward the end of his Naval service, Alan was about to be de- ployed to Vietnam to assist with combat air traffic control over Vietnam. Alan engaged Miami lawyer Peter Fay to prepare a will. Just in case. Fay warned Alan that he better come back alive. When he was discharged in 1966, Alan had some savings. It was easy to save since he was at sea much of the time and had no- where to spend his money. Alan entered the University of Florida Law School ten days after leaving Vietnam. During Alan’s first weeks of law school at Gainesville, his relationship with Peter Fay was re-kindled. Alan’s high school friend was now with the Frates & Fay Law Firm and he told Fay that Alan was in law school. Fay contacted Alan and asked him to work for the law firm while attending law school. Alan clerked for the firm through school and joined as an associate upon his gradu- ation in 1969. While the name of the firm has changed over the years, Alan has spent his entire legal career there. 85 JOURNAL