6 ALLIGATOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022
Alachua renames courthouse after Gainesville’s first Black lawyer The event unveiled Judge Stephan P. Mickle Sr.’s inscribed name above the courthouse entrance By Carissa Allen Alligator Staff Writer
Stephan P. Mickle was described as a trailblazer in Alachua County. He left a legacy of firsts, despite growing up in a Gainesville segregated by both law, practice and custom, said Rod Smith, his former law partner, in a speech. The inspiration to many was memorialized at the Alachua County Criminal Courthouse Friday. After Mickle died last January, Alachua County commissioners unanimously approved a new courthouse name: Judge Stephan P. Mickle Sr. Criminal Courthouse, ending the nearly 20 yearslong search for the perfect name. Mickle was the first Black undergraduate from UF and the second Black person to obtain a law degree from the UF Levin College of
Law. “At the time and place of his childhood, the likelihood of Stephan Mickle graduating from the University of Florida could be found at the intersection of impossible and improbable,” attorney Rod Smith said during his speech. Mickle continued on an upward trajectory after graduating. He was the first Black person to establish a law practice in Gainesville and the first Black Alachua County court judge. His commitment to justice was honored when he became the first Black federal judge in the First District Court of Appeal, and later, the first Black federal judge in the U.S. District Court at the Northern District of Florida. The renaming ceremony was held along South Main Street in downtown Gainesville, where hundreds of people attended. It was
Leo Ramsey-Watson // Alligator Staff
Judge Stephan P. Mickle’s wife, Evelyn Mickle, speaks at the podium about her husband’s trailblazing legacy at the renaming ceremony of the Alachua County Courthouse on Friday, Jan. 14. The courthouse is located at 220 S. Main St.
delayed until this year so it could be a highlight of the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration activities of 2022, said Rodney Long, president of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Florida Inc., in a speech. P.K. Yonge Symphonic Band opened the ceremony with the Pledge of Allegiance, and Chief Judge of the Eighth Judicial Circuit Mark Moseley followed with opening remarks. The ceremony featured speakers including Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe, retired and practicing judges and former colleagues. Mickle’s family members also spoke. Mickle’s wife, Evelyn Mickle, didn’t want just another ceremony honoring her husband. She wanted a lasting memorial that would carry on her husband’s legacy for years to come. “It is our honor and our hope that this renaming of the Alachua County Criminal Courthouse with Judge Stephan P. Mickle Sr. will spark hope, hope and more hope as it is passed from generation to generation,” she said during her speech. Judge Mickle left an impact on Alachua County in nearly every stage of his adult life. The reveal of Judge Stephan P. Mickle Sr.’s name above the main entrance of the courthouse concluded the event. Over a hundred attendees counted to three, signaling the ribbon cutters to lift the covering and unveil the new inscription. Cheers and applause overcame the crowd. The courthouse is now a symbol that represents a great deal to 75-year-old Gainesville resident Johnnie Dennard Jr., a friend of Judge Mickle. “To me, it’s an affirmation of the goodness of a person that can transcend his life, that can inspire other people,” he said.
Leo Ramsey-Watson // Alligator Staff
A cut ribbon reveals a new sign for the Alachua County Courthouse at the renaming ceremony in honor of the late Judge Stephan P. Mickle on Friday, Jan. 14. Dennard attended the event to honor Mickle’s lifelong compassion. Dennard, who played the trombone, was in the Lincoln High School band with Mickle, who played the clarinet. “It’s just so uplifting to see this kind of thing for a person that you have known to be very intelligent,” he said. “He was a good person, and he was dedicated.” Dennard recalled his friend as jovial and personable, but he was also a jokester. He remembers Mickle’s smile, his laugh and, of course, his “darn good clarinet skills.” The people who knew Mickle outside of the courtroom remember him for his compassion and his humbleness, which he exuded throughout his childhood and career. Arago Welch Sr., an 80-yearold Gainesville resident, looked back on when Mickle first moved to Gainesville. They lived across the street from each other and grew very close in high school, he said. “He didn’t look down on me just because he was a judge,” Welch
said. “He seemed more like a friend to me — a brother.” Grace Mickle, his 32-year-old niece, said the most inspiring thing about him was his down-to-earth personality. He was not only an exemplary judge, but an exemplary uncle, too. “I just grew up with him being my Uncle Stephan,” she said. “We went to the same church. We would go to fish fries after church. He would be there in his Gators stuff. That’s what I remember about him.” Watching the unveiling of his name above the courthouse entrance was a surreal, impactful experience, Grace said. The courthouse now resembles the lasting memory of his inspiring life. “It was beautiful just to see so many people — people off the street — wanting to be a part of a courthouse being dedicated to a Black man that had to go through so much,” she said. “If anybody deserves it, he deserves it.” @Carissaallenn callen@alligator.org
Gainesville gym memberships increase along with omicron cases THE INCREASING NUMBER OF POSITIVE COVID-19 CASES IN ALACHUA COUNTY HAS NOT OBSTRUCTED NEW YEAR’S FITNESS RESOLUTIONS
By Carissa Allen Alligator Staff Writer
January: the time of year dedicated to purging fridges, replacing fries with fruit and flocking to gyms. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stand in the way of Gainesville residents’ New Year’s resolutions. Despite the surge in Alachua County omicron COVID-19 cases, local gyms’ memberships and business increased this month. Victoria De Alba, a 19-year-old UF computer science sophomore, heads to the gym about five or six times a week. She’s observed the flock of people returning since the new year. “Being that it was the beginning of January, I noticed a lot of people came and a lot of people started joining, so I think it’s busier at the moment,” De Alba said. “Also, people
have their resolutions.” De Alba exercised from home at the start of the pandemic when gyms were closed. This year; however, she isn’t letting the omicron variant interfere with her goals. She feels comfortable working out in-person without a mask, she said. “The thing is, we live in Florida, so I feel like the restrictions are more flexible in comparison to other states,” she said. “I also take into consideration a vast majority of people are vaccinated or have gotten the booster, so I feel pretty comfortable going to the gym without a mask.” She enjoys the community at the gym. “It definitely is easier to transition into fitness if you have other people surrounding you that also have similar goals,” she said. But some people aren’t as comfortable with maskless patrons, especially when exercising. RecSports personal trainer Nalin Saraf said the thought of interacting with college-aged strangers during a pandemic is anxiety-inducing for some people. Adding exercise into the equation may escalate this fear for new gymgoers.
“I can definitely see how coming into the weight room or the cardio space during packed times — it can be a little daunting seeing no one have a mask on and everyone’s breathing heavy,” he said. Masks are recommended but not required in UF RecSports facilities, which are free to UF students. Only about 40% of all personal training clients wear a mask inside the private personal training studio at Southwest Recreation Center, said Saraf, a 21-year-old applied physiology and kinesiology junior. RecSports had a much longer waitlist for personal training than it has seen in previous years, Saraf said. He observed an increase in student clients at the start of 2022. Regular gym-goers at Southwest Recreation Center have noticed the spike in students heading to the gym this January, too. With students back on campus, the past two weeks have been especially busy compared to last Fall, said Asher David, an 18-year-old UF biology freshman. He works out at Southwest Rec about three or four times a week. He wore a mask in the Fall when the gym
was especially crowded and began to wear one regularly when the omicron variant spiked, he said. David admitted going to the gym in-person is more motivating and offers more amenities than at-home fitness alternatives. He compares working out in a gym to studying in a library. Separating himself from an environment where he is able to relax makes him more productive. “You find studying at the library or somewhere outside your home a lot easier than trying to study in your bedroom because then you just tend to lose focus,” he said. For David, the gym eases his mind and allows him to forget about his rigorous classes and the demands of being a STEM major, he said. “Being active, for me, I think it’s kind of been a way for me to escape for the past couple years,” he added. “It’s a good way to relax your mind and just kind of forget about everything.” @Carissaallenn callen@alligator.org
