Lawyer - Stetson University College of Law

the dorm room for three years:
winter, summer, spring and fall.
I never left until I graduated.”
Years later, Speer’s classmates
placed a plaque on that dorm
room commemorating his time on
campus—a plaque that remains
today.
While in law school, Roy
Speer attended school during
the day, studied evenings and
worked at night as an electronics
technician “from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.,
seven days a week, year-round to
pay for law school.”
Hon. Elizabeth A.
Kovachevich ’61 and Roy Speer
dated in 1958 and 1959 while
both were students at Stetson
University College of Law. They
have remained lifelong friends.
Every night before his shift, Speer
would stop by Kovachevich’s home,
where her parents would feed
the hungry young law student,
something that he fondly recalls.
“They were absolutely wonderful
people. Just wonderful. I will never
forget their generosity. Mr. and
Mrs. Kovachevich fed me fabulous
meals and made it possible to
attend law school,” said Speer.
“Everything my mother Emilie
cooked…Roy was knees up under
the table,” chuckled the nowfederal
judge. She added that her
mother’s recipe for square-cut roast
beef was eventually passed along
to Roy’s wife, Lynnda, as one of his
favorite meals.
On a more serious note,
Judge Kovachevich admires her
friend’s business acumen. “Roy is
tenacious in business. He gets that
look on his face and anything he
does, he gets right into it. He is
always willing to work to achieve
what he believes is worthwhile.”
Pictured above, Roy Speer ’59, center, was
known by his classmates as a driven student
with a strong work ethic. Pictured right,
Speer shakes hands with classmate and Dean
Emeritus Bruce Jacob ’59 during his years on
the College of Law Board of Overseers.
She also discussed Speer’s nonbusiness
side. “Roy is a warm,
generous man. He is charitable
in many ways that people simply
don’t realize. He has donated
kindly to numerous non-profit
organizations in an anonymous
manner.”
Another classmate was
Stetson Law Dean Emeritus Bruce
Jacob ’59. “One word that does not
describe Roy Speer is ‘ordinary.’ He
is not an average, ordinary guy. He
is independent-minded, and has
always stood out from the crowd.”
Dean Jacob credits Speer’s
success to his work ethic. “The
reason we could tell that he
would be very successful is that
he worked so hard. He juggled law
school with several jobs, trying
to make it through law school
financially.”
While serving as dean of the
law school, Jacob tapped Speers
to serve on the Stetson’s board of
overseers. Speer also served as a
university trustee.
After law school, Speer
worked for the Florida Attorney
General Richard W. Ervin Jr.
before entering private practice in
Tampa, followed by eight years as
special counsel for the City of
St. Petersburg.
From the late 1960s to
the mid-1970s, Speer invested
aggressively in real estate. While
Speer admits that not all of his
investments paid big dividends,
he has had more wins than losses.
“I have always been a risk taker.
When most people walk away from
it, I get into it.”
Speer continues to take
chances developing new
companies and ventures. “I am
going to stay busy until I die.”
“One of the most enjoyable
things I’ve ever listened to is Frank
Sinatra singing My Way, because I
think that’s the whole deal.”
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