NAELA_NEWS_june 07_v3.indd - National Academy of Elder Law ...

FEATURED MEMBERRebecca MorganHow Does She Do That?Robert B. Fleming, CELAYou already knowProfessor RebeccaC. Morgan (almostuniversally, but not here,“Becky”). She (withco-author Prof. DavidEnglish) is responsible formaintenance and updateof one of the legal elderlaw treatises, and the onethat probably sits on thecredenza behind your desk:Tax, Estate & FinancialPlanning for the Elderly,and the companion FormsBook, both publishedby LexisNexis. She hasserved as President ofNAELA (1998–1999), andcontinues to be intenselyactive in the organization.She is recognized nationallyas an expert in ElderLaw, and has receivedinnumerable awardsevidencing her involvementand impact.But where should one goto really get to know Prof.Morgan? You might start inthe small town of Clinton,Missouri—where she wasraised, met and marriedher husband Jay and whereher mother and family stilllive. (If you’re not sure howto find Clinton, you can go to Kansas City and head easttoward Tightwad. Honest.) Her Midwestern, small-townroots explain a lot about her impressive work ethic, herno-nonsense approach to ethics and morality, and heraffection for seniors and other underdogs.You might also try the local outlet (there’s one withina few blocks of where you are right now) of a nationalcoffee emporium. Chances are you might find her there,fueling up on soy chai lattes. Or if you can find your wayto the mountains of Colorado, you might find her sittingon a porch, devoted dog and cats surrounding her, orperhaps hiking in the rarefied mountain air.Like all of us, Prof. Morgan is more than just hercareer. The career part, however, is pretty impressive. Sheholds the Boston Asset Management Faculty Chair atthe Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg,Florida (little-known fact: the College is actually inGulfport), where she is also the Director of the Centerfor Excellence in Elder Law (http://wwwlaw.stetson.edu/excellence/elderlaw). Even more impressively, she hasspearheaded the development of a new and innovativeLLM (Master of Laws) program in Elder Law (see thearticle on page 24 for more details), which will enroll itsfirst class this fall.In an academic career spanning three decades, Prof.Morgan has collected a number of prestigious awardsand amassed considerable professional recognition.Just last year, for example, the National Committeefor the Prevention of Elder Abuse gave her the RosalieWolf Memorial Elder Abuse Prevention Award,named in honor of the founder of the NCPEA. Theyear before that, she and Professor Roberta Flowers ofStetson received the Florida Supreme Court’s ProjectAward on Professionalism for their development oftheir unique series of video clips illustrating commonethical and professionalism dilemmas encountered by4