TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte, who served as president of Florida State University and the dean of its law school, died Monday. He was 85.
D'Alemberte was dean of the FSU College of Law from 1984-89 before becoming president of the Tallahassee university from 1994-2003.
During his tenure, the FSU College of Medicine was established in 2000, becoming the first new medical school in the nation in more than 20 years.
D'Alemberte also served as president of the American Bar Association in the 1990s and represented what was then just Dade County in the Florida House from 1966-72.
"I've known Sandy for more than 40 years," current FSU President John Thrasher said. "He's been a friend, a mentor and an inspiration to me. He was a person of great integrity with an abiding sense of social justice who made a difference in people's lives here and around the world through his defense of the First Amendment and advocacy of human rights."
D'Alemberte was succeeded as FSU's president by former Florida House Speaker T.K. Wetherell, who died of cancer in December.
Although D'Alemberte received his law degree from the University of Florida, he was most often associated with FSU.
"He loved Florida State University and left a lasting legacy through his dedication to academic excellence and research, diversity, campus beautification and historic preservation, and support for the arts and culture," Thrasher said. "I will miss him dearly."