THE HON. ANNE C. CONWAY ’72

It certainly is not easy to become a judge, especially a United States District Judge. But Anne Conway knows a thing or two about meeting challenges head on.

When she was a student at John Carroll, Anne wanted to play on the women’s basketball team, but there was no such thing. Women were first admitted as full-time students at John Carroll in 1968, her freshman year, and it was the dawn of women’s sports in the U.S. So, not only did Anne start a team, she also got a group of students together and started the Women’s Athletic Club, “to assist women students in gaining opportunities to participate in sports activities,” she says. Anne served as the group’s first president. They found other schools that also fielded women’s teams and competed against one another. Basketball was her greatest love, but, of course, she did a lot more than that.

On the way to earning a degree in sociology, Anne was also a founding member of Lambda Chi Rho sorority and served as its vice president. She participated in student government, where she served as publicity director and served as class representative when her friend, Tim Russert, was president of the Student Union.

After completing law school in Florida, Anne stayed in the Sunshine State, working for law firms, and, for several years, for a federal judge. In 1991, she was appointed District Judge by President George H. W. Bush. She currently serves as Chief Judge of the Middle District of Florida, one of largest courts in the federal system.

Despite the distance, Anne remains committed to John Carroll and has actively participated over the years in planning and attending her class reunions and volunteered with the Alumni in Admissions program. She also is a longtime Blue Gold Club member.

“John Carroll taught me how to get along in a ‘man’s world,’” she says. “I credit the University with helping me learn how to deal with all kinds of challenges. It’s a great place to develop leadership skills.”

For her pioneering spirit, her enduring commitment to John Carroll, and in recognition of her outstanding professional achievements in the federal court system, The John Carroll Alumni Association is pleased to award Anne C. Conway our 2009 Alumni Medal.