In a ceremony marking John Thrasher’s lifetime of service to the Sunshine State, his family, current and former Florida lawmakers, and Florida State University stakeholders paid tribute to his life on Tuesday.
Among those who paid tribute to the former Florida House Speaker and senator who passed away in May at the age of 81 were former Governor Jeb Bush, President Richard McCullough, Thrasher’s successor, and his daughters and grandchildren.
Thrasher was remembered for his gentleness, generosity, and mercy inside the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall on the FSU campus.
According to Julie Weinberg, Thrasher’s daughter, “if you knew him, you loved him, and chances are he loved you right back.” It’s evident how many people referred to him as a friend when you look around this room today.
Jean Thrasher, Thrasher’s wife of 60 years, recalled him as a kind man.
“He provided us with consolation when we all needed it most, and he never complained or lost hope,” she said.
About a month after revealing that he had cancer, Thrasher passed away.
After a long political career that started with lobbying for the Florida Medical Association and eventually lead him to serve in both chambers of the Florida Legislature, Thrasher served as president of FSU from 2014 to 2021.
He spent eight years in the Florida House, beginning in 1992 and ending in 2000, and in the Florida Senate, beginning in 2009 and departing in 2014. For his final two years, Thrasher served as the chamber’s speaker.
During the first two years of his eight-year tenure, Bush recalled the record of Florida’s government under Speaker Thrasher. Bush claimed that Thrasher’s initiatives served as the foundation for a conservative generation of leaders.
In today’s environment, showcasing your other side on social media or appearing on cable news is how you gauge your level of success. What do you know? To cheers, Bush remarked, “I thank God I got to work with John Thrasher in an era where getting things done mattered a lot more than virtue signaling.”
Bush referred to Thrasher as the godfather of FSU’s medical school, whose founding was a top concern for the former speaker.
Bush listed all of John Thrasher’s titles and said that, for someone who was so successful at everything he did, he had one of the tiniest egos—not just among politicians, who are notoriously egocentric, but among everyone. Whenever he was successful, he shared the credit and avoided taking the credit. Bush referred to him as the perfect example of a servant leader.
Bush claimed that even though he wasn’t at fault, he accepted responsibility when things didn’t go as planned.
David Swanson, the pastor of Orlando’s First Presbyterian Church, conducted the ceremony. It included the FSU hymn played by the school’s marching band and musical performances by an FSU choral ensemble.
Thrasher received both his law and bachelor’s degrees from FSU, making him a dual alumnus of the institution he oversaw. He served in the U.S. Army between the two degrees, earning the Army Commendation Medal in Germany and two Bronze Stars for his service in Vietnam.
Additionally, Thrasher was a co-founder of the lobbying company The Southern Group.
He was a professor at the FSU College of Law. He served as Florida’s Republican Party chair in 2010 and 2011.
According to McCullough, John ensured that every student attending Florida State University had an equal opportunity to achieve.
The impressiveness of Thrasher’s responses to the 2014 Strozier Library shooting shortly after he became president, the 2017 hazing incident that killed a fraternity brother, and the 2018 off-campus shooting that killed a student was recalled by Ed Burr, who was on the FSU Board of Trustees for a large portion of Thrasher’s tenure.
I recall having a lot of people when I first arrived here, but the kids who told me that I had incredibly big shoes to fill were the ones that truly got to me, McCullough said.
According to speakers, Thrasher frequently gave credit for his accomplishments to FSU, his wife Jean, and God, in that order.
According to Kyle Clark, senior vice president for finance and administration at FSU, his schedule never prevented him from taking the time to interact with other students, teachers, lawmakers, or groundskeepers.
He showed the same decency, kindness, and respect to everyone. He was a strong believer in listening, identifying points of agreement, and ensuring that everyone, whether or not they shared his views, felt heard and important.
Florida’s Jay Waagmeester The Phoenix
