Vero Beach attorneys L. B. (Buck) Vocelle Jr. (right) and Martin Wall stand before a portrait of Buck’s grandfather, James Vocelle. Both men remember the elder Vocelle for his kindness, determination, intellect and eloquence. The portrait, which hangs in the lobby of the James T. Vocelle Law Library in the Indian River County Courthouse, was painted by Vero Beach artist Marlene Evans Putnam and commissioned by the Indian River Bar Association in 1984. Martin Wall chaired a testimonial at the time, honoring Vocelle’s 60th anniversary as a member of the Florida Bar and honorary dean of the Association.
He was no ordinary man. By age 25, James Thomas Vocelle had earned a law degree, served in the military, written two books, completed two sessions in Georgia’s House of Representatives and been elected to the state Senate. By the end of his life, he would be recognized as a founding father of Indian River County, a top advisor to five Florida governors, a champion of civil rights, a nationally honored leader in his church and an attorney with more than six decades of practice in Vero Beach.
He would also be remembered for a 72-year marriage, six children, 23 grandchildren and more than 30 great-grandchildren. To say that the man left a rich legacy is an understatement.
Born the son of Lucien and Jane Vocelle in 1897 in the small town of St. Marys, Georgia, James was a fifth-generation Georgian. On his mother’s side, his great-grandfather was a key figure in Georgia’s secession from British rule. On his father’s side, Vocelle’s roots in North America ran even deeper. He was descended from Acadian settlers who arrived in the New World from France in the 1600s and settled in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
 Read the entire article in the April 2006 issue
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