Inducted: 2018
Bartow Senior High Graduate, 1971
The Honorable Hubert Grimes is the acting president of Bethune-Cookman University.
Judge Grimes has served as an executive at Bethune-Cookman since 2014, and previously served as the director for the Center for Law and Social Justice at Bethune-Cookman.
A highly respected civic leader and university ambassador, Judge Grimes broke racial barriers in 1988, when he was elected as a county judge, becoming the first African-American judge in the history of Volusia County.
Prior to becoming a judge, Judge Grimes worked as an attorney for Central Florida Legal Services, Central Florida Community Development Corp., and his own private law practice.
Judge Grimes has taught as an adjunct professor at the Florida A&M University College of Law, Bethune-Cookman and the University of Central Florida.
He is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a member of the Bartow High School Hall Fame, and a two-time Kentucky State University Distinguished Alumnus. Judge Grimes received his bachelor's degree from Kentucky State and his law degree from the University of Georgia.