FSCHS honors Barkett for lifetime achievement.

From her a capella rendition of "Me and Bobby McGee," to stories about riding on the back of a Harley at a judicial conference and adjusting to life away from the convent, former Chief Justice Rosemary Barkett had everyone laughing at the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society's annual dinner.

The occasion was to give her a lifetime achievement award, but the January 30 dinner that packed a ballroom at the University Center Club in Tallahassee felt more like a celebration to match the upbeat verve of Barkett's personality.

"Judge Barkett does not miss a minute of her life," longtime friend Justice Barbara Pariente said. "She is not only 100 percent hardworking and energetic, but also 100 percent fun-loving. Constantly on an adventure in life!"

To meet Barkett "is to instantaneously recognize her down-to-earth humility, incredible warmth, and love of life, and passion for justice," Pariente said.

Barkett was the first woman to serve on the Florida Supreme Court and the first female chief justice. She now serves as a U.S. member of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in The Hague. Prior to her new legal adventure,

Barkett served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, an appointment she held since 1994.

Ask Barkett what she's done lately, Pariente said, and you're likely to hear stories about hiking in Sardinia, her pilgrimage in the Pyrenees, or learning to ride a skateboard and play the guitar.

One story worth retelling to the crowd was when Justices Pariente, Peggy Quince, and Barkett attended a judicial conference, and Barkett asked a local biker if she could take a spin on the back of his Harley-Davidson.

"He said 'yes,' and they took off," Pariente recalled. "We were holding our breath and questioning if her self-proclaimed courage needed to have some self-imposed limits."

Instead of a speech, Barkett held a conversation with the audience, hosted Phil Donahue-style by former Bar President Hank Coxe.

Noting Barkett was born in Mexico to Syrian emigre parents, Coxe asked how she ended up a naturalized citizen in Florida.

"Am I not the luckiest person in the universe?" Barkett responded.

Barkett said her parents wanted to come to the United States from Syria, but the quota system in place in the 1920s precluded the move because her mom was pregnent, and her parents thought they could get to the U.S. through Mexico.

"Although I never said this publicly before, my parents did swim the Rio Grande before I was born and came to this country illegally," Barkett said.

"They...