COLUMBIA, S.C. — A celebration of life service will take place this week for Stanley Myers, a local attorney and trailblazing military judge who passed away last month.
A public visitation for Myers will be Thursday, October 5 from 3-7 p.m. at First Nazareth Baptist Church. That's located at 2351 Gervais Street in Columbia. The celebration of life service will be at 12 p.m. , also at the First Nazareth Baptist Church.
Myers passed away on September 27. The Lexington County Coroner's Office said he died of natural causes.
Myers was a partner in the Moore Bradley Myers law firm in Lexington County. He was also a lieutenant colonel in the South Carolina Army National Guard where he served as a military judge. He was the first ever African-American to become a National Guard military judge in South Carolina.
Myers grew up in the Swansea area and in a 2021 profile as part of News19's 'Seat at the Table' series, he credited his small town roots for his success. "I came up in a small church, as well, and the preacher used to always say, 'pride cometh before the fall,'" Stanley recounted. "To see where I've come from, I always think about how quickly I can go back there. No matter how many accolades I have, no matter how far I have come in life, it is so easy just to forget the fact that it took hard work to get here, and if I don't continue to work hard, I can be right back where I started."
Stanley went to college at The Citadel, where he was a four-year starting quarterback for the football team. He graduated from the Citadel in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in political science. In 2003, he received his juris doctorate from the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law in Washington, D.C.
Myers was commissioned as an Infantry Officer out of the Citadel. He deployed as a captain to Afghanistan from 2007-2008 with the 218th Infantry Brigade to support Operation Enduring Freedom. Myers then became a Judge Advocate General in the military, working as trial counsel, defense counsel, and finally as a judge.
On being the first Black military judge for the Guard in South Carolina, Myers told News19 that being "the first" held a lot of weight and responsibility. "My goal is to make sure to stay the course, that I do the best job that I can so that I can give other individuals an opportunity to come in," Myers said. "I want to make sure that I properly pass the baton."