COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina legal community is mourning the loss of iconic lawyer Stanley Myers.
Wednesday was a nightmare day for Russell Ott, after hearing about the passing of Stanley Myers. He's been a long-time friend of Myers and they met while they both attended the Citadel in Charleston.
"We went to football camp together and our coach put us together as roommates," he says, "Anyone that he ever came in contact with, got a glimpse of that great smile and great laugh and he would just carry on a conversation with anyone and everyone and treat them like family."
According to the Lexington County coroner, Myers passed away Wednesday from natural causes.
Myers leaves behind a wife and two kids and Ott says those were the focus of his life and goals.
Ott recalls, "I can't go back and tell you enough about the father that he was and the husband that he was. He was Superman to his two kids."
Myers was a partner at the Moore Bradley Myers Law firm in West Columbia.
He served as a lieutenant colonel in the South Carolina Army National Guard where he was a military judge, the first ever African-American to do so in the state. It's the kind of legacy that has inspired young men like Tyler Swain Mitchell. He's a 2022 Citadel graduate and recalls conversations with Myers, offering him advice in and out of the classroom.
"That was an inspiration for us. It was important that we see someone that only looks like us, that's been through the experience like we [have.] it's an experience like no other" says Mitchell.
While at the Citadel, Myers became friends with Tem Miles.
Now, as the West Columbia mayor, Miles tries to carry on the legacy of Myers while being a public servant.
He says, "Stanley was the type of guy that if I needed legal work in an area that I didn't practice, that I could send them to Stanley and I could know that they would be taken care of the same, if not better, and I could myself."
Kembrell Garvin was being mentored by Myers as a young student, and now as a member of South Carolina's House of Rrepresentatives, still received help from Myers.
"He called me last night when I was at a meeting, and he texted me right after that phone call. He said, 'Hey, I know we've been playing phone tag, but let's talk in the morning."
He rejoices, "So as we say in the Baptist church, I'm going to see Stanley in the morning, but not literally in the morning that we thought it would be. But it would be in that morning when both of us see our heavenly father."
According to Ott, Myers always had a helping hand and would love to give back, especially in his hometown of Swansea, South Carolina.
Ott says, "Each and every year he would do bicycle giveaways for the young folks here in Swansea. So this was home for him, he never forgot where he came from."
Funeral arrangements for Myers have not been released yet.