School of Law Class of 1955

Members of the Class of 1955 reunited to celebrate their 50th reunion during the commencement exercises for the School of Law's Class of 2005. They were recognized for their invaluable service to the State of South Carolina and their noteworthy impact on the legal community.

Glen E. Craig's many years of contributions to the practice of law have resulted in his involvement in various aspects of legal practice. Serving for a long time in general civil practice, he also was attorney and assistant to the vice president of the Federal Intermediate Credit Bank of Columbia and general counsel of the S.C. Department of Insurance. From 1974 until 1991, Craig served as Assistant United States Attorney. He has two children with his wife Jeanne.

William D. Pridgen entered the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged in 1966 as a major, Air Force Reserve. For the next 22 years he worked in the banking industry in Georgia and North Carolina as trust officer, general counsel, and chief executive officer. Pridgen also served as dean of the business school at Durham Community College for eight years. He returned to Kingstree, S.C., in 1985, where he engaged in general practice, specializing in criminal trial work until he became the full-time caregiver to his wife. He and his wife, Mitsie, have two children and seven grandchildren.

Andrew Crawford Clarkson Jr. received his BS in commerce from the USC School of Business in 1941. He was awarded a certificate as a Certified Public Accountant in 1948 and was a partner with Clarkson Harden and Gantt (formerly A.C. Clarkson & Company). Upon passing the South Carolina Bar, he was admitted to practice in the Federal District Court, Federal Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. After extensive service in the Navy and Naval Reserve, he retired as captain, U.S. Naval Reserve, in 1979. In 1987, Clarkson retired from Arthur Young and Company and was appointed commissioner of the S.C. Tax Commission by Governor Carroll Campbell. He served as chair from 1992 until 1995. He has six children with his wife Sarah.

Lester L. Bates Jr., a lifelong resident of Columbia, received his BA from Furman University. In addition to service on several boards, he has served as president of the Richland County Bar Association and president and general counsel of New South Life Insurance Company. He now heads his own law firm, which specializes in estate administration and probate, workers' compensation, personal injury, and elder law. He has served as a domestic violence judge on the City of Columbia Municipal Court, and he received the Order of the Palmetto in 2004. He and his wife, Trudy, have three children.

William Brantley Harvey Jr. received his AB in political science and an honorary LLD from The Citadel. He has practiced in Beaufort since graduation from the School of Law and is a senior partner with Harvey & Battey. Harvey has served in many capacities, some of which include: member of the S.C. House of Representatives; lieutenant governor of South Carolina; president of the S.C. Bar; commissioner of the S.C. Department of Highways and Public Transportation; vice chair of the S.C. Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Commission; and Board of Directors of The Citadel Foundation. With his wife, Helen, he has five children.

Left to Right: Glen E. Craig, William D. Pridgen, Andrew Crawford Clarkson Jr., Lester L. Bates Jr., and William Brantley Harvey Jr.