Remembering a Legacy

Edna Smith Primus was a brilliant lawyer and true public servant. The first Black woman to graduate from the university's School of Law, Primus devoted her career to civil rights and women's rights, arguing cases all the way up to the Supreme Court. For nearly 30 years, she was managing attorney of Palmetto Legal Services, a nonprofit, and she even provided free clinics and offered legal advice to women in correctional facilities.

Primus' nephew Donald Murphy and his wife, Janice, created a donor-directed fund to honor her legacy, establishing the Edna Smith Primus Endowed Scholarship at the School of Law to support future lawyers who intend to help those who need it most. "She may have really inspired all of us without words," Janice Murphy says. "Her whole existence, her demeanor and her heart inspired. She exemplified the spirit of a public servant."

"The Edna Smith Primus Endowed Scholarship will change the lives offuture law students as it honors the memory of a remarkable trailblazer who used her courage and intellect to serve," said law school Dean William Hubbard. "We are grateful to Don and Janice Murphy for their vision and generosity."

If you would like to contribute to the Edna Smith Primus Endowed Scholarship Fund, go online to donate.sc.edu/EdnaPrimus. Thank you, as always, for your support.