Funeral held for former Judge William Myers

From The Mississippi Link Newswire

JACKSON – Retired Judge William Harbin Myers, who served on the Mississippi Court of Appeals and was the Gulf Coast chancery judge who oversaw Mississippi’s landmark lawsuit against the tobacco industry, died Thursday, Feb. 7.

Funeral services were held Monday, Feb. 11, in Ocean Springs. Myers was 71.

Mississippi Court of Appeals Chief Judge L. Joseph Lee said Friday, “I am honored to have served with Judge Myers during his entire tenure on the court.  He was always pleasant, kind hearted and genuinely cared for all,  and was well loved by everyone on the court.”

Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. said, “Judge Myers performed his duties with dignity, timeliness and scholarship. His pleasant demeanor and sense of humor will be missed by all.”

Myers’ career of public service spanned nearly 20 years. He served as a member of the Court of Appeals for 11 and one-half years, and for eight years as a  chancellor of the 16th Chancery Court of Jackson, George and Greene counties.

Myers was appointed to the 16th Chancery in July 1992 and served as chancellor until his appointment to the Court of Appeals in June 2000. While he was chancellor, Myers served at various times as secretary, vice-chairman and chairman of the Conference of Chancery Judges. He also served on the Commission on Judicial Performance.

Then-Gov. Ronnie Musgrove appointed Myers to a vacancy on the Court of Appeals in June 2000. He was elected to two terms on the court. He served as a presiding judge of the Court of Appeals from Nov. 1, 2005, until March 3, 2011.

He retired from the Court of Appeals on Dec. 31, 2011. He also served  on the Committee on Continuing Judicial Education and on the Board of Governors of the Mississippi Judicial College.

He was in private law practice for 23 years in Pascagoula before he went to the bench. Jan. 24 marked his 44th year as a member of the Mississippi Bar.

He  was named Outstanding Citizen of Ocean Springs in 1981. He was a former board member and past president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast YMCA. He was a member of the American Legion and the Masons.

Myers grew up in Jackson and graduated from Murrah High School in 1960. He was a graduate of Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi School of Law. He served in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1966, earning the Army Commendation Medal. He was honorably discharged in 1966 as a First Lieutenant.

He was a Methodist, and a fifth generation Mississippian.