Buyck honored with Ralph King Anderson Jr. Award

FLORENCE — Mark Buyck Jr. was named the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Ralph King Anderson Jr. Award on Thursday during the Florence County Bar Association’s annual meeting.

The Ralph King Anderson Award, named for retired S.C. Court of Appeals Judge Ralph King Anderson Jr., is given annually to a member of the Florence County Bar who has, over a significant period of time, contributed to not only the character and quality of the legal profession but also to the community it serves. Anderson now serves as a 12th Circuit Court judge.

“Mark represents the best in regards to personal attributes and is the most active person I know in civic affairs,” Anderson said during the presentation. “He is the quintessential icon of the legal profession, a stalwart warrior for justice and a paradigm of professionalism. He is one of the most accomplished lawyers in South Carolina.”

A St. Matthews native and longtime Florence resident, Buyck is a senior partner and chairman of Florence’s oldest law firm, Willcox Buyck & Williams P.A., founded in 1895.

The honor came as a surprise to Buyck, who was visibly humbled by the accolades and kept his acceptance speech brief.

“I’m highly honored, particularly because of the name on this award and because of the past recipients of this award,” Buyck said. “I simply want to say thank you very much.”

Buyck serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of South Carolina, the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation and the Board of Directors of Carolinas Hospital System, the Bank of Clarendon and IRIX Pharmaceuticals Inc. He is one of the founders of the S.C. Defense Trial Attorneys Association and has been named one of the “Best Lawyers in America” by U.S. News & World Report for each of the past 10 years. He also is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the National College of Trial Lawyers, the 4th Circuit Judicial Conference and the American District Attorney’s Association.

During the 1970s, Buyck was the U.S. Attorney who pioneered the prosecution of white collar criminals and corrupt politicians. It was during that time that his law partner, Reynolds Williams, first went to work for Buyck.

“I started working for Mark in 1975 when he was U.S. Attorney and I was a federal prosecutor, and he has been my mentor ever since,” Williams said.

“He is the most effective lawyer I have ever known,” Williams said. “Essentially, everything I know about practicing law, I learned from Mark. He is fiercely loyal to his clients, which is one of the best lessons he’s taught me. To be an effective lawyer, you have to care about people. You have to get invested in their problems so you care about the outcome. And Mark does care about people. It shows in everything he does.”

In addition to his work with the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation, Buyck has a long career of involvement with efforts to improve the quality of life and standard of living in Florence and South Carolina including work with the S.C. Technical College System, Francis Marion University, the University of South Carolina, the Florence Little Theatre, the Florence Symphony and the Florence Historical Society.

Buyck and his wife, Julia, soon will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. The Buycks have three children, Mark W. Buyck III, Hugh W. Buyck and Julia B. McKissick, and eight grandchildren.

RALPH KING ANDERSON AWARD RECIPIENTS

1998 — James C. McLeod Jr.

1999 — Peter D. Hyman Sr.

2000 — Saunders M. Bridges Sr.

2001 — Eugene N. Zeigler Jr.

2002 — John L. McGowan

2003 — E. Leroy Nettles Sr.

2004 — Jack L. Nettles

2005 — Thomas Edward Rogers Jr.

2006 — William Haigh Porter

2007 — William Kenneth Eaton Jr.

2008 — David M. Keller Jr.

2009 — Mark W. Buyck Jr.