The late attorney Robert E. "Bob" Holroyd honored with plaque at the Mercer County Courthouse

Sep. 2—PRINCETON — A new name joined a list of distinguished attorneys and circuit court judges Friday when a plaque displaying the name of the late Robert E. "Bob" Holroyd was unveiled at the Mercer County Courthouse.

The courtroom of Circuit Court Judge William Sadler was filled as family, attorneys, judges, courthouse employees and others came to honor the friend and mentor that many knew as Bob Holroyd. People coming into the courtroom will see his new plaque posted right next to the doors.

Circuit Court Judge Derek Swope told the many people attending the ceremony that they were there "to celebrate the man, a great lawyer, a great public official and a great family man. Bob Holroyd was a giant of the bar."

Swope recalled when he was a new attorney and how Holroyd came to him while he was waiting for the jury to render the verdict on his first case. He remembered what Holroyd had asked him.

"'Are you waiting for your first one?'" Holroyd said. He waited with Swope until the jury came back and announced that they could not reach a verdict.

"From that point on, he called me Hung Jury Swope," he said.

Besides contributing to the community by practicing law, Holroyd also had an impact on national politics, Swope said. He was a key person in the 1960 West Virginia Primary which helped demonstrate that a Catholic, candidate John F. Kennedy, could be elected president.

H. Marshall Jarrett II, whose father, the late Judge Howard M. Jarrett, is among the distinguished names memorialized in the courtroom, recalled how Holroyd served in the West Virginia Legislature and developed a close relationship with the West Virginia State Police by helping train new troopers in search and seizure policy and other legal matters. Holroyd was also a Marine, and his Marine badges were visible on the ceremony's program.

"He lived a life of purpose and significance," Jarrett said.

Judge Sadler called Holroyd his friend and mentor in the practice of law.

"Bob spent his entire adult life serving his country, state and community," Sadler said. "He was one of the state's outstanding attorneys."

Holroyd helped local schools, served the county as a prosecuting attorney and was a leader at Princeton Community Hospital.

"He did all this with humility and a great sense of humor," Sadler said.

Circuit Court Judge Mark Wills recalled how Holroyd hired him when he was a new attorney. Wills had a recommendation from Judge Jarrett after serving him as a law clerk, but Holroyd read his entire resume while he nervously waited.

"He threw my resume behind him and said, 'You're hired,'" Wills said, adding later, "He was not an intimidating man. He was a kind man. He was a caring man. He and his wife, Emilie, helped me with my legal career and political career. He was always on time in court, dressed to a T and represented his clients well."

Attorney William S. Winfrey II read a proclamation which highlighted Holroyd's many achievements and contributions to his community so it could be placed in the circuit court's official record.

"It makes me proud of him," Holroyd's twin brother, Frederick Fairfax "Fred" Holroyd II, said after the plaque was unveiled. "He was a hard worker and he was good, strong advocate for his clients. He did an excellent job. I was involved with him occasionally and we'd talk back and forth about cases, but he was always interested in doing his best for his clients."

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com