STILLWATER, Okla. — Judges, lawyers and representatives of the legal profession helped honor four lawyers during a Thursday afternoon reception at the Payne County Courthouse.

District Judge Phillip Corley was the emcee for the event. He spoke on behalf of the first honoree Gary Swimley.

“My first recollection of Gary was that he was just a giant of a man,” Corley said. “He didn’t say a whole lot. He was soft-spoken.”

David Bryan, the manager of Legal Aid Services in Stillwater, also honored Swimley, commending him for how true he stayed to his morals.

“To be able to fight with the big guys, the big boys and to fight for what you think is right and to apply the fundamentals of our profession, the concepts of fair play, due process and equal protection and to use the judicial system to change the law to benefit thousands of people — that’s what great workers do, and that’s what Gary did," Bryan said.

He then introduced retired District Judge Donald Worthington, who spoke of the next honoree F.E. McAnally.

“F.E. McAnally was one of a kind,” Worthington said. “He was a quiet man, a private man. A man for whom the mold was thrown away upon his death.”

Worthington noted McAnally’s various accomplishments, including his graduation from the University of Oklahoma School of Law in 1942, his tenure as Logan County district attorney and his enlistment in the Army.

“The 24 years I served as judge, he probably appeared before me more times than any other attorney practicing here,” Worthington said. “He was an attorney from the old school. His word was his bond. He gave no quarter, but asked none. When he accepted representation of a defendant, he did not withdraw. He stayed until the bitter end, whether it be a plea or a trial or a dismissal, what have you.”

Attorney James Murray talked about the event’s third honoree Glenn Laughlin.

Laughlin was born in 1921 along the Cimarron River. Laughlin received his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University in 1943, his law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1946 and taught business law at OSU from 1947 to 1986 before retiring, Murray said.

In 2006, he received recognition for 60 years of being an attorney in Payne County, Murray said.

In addition, Laughlin was a radio announcer, a bank director and was a founding member of Eagle Heights Baptist Church, Murray said.

“Glen did a little bit of everything,” Murray said. “He has really left his mark in Stillwater.”

Murray ended his remarks by reading a poem written by Laughlin.

Bernice Shedrick and Roger McMillian honored the event’s last honoree, W. Keith Thomas.

Thomas adored his children and grandchildren, Shedrick said, often bringing them up during conversation.

“Because, you see, he had a genuine love affair for his children,” Shedrick said. “W. Keith also loved the practice of law. W. Keith gave it his all. All of know, as practicing attorneys, that if you’re really going to be good at what you’re doing, it’s going to take a tremendous amount of effort, time, professionalism, ability and willing to work very hard for your client. He did all of that.”

Thomas was also a great friend, McMillian said.

“There was never a time in my life that if I needed cheered up, if I needed a good word or if I just needed some insane something said to me to criticize me, that I couldn’t go find W. Keith and he would do exactly that,” McMillian said.

As many families of the four lawyers applauded the speaker’s words, Corley ended the event with the final thought.

“All of these lawyers contributed to the legal profession and the Payne County Bar Association in great ways,” he said. “And I know I can speak on behalf of myself and all the members of the bar that they are all greatly missed and appreciated for everything they did for the legal profession and the Payne County Bar.”