Bluefield State College and the Bluefield City Board of Directors honored local residents Sylvester and Janice Myers during a series of events, November 13-14.  The Bluefield City Board presented a resolution, saluting the Myers’ commitment to excellence and service, during the Board’s November 13 meeting, and the College featured presentations by Mr. & Mrs. Myers during an “Executives-in-Residence” program on its campus, November 14.  Pictured (foreground/left-to-right) at the City Board meeting are Karen Harvey (BSC’s Director/Institutional Advancement & Planning), Mrs. Myers, Mr. Myers, and Dr. Albert Walker (BSC President).

(Bluefield)—Sylvester and Janice Myers were honored by Bluefield State College as its “Executives-in-Residence” during daylong activities at BSC, November 14.  Their visit to the College included his presentation to engineering technology students and her presentation to students from the School of Business.  At a midday luncheon in their honor, the Myers received Bluefield State College medallions from Dr. Albert Walker, BSC president.

Mr. Myers’ recently published book, From Coal Fields, to Oil Fields and Beyond; A Life in Pursuits of All I Could Be, is an inspirational tale of his rags to riches journey from a childhood in a McDowell County coal camp to the presidency of his internationally known construction cost-estimating management firm with offices at four locations in the United States.  In his book and during his comments at BSC, he told of his days in the segregated Army during the Korean War, his work in the Army Corps of Engineers, and detailed an opportunity that took him to Saudi Arabia for a construction project with the government there. That preparation, plus his commitment to continuing his education, led him to start his own construction management and cost engineering company. At 75, the Bluefield State College alumnus is still going strong.

Mrs. Myers is an alumna of Antioch College in Washington, D.C., completing additional graduate work in Public Administration at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

While in Saudi Arabia, she worked with the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Joint Economic Commission as Senior Administrative Assistant to the Director.  The Commission was established to promote programs of cooperation between the countries in the fields of industrialization, trade, manpower training, agriculture, science and technology.  It operated more than 20 U.S. Government projects with a $100 million annual budget.  Mrs. Myers worked in a coordinative capacity on a daily basis with senior U.S. and Saudi officials.

In 1988, after Mrs. Myers returned with her husband to the United States from the Middle East, she co-founded S.C. Myers & Associates, Inc. (SCMA) in Washington, D.C.  Currently, she provides management support to the President/CEO of SCMA and edits the corporation’s newsletter, SCMA Newsnotes.

“S.C. Myers and Associates is a highly respected firm because of its proven ability to get to the truth in disputes between architects, contractors, and the government,” noted Frank Hart, Dean of BSC’s School of Engineering Technology & Computer Science.  “Sy and Janice have succeeded because they are committed to excellence in all that they do.”

At the luncheon in their honor, Mrs. Myers added, “The opportunity to share our story with students at Bluefield State College is ‘icing on the cake’ for us.  We want to give back, share our personal experience and inspire others to achieve.”

Mr. Myers added, “My 45 year career has been a joy.  I would not take anything for our journey, the challenges and the satisfaction.  The key to my success was hard work, and today has been like a surprise birthday party for me.”

November 20, 2007