Rudolph C. Barnes Sr. (1917-1995) studied at the University of South Carolina (B.S. 1937, LL.B. 1940), served in the Navy during World War II, then returned home to become a prominent member of the South Carolina bar. For over forty years he remained active in charitable and religious organizations, and in parallel served in the local business community as founder and Chairman of the Bank of Commerce of Prosperity, Chairman of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and General Counsel for the South Carolina Bankers Association for more than thirty years. In 1993, he received the Compleat Lawyer
Award from the USC Law School Alumni Association for his significant contribution to the legal profession and embodiment of the highest standard of professional competence, ethics and integrity. The Rudolph C. Barnes Sr. Symposium honors his interests and engagement through an annual program examining problems of law and morality understood in the broadest sense. The Barnes family has made the event possible through a generous endowment in his memory.