Portsmouth native Bismarck Myrick, 77, didn’t have money growing up or privilege.
As an African American teenager growing up in the late ’50s and early ’60s there weren’t a lot of job opportunities, let alone careers, he said.
“We are talking about a period where the U.S. is still segregated – one of the work options was construction, working on roads, and perhaps working in supermarkets,” Myrick said.
The 1959 I.C. Norcom High School graduate who was at the top of his class wanted more for himself. He wanted to support himself financially and quench his thirst for knowledge.
He did just that and then some.
He served as ambassador to two African countries, supported the end of apartheid in South Africa and worked with the late Nelson Mandela. But none of those accomplishments went to his head, friends say. He is down-to-earth, supportive of others’ aspirations and never forgets Portsmouth.
“People love him; I mean you can’t help but love him,” said longtime friend and retired Army Col. Calvin H. Sydnor III of Hampton.
For about 15 years, Myrick and his wife, Marie-Pierre Mbaye-Myrick, have hosted a Thanksgiving Day celebration in Portsmouth that lasted for about three hours, was free to attend and paid for by the couple. The program started at former public housing complex Jeffry Wilson, where Myrick lived during much of high school, and was designed “for people who ordinarily might not have had opportunity to celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving meal with family and friends in a non-threatening environment,” he said.
The Thanksgiving Day program that Myrick and his wife ran actually began while he served abroad in the U.S. Foreign Service. In South Africa, he used it as an opportunity to bring people together who might otherwise not have met due to apartheid. In Liberia, it was an opportunity to serve around 400 young people who came from environments of violence, extreme poverty and disease, he said.
William Alexander, a Norfolk State University history professor and longtime friend, said Myrick’s desire to help stems from his life experiences.
“A lot of it comes from his sort of impoverished background here in Portsmouth,” Alexander said. “He had to work hard, and he had a lot of problems when he was growing up.”
Myrick bloomed in the military and in the Foreign Service, Alexander said.
He joined the Army right out of high school despite having a scholarship to Virginia State College (now University) in Petersburg. He didn’t take the scholarship opportunity because although it covered a lot, it didn’t cover everything, Myrick said. He feared not having enough money to visit family and friends in Portsmouth if he went.
He served in the Army for about 20 years, was commissioned as a second lieutenant and rose through the ranks, he said. He earned the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals for heroism in combat, two Bronze Star Medals for meritorious service in a combat zone and the Purple Heart.
Myrick joined the Foreign Service in 1980. He served as a diplomat in South Africa in 1990 when Mandela — who he calls the type of person who comes on the world scene once every century — was released from prison and in 1994 when he became the president of South Africa.
He went on to serve as ambassador to Lesotho, a small country surrounded by South Africa, from 1995-1998 and as ambassador to Liberia from 1999-2002.
Myrick remembers his first swearing-in ceremony to become an ambassador. He was told he had the most non-government people show up.
“People from Portsmouth, people from the whole universe of this area organized buses and came up,” he said. “People I grew up with, people who knew me and my story, and they all came up to Washington for the swearing in. I was very touched by that.”
In fact, the city named two streets after him: Bismarck Myrick Street and Bismarck Myrick Crescent.
Now retired, his job titles include: a lecturer at Old Dominion University, a senior fellow for the Washington, D.C.-based National Defense University and a participant in the World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads, a group that is dedicated to understanding global affairs.
At the World Affairs Council, he has lectured about the post-Mandela government, which he calls nonracial, nonsexist and multiparty.
“It’s important for locals to know (about South Africa) because we want to be informed, international citizens aware of important things that are happening not just in the local area but globally,” he said.
South Africa can show Americans and the world how to resolve conflicts in a peaceful way, he said. Despite “atrocious and terrifying” things happening for a half-century, human beings healed from that with a spirit of nonviolence and forgiveness, he said.
When Myrick looks back at his successes, he gives I.C. Norcom credit for providing the foundation.
“My generation of students at I.C. Norcom High was motivated and inspired by excellent teachers and mentors,” he said. “And if you applied yourself you could get a very decent education there.”
“I am very pleased to have had that opportunity,” he said.
Bio
Full Name: Bismarck Myrick
What neighborhood do you live in? Great Bridge/Hickory area of Chesapeake
Hometown: Portsmouth
Marital status: Married to Marie-Pierre Mbaye-Myrick for 16 years
Children: Attorney Bismarck Myrick, Jr., State Farm executive Wesley Todd Myrick and movie producer Allison Elizabeth Myrick Sanders
Occupation: Old Dominion University ambassador in residence and lecturer in political science and history; senior fellow for the Washington, D.C.-based National Defense University; senior fellow for the Norfolk-based Joint Forces Staff College; and member of the Board of Visitors for the National Defense University
Education: Undergraduate degree from The University of Tampa, graduate degree from Syracuse University and honorary doctorate of Spelman College
Community service: Funding a Thanksgiving Day celebration for Portsmouth families; speaking at schools and other programs; mentoring others; serving on the Advisory Committee of the World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads
Church affiliation: Portsmouth’s Third Baptist Church
What do you enjoy most about what you do? I feel fulfilled when my mentoring leads to the success of others.
What do you love most about the people you work/volunteer with? I draw strength from their talent and insights. I take pride when I see them grow beyond where they started.
Who or what inspires you to do what you do? Having traveled to many parts of the world, I am appreciative and inspired by the great opportunities available to citizens of the U.S.
Hobbies: Reading about and discussing international affairs, especially African affairs; jogging; and bowling with the Tidewater Teachers Bowling League
Comfort food: I am not picky. Recently, I have developed a fondness for eating goat curry.
Of what achievements are you most proud? The honor of representing the U.S. in foreign countries is the highest achievement that I can imagine. I am particularly fortunate to have witnessed close-up and played a part in the profound political change from apartheid to democracy in South Africa during the era of Nelson Mandela.
Something you’ve done that others might not expect of you: Once a month — without fail for the past 16 years — I meet with two of my former high school classmates and friends.
The song you’re most likely to be caught singing along to: The melody of inspirational music or attempting songs from “The Sound of Music”
What is your personal motto? Focus on the high ground.
The most memorable words of wisdom you received and from whom: Emanuel Myrick, my grandfather. His words and actions projected the wisdom that all human beings have value and deserve to be treated with decency, kindness and respect, regardless of their socioeconomic condition.
Johanna Somers is the editor of Bridges, johanna.somers@pilotonline.com
