Robert Randall Bridwell

Robert Randall Bridwell, 78, of Charleston, South Carolina, husband of Susan Lowry Bridwell entered into eternal rest Friday, February 23, 2024. His Funeral Service will be held Friday, March 1, 2024 at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church, 53 Meeting Street at 3:00 PM with a reception to follow. The family will receive friends on Thursday, February 29 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM at 29 New Street in Charleston. Arrangements by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc. Downtown Chapel.
 
 Randall was born April 12, 1945 at Langley Army Air Corps Base, in Virginia, son of the late Robert and Reba Bridwell. Randall was raised in Wichita Falls, TX, and he graduated from Midwestern University and received law degrees from Southern Methodist University and Harvard. As a tenured Law Professor for over three decades at the University of South Carolina, he specialized in Maritime Law and Legal History. He was a founding faculty member at the Charleston School of Law. During his academic career, he authored several books and wrote opinion pieces for the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. 

Randall never met a book he didn’t like. When pressed about one he obviously didn’t find compelling, he would only concede “Perhaps this one isn’t my favorite.” He spent the overwhelming majority of his life reading and studying, often with a cigar in hand. At a young age, he fell in love with oil painting, an art form that he pursued for the rest of his life. His paintings of the Lowcountry lined the hallways of his home in Columbia, then later in Charleston. He loved the outdoors and could often be found dove hunting outside of Columbia, fly fishing, or walking along the Battery. He could saddle a horse, quote Tennyson at length (whether you wanted him to or not), and play the piano. He loved his family, colleagues, and friends. 
 
 Randall is survived by his wife of 54 years, Susan; son, Philip McCall Bridwell (Courtney); daughter, Sarah Margaret Decker (John), all of Charleston, SC; brother, Clifford Bridwell of Wichita Falls, TX; sister, Dedee Bridwell Loudermilk of Azel, TX; and two grandchildren: Virginia McCall Decker and Jane Bratton Decker. He will be missed greatly by them all. 
 
Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Respite Care of Charleston.