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A Columbia County Boy's Recollections and Memories of Columbia County Florida (2012) Lenvil H. Dicks

HERBERTE DARBY

Another man from Lake City who has been an instrumental part of my life is local attorney Herbert F.
Darby, who has been my attorney for nearly 60 years. Also, during that length of time, he has been
attorney for the City of Lake City for many many years, and is married to the former Ann Mathis, who
was Head Majorette in the High School Band back when I was playing under Mr. Carl Roberts.

Herbert was never much of a lawyer to get involved in a lot of litigation. His strength as a lawyer was
his extremely sharp and perceptive mind, as he was extremely good at figuring out what people needed
to do in connection with their Business, their Estates, or their Real Estate dealings. There is not a better
Real Estate Lawyer in the State of Florida to this day than Herbert Darby.

In all the years I’ve known him, I have never seen him lose his temper, and I have never heard him utter
one word of profanity or vulgarity. He can bring two squabbling parties together and get them to agree
probably when no one else could. He is about the smoothest character you will ever see, and maybe I
should not put it this way, but for a Lawyer he is an extremely honest man.

1 have learned an awful lot about how to handle people by simply being around Mr. Darby, although I
could never be his equal at persuasion and diplomacy.

Incidentally he still works a full day 5 days a week, and is as sharp mentally as anyone you will ever
encounter, although he is up in to his 9O’s,( he will not allow you to know how old he really is,) but I am
at this time 83 years old, and Herbert’s wife Ann, was a couple of years ahead of me in school and I
think Herbert is maybe (and I am guessing) 6 or 7 years older than Ann. His contemporaries and closest
friends, all of whom were about the same age, was Hayes Odom, Phillip Moses Sr., and Powell
Summers. Those 4 men were extremely well known and respected in the Lake City area, and you would
frequently see them having lunch together. Herbert is the only one still living.

I do not know of a man that I would wish to see my own sons’ pattern their lives after than Herbert
Darby, or perhaps my daddy.

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