It’s a quiet morning and this week Catherine Hart (‘18) and her daughter are on their way to Elle Klein’s (‘18) house.

“Elle and I were in the same class in law school,” Hart says later that day. “We weren’t in the same section, and we actually didn’t become friends until probably our last year –”

“– in secure transactions,” Klein adds, smiling.

The two women bonded over shared interests, especially running. Since graduating, they’ve crossed state lines and battled hurricanes to complete half and full marathons together.

When they became pregnant around the same time, they decided to face one of parenthood's greatest challenges together: finding childcare. As friends and neighbors, they created a listing on a community website for a nanny and, a few days later, they got a message from Ruth Smyrl.  

“We probably knew Ruth before we knew each other,” Hart says, referring to the eight years Smyrl worked in the bookstore at the Joseph F. Rice School of Law.

“I remember Ruth being a very constant, calming peaceful presence, no matter what was going on. She was always there and so supportive and encouraging,” Hart says, citing several difficult experiences that coincided with her time in law school. She sought out Smyrl for support.

“There's so much pressure in law school... it was really important to me to make sure that they were always okay,” Smyrl says, exhibiting her compassion, regardless of her role.

Smyrl, a native of Columbia, South Carolina, has worked in a variety of fields in the city. In addition to running the bookstore in the law school, she also has worked extensively in childcare. After leaving the bookstore, she became a founding employee of All Good Books located in Five Points. Much of her life has been dedicated to investing in her community.

Klein, an Assistant US Attorney and adjunct professor at the law school, finds her close-knit community provides the best support.

“Ruth and Catherine are our go-to people that, if we ever need anything, we know they would drop everything to help.”

Hart, who works for the SC Legislature as director of the Joint Bond Review Committee, feels the same. On their families’ worst days, they’re each other's first call.

“Yeah, we're friends, but it's just like a whole other level. The amount of love that I have for Elle is like family. I have the law school to thank for that,” Hart says. “And the fact that we're able to have our babies grow