Robert Don Collier

Robert Don Collier of Dallas, TX, a prominent tax lawyer, passed away on April 9, 2020, in Dallas. Bob was born February 9, 1947, in Clovis, NM and graduated from Friona High School before attending Texas Tech University and graduating, with honors, in 1969, with a B.S. degree. In 1973, he graduated from Texas Tech University School of Law, with honors. He was number one in his graduating class, Order of the Coif and was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. Following law school, Bob attended New York University School of Law and obtained an LL.M. in Taxation in 1974. While at NYU, he served as the Graduate Editor of the NYU Tax Law Review. Bob was admitted to practice law in Texas in 1973.

During his time practicing law at the firm of Durant Mankoff, Bob met his lifelong friends Chuck Meadows, Rodney Owens, Tom Hineman, Trey Cousins and David Reed. In 1983, they founded their firm that is now known as Meadows, Collier, Reed, Cousins, Crouch and Ungerman, L.L.P., where Bob served as Managing Partner from 1983 to 2015. Bob developed a successful tax and business practice and was involved in a broad variety of federal tax planning litigation matters for over 45 years. He was very active in national, state and local bar associations and served as a Life Fellow of the American and Texas Bar Foundations and a Founding Life Fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation.

Since Bob grew up in West Texas, ranching was in his blood. While practicing law during the week, he became a “weekend rancher” with the majority of his cattle and ranch land in the Comanche County area of Energy, Texas. With his brother, JL Collier, he explored raising and breeding longhorns and soon decided to dedicate his ranch time to more traditional cattle ranching with Hereford, Angus and Red Angus. In the past 20 years, he has focused on Charolais cattle.

For many years, Bob managed to be one of the nation’s top tax lawyers and a rancher. He was as comfortable in his custom-made suits as he was in his jeans, t-shirts and boots covered in “ranch dirt.” His time at his ranches in Central Texas and Arkansas were his quiet, peaceful moments.

In 2014, he received the Texas Tech Distinguished Alumni Award. Tech was a special place to Bob and he often found himself sharing TTU positive articles with his family and friends, who went to different colleges, to share and make public his excitement for his beloved Red Raiders. He was hopeful the recipients of his scholarship endowments at Texas Tech University School of Law will be successful and able to accomplish as much as he was able to with his TTU degrees.

Bob is preceded in death by his parents, John L. Collier and Arlesia Vivian Borden Collier of Friona, Texas; his brother John L. (“JL”) Collier, Jr., of Gustine, Texas, and his life’s love, Mary Alice Scott, of Dallas, Texas. He is survived by his partners and friends at his law firm and Mary’s family in Texas and Arkansas, and as his trusty companion, Pippin. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of the donor’s choosing.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Robert Don Collier 50th Anniversary Endowed Scholarship, at Texas Tech Law School Foundation, 3311 18th St., Lubbock, TX 79409 or online at https://donate.law.ttu.edu/