A 1972 graduate of The University of Tulsa College of Law, Robert C. Butler, Jr., served as editor of the Tulsa Law Review, was a member of Phi Delta Phi legal fraternity, and was active in various student bar associations. Upon graduation, he received the Order of the Curule Chair award, the highest honor bestowed by the College of Law. He then joined the Tulsa law firm of Blackstock, Joyce, Pollard and McInerney.

When Mr. Butler was 26 years old and just beginning his legal career, he died tragically during a duck hunting trip in December 1973, along with his friend and law school classmate, U.S. Marine Lt. Michael Erwin (JD ’72) and Erwin’s younger brother, Jim.

Mr. Butler’s newborn son, Robert C. Butler, III, eventually followed in his father’s footsteps, attending TU and earning a varsity letter as a member of the Golden Hurricane football team before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1996. He also sustained his father’s legacy by earning his Juris Doctor from TU in 2000. Robert Butler, III, is a founding member of the law firm Butler and Wheeler in Jenks, Oklahoma.

Established by friends and family, the Robert C. Butler, Jr., Memorial Award for Excellence in Legal Writing honors the memory of Robert C. Butler, Jr.