Professor Gary D. Allison inspired his students and colleagues at The University of Tulsa College of Law for more than 40 years through his extraordinary teaching and distinguished scholarship. Allison is a proud TU alumnus, who received his BS in Economics and Psychology in 1968, followed by his law degree in 1972. He went on to earn an LLM from Columbia University in 1976 in the area of economic regulation.
During his long tenure at TU Law, Allison taught courses in a wide array of subjects, ranging from environmental law to oil and gas law to children’s rights. His devotion to teaching inspired him to pursue 82 hours of credits in physics, mathematics, chemistry, engineering science, and chemical engineering from 1991 to 2000 in an effort to gain a strong scientific and technical background for teaching environmental law subjects.
Allison’s prolific scholarship includes a casebook on regulated industries and numerous articles on constitutional law and energy policy, as well as law reviews, books, and book chapters on a variety of subjects. He served in numerous leadership positions in the College of Law during his tenure and also lent his expertise to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission as special counsel in preparation for the landmark Public Utilities Act of 1978. In addition, Allison served as the Pro Bono Counsel of Record in five Oklahoma Supreme Court challenges to initiative petitions.
Professor Allison also gave his time and talent to support worthy organizations and causes, including Tulsa Lawyers for Children, Tulsa Educational & Cultural Heritage (TEACH – an organization he co-founded), Oklahoma Water Resources Board, Growth Oklahoma, Citizens Organized to Reform Education (CORE), and Citizens Action for Safe Energy (CASE), just to name a few.
Upon his retirement from the TU College of Law in 2017, his colleagues, friends, and former students decided to honor him by endowing a scholarship fund in his name, which is known as the Professor Gary Allison Endowed Scholarship in Law. The University of Tulsa community is deeply grateful for this important scholarship program, which stands as a meaningful tribute to Professor Gary Allison’s remarkable TU Law legacy.
