Robert W. Lawless

Robert W. Lawless
President of the University of Tulsa
In office
1996–2004
Preceded byRobert Donaldson
Succeeded bySteadman Upham
President of Texas Tech University
In office
1989–1996
Preceded byLauro Cavazos
Succeeded byDonald R. Haragan
Personal details
Born(1937-02-13)February 13, 1937
Baytown, Texas, U.S.
DiedAugust 10, 2024(2024-08-10) (aged 87)
Lubbock, Texas
Alma materLee College
University of Houston
Texas A&M University

Robert William Lawless (February 13, 1937 – August 10, 2024) was an American academic and executive.[1] He served as president of Texas Tech University from 1989 to 1996 and president of the University of Tulsa from 1996 to 2004. He held a Bachelor of Science degree (1964) from the University of Houston and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (1968) from Texas A&M University in operations research. Lawless also served as executive vice president and chief operations officer of Southwest Airlines from 1985 to 1989,[2] after serving in various positions with the airline, including vice president for finance and chief financial officer.[3][4]

Lawless succeeded Robert H. Donaldson, who announced his intention to resign at the end of the 1995-1996 year, after an often contentious 6-year tenure at TU, during which he often clashed with both students and faculty,[a] according to a news article.[4] The same article noted that Lawless angered gay and lesbian students at Texas Tech in 1993 by a letter he wrote, calling their lifestyles "deviant...something that I can never condone, and hold in great contempt."[4]

During his tenure at Tech, Lawless raised the school's endowment. from $40 million to $150 million. Tech also had 24,000 students when he moved from Lubbock, compared to TU's 4,386.[4]

He died on August 10, 2024 in Lubbock, Texas.[5]

  1. ^ Marquis Who's Who, Inc (1989). Who's who in Finance and Industry. Marquis Who's Who, LLC. ISBN 9780837903262. {{cite book}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ "Southwest Airlines Co. 1988 Annual Report" (PDF). Southwest Airlines Investor Relations. 27 January 1989. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Background Robert W. Lawless". newsok.com. 1996-02-20. Archived from the original on 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  4. ^ a b c d Killackey, Jim (1996-02-20). "Texas Tech President Gets Tulsa Post Lawless to Begin New Duties in State by Aug. 1". oklahoman.com. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  5. ^ Stanley, Tim (14 August 2024). "Former University of Tulsa President Bob Lawless dies at 87". Tulsa World. Retrieved 15 August 2024.


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