A great servant to not only the brothers of Kappa Sigma but also the American public, The Honorable Robert H. “Bob” McWilliams rose from DU to become a Senior U.S. Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of
Appeals-10 th circuit.
From the time he enrolled at DU, Brother McWilliams was dedicated to becoming the best.
He was elected Junior Class President in 1936, and became President of DU’s student body the following year.
During that time, Brother McWilliams also lettered three times in both basketball and tennis for the Pioneers.
When it came time to graduate in 1938, Brother McWilliams – named Valedictorian – had little doubt where he was going to attend Law School. He enrolled at DU.
Three years later, he had a law degree and ranked first in Colorado’s State Bar Exam.
After graduation, Brother McWilliams began working in the Denver District Attorney’s Office as a deputy. He left that office shortly thereafter to serve in World War II. He was stationed in China while serving in the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the C.I.A.
After the war, he returned to his job with the District Attorney’s Office before going into private practice.
In 1952, he was appointed to the State District Court, and was elected to a 10-year term on the Colorado Supreme Court in 1960.
Following his service on the State Supreme Court, he was appointed by President Nixon to the US Court of Appeals-10th Circuit, where he has served for 33 years.
Now 87 years old, Brother McWilliams still hears cases on a regular basis.
“I’ve been a judge for 54 years now, and I have enjoyed every minute of it,” he said. “I’m a very, very lucky guy.”
Brother McWilliams and his family have a rich history with DU and Kappa Sigma. Bob’s father was Head of the Department of Sociology at DU from 1927 to 1946. Bob was the oldest of three boys, and all were members of Beta-Omicron.
His younger brother, Ed, was Grand Master of the fraternity in his junior year and President of the Student Body in his senior year. He was killed during World War II in 1943.
Another Brother, Dave, pledged Beta-Omicron in 1939 and graduated from DU in 1946 after three years of military service.
“Pledging Kappa Sigma …I was very proud of that fact,” he said. “It was a different time — none of us had any money, but it was fun.”
As an alumnus, Brother McWilliams has done his best to remain close to DU.
Aside from his family connections to the area — his son, Ed, is a prominent real estate broker in the Denver area. His wife, Joan, is a 1982 graduate of DU’s College of Law — Brother McWilliams has been a member of countless boards and organizations.
He has been President of the Law Alumni Association and a recipient of the Distinguished Man of the Year Award from the Kappa Sigma Denver Association. He has also been the recipient of the Law Alumni Award from the College of Law Alumni Association and the Founders Day Distinguished Service Award.
As a valued contributor to the Kappa Sigma fund at DU, and does his best to keep in touch with many Denver-area brothers.
“Gosh, what happy days,” Brother McWilliams said of his time at DU. “I enjoyed my fraternity association very much. The house had a great bunch,…and we didn’t take a back seat to anybody.”
