Richard L. Bohanon

Richard L. Bohanon, retired Bankruptcy Judge, died January 18, 2011 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was 75. He was the son of the late United States District Judge Luther Bohanon and his wife, Marie Swatek Bohanon.

Dick Bohanon was graduated from Casady School in 1953 and received Casady’s Distinguished Graduate Award in 2002. After he received his BA from Dartmouth College, he returned to The University of Oklahoma College of Law to obtain his Bachelor of Laws. He earned a Masters of Law from New York University in comparative law in 1962 and continued his studies at The University of Grenoble, France. He served as law clerk for Chief Judge Alfred P. Murrah of the United States Court of Appeal for the Tenth Circuit. For two years thereafter he was an attorney for Gulf Oil. In 1964 he and Ed Barth began practicing law together as Bohanon & Barth which merged with Andrews Davis in 1979. In 1982 Dick Bohanon was appointed to the Bankruptcy Court for the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma where he served until his retirement in 2010.

As an original member of the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Tenth Circuit, Dick became a mentor to the other Judges. During his judicial career he was assigned as a Bankruptcy Judge to the Northern and Eastern Districts of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Southern District of Florida, Maryland and the Southern District of New York. He was a prolific lecturer throughout the United States and even taught judges in Mongolia. He was a witness before the House Judiciary Committee on bankruptcy. He was an active member of the Bar both at the state and federal levels. He founded and led the Luther Bohanon Inn of Court in Oklahoma City.

Dick Bohanon’s fastidiousness was exemplified by his sartorial splendor and his definitive and explicit pronouncements from the bench. He was known for his sensitivity to and understanding of the problems of his friends, associates and all those who appeared before him.

Dick anchored multiple civic and artistic Boards in Oklahoma and beyond for many years and leavened his legal career with profound interests in the arts, humanities, healthcare, and travel. Remarkably, Dick was the only known person to have experienced at close hand the bombing of the Murrah Building and the 9/11 attack while he was on the bench in New York City.

He was devoted to his wife Annie and always had a keen interest in the lives of his sons and grandchildren. Friday lunches at The Coach House with generations of Bohanons was a tradition started by his father.

Dick Bohanon married Margaret Herrmann Davison in 1959. From this union, Christopher, David and Philip were born. He is survived by his wife , Ann L., his sons, Christopher and his wife, Suzanne, and their children, Benjamin and Allison of Arlington, Virginia; David and his wife, Kristen, and their children, Andrew and Ellie; and Philip and his wife, Kim, and their children Meg and Julia. The family is grateful for the love and support of Angie Hernandez and the staff at Mercy Hospice.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions to the Mercy Health Foundation, 4300 W. Memorial Road, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120; World Neighbors, 4127 N.W. 122nd Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120; St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, 127 N.W. 7th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102; The Casady School Scholarship Fund, 9500 N. Pennsylvania, Oklahoma City, OK 73120 or a charity of your choice.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, January 21, 2011, at 11:00 am at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral.