 Profile:
Rosemary Mayers Collyer '68
Judge, United States District Court
By Elizabeth Palmer '92
Rosemary Mayers Collyer came to Trinity in the fall of 1964, having
chosen, in her view, the best Catholic women’s college in
the country at which to pursue her education. During her recent
return to campus to be honored at Academic Convocation during Cap
and Gown Weekend in September, she demonstrated her belief that
she could make the same choice today, and for the same reason, and
be just as happy and successful.
A woman of distinctive accomplishment herself, Judge Collyer let
her enthusiasm for her own Trinity experience show in celebrating
the accomplishments of the Class of 2004 and addressing them as
the recipient of the Centennial Award for Alumnae Leadership.
“Value your time here, the things you learn, the people you
meet,” she said. “Trinity is universal…you can
take this experience anywhere.”
Collyer pursued a history degree at Trinity and planned a teaching
career. After being accepted into the Ph.D. program at the University
of Virginia, she deferred when her husband went into the military
and the realities of the Vietnam War took precedence over career
ambitions.
When the family moved to Denver, she worked in public relations
and advertising as a writer, mostly for a group of psychologists
who had developed programs to enhance business and personal interactions.
They saw potential for Collyer in the law, but when one of them
suggested she take the LSAT exam, she was initially resistant. Eventually,
she took their advice to both take the exam and to apply to law
schools.
Good advice, as it turns out. Collyer’s gifts for judicial
wisdom emerged quickly and have fueled a distinguished career rich
in public service.
Following graduation from the University of Denver College of Law
in 1977 where she was a member of the Law Review, Collyer went to
work. She was an attorney with the law firm of Sherman & Howard
in Denver before moving into government service.
She was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan to serve as
Chairman of the Federal Mine and Safety Health Review Commission
(1981-1984), followed by the appointment to serve as General Counsel
of the National Labor Relations Board (1984-1989). Both presidential
appointments required confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
In 1989, Collyer joined one of Washington, D.C.’s largest
law firms, Crowell & Moring, LLP, where as a senior partner
she provided counseling and litigation services to clients in the
labor and employment field, before being appointed by President
George W. Bush to the United States District Court in January 2003.
Addressing the assembly at Academic Convocation at Trinity, Collyer
identified the issues in her eyes most burdensome for today’s
justice system, “Guns and drugs,” she said. “Stay
away from guns and drugs.”
She advises Trinity students today to be flexible and open to new
opportunities that may arise. For an interview with the Trinity
Times in August of this year, Collyer wrote, “Don’t
be too concerned if you are uncertain about a future career. You
may have a series of jobs before you find your passion. But don’t
stop at any old job. Jobs are real work and you will need to get
personal satisfaction much more than a paycheck to keep you interested
and really good at what you do. So search for that job you would
find satisfying without pay, and then design a career from that.”
A confident speaker, she radiates authority without seeming authoritarian.
It’s an almost parental quality that inspires trust. It is
not difficult to imagine her up on the bench in her robes.
Then again, in her academic regalia at Convocation, it isn’t
hard to see her as just another red class member, celebrating her
class.
|
