One of The Greatest: Bryant O'Donnell (1925-90)&Mdash; Brilliant Lawyer and Treasured Mentor, 1117 COBJ, Vol. 46, No. 10 Pg. 68
| Author | TIMOTHY J. FLANAGAN, J. |
PROFILES IN SUCCESS
TIMOTHY J. FLANAGAN, J.
Many lawyers probably call Bryant O'Donnell their mentor. In my case, it is because he gave me— at the age of 24—the chance to represent Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCO), now known as Xcel Energy, and its subsidiaries in courtrooms across Colorado, something that I would go on to do for more than 20 years. I had the privilege of learning from this remarkable strategist and critical thinker whose legal acumen remains unparalleled.
Family and Early Years
Bryant O'Donnell was a brilliant lawyer with deep roots in Colorado.1 A fourth-generation Coloradan, Bryant was the great-grandson of Colorado's last territorial governor (1875-76) and first elected chief executive (1876-79), Governor John L. Routt (1826-1907). Bryant, the third child of Canton and Dorothea (nee Bryant) O'Donnell, was born on lune 20,1925 in Denver and grew up in the Cheeseman Park neighborhood. His mother passed away when he was a young boy, and his father left to serve in World War II. In many respects, Bryant was left to fend for himself, sometimes with the oversight of his older sisters. During those early years, he spent as much time as he could in Grand Lake, where his family had a cabin, and readily rose to the challenge of high mountain sailing. He also took pride in having hiked across the entirety of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Bryant's work ethic and love for the outdoors were also influenced by his days mining for silver with his uncle, Routt Bryant. As the story goes, however, Bryant was not the most regular of attendees at East High School, and he came perilously close to being expelled during his senior year for riding a motorcycle through the halls. He nevertheless managed to graduate in 1943 and, like so many of his generation, thereafter enlisted in the Army Air Corps to serve his country for the remainder of World War II. After the war, he returned to Denver and enrolled at the University of Denver, where he earned bo th his undergraduate and law degrees.
Bryant O'Donnell married lean Ann Kerl in 1953. They had been married for 37 years at the time of his passing on September 1, 1990. They had six accomplished children: Dorothy, Barbara, Margaret, Thomas, Kathryn, and Wlliam. Dorothy, Margaret, and Tom followed in their father's footsteps and became lawyers.
A Distinguished Legal Career
Legal roots run deep in Bryant O'Donnell's family. His paternal grandfather Thomas ]. O'Donnell (1856-1924) and maternal grandfather William H. Bryant (1863-1914) were both prominent Colorado lawyers. Bryant wasn't one to fall back on his family connections or boast of his heritage...
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