Roger

McCollister

Nominated by Matthew Keenan

"Roger McCollister was the first Executive Director of what is now known as Kansas Legal Services (KLS). Roger graduated from Washburn University Law School in 1970 and served as Director of the Legal Aid Society of Topeka, Kansas from 1972 to 1978. In 1978, Roger established KLS, which is now the only legal aid organization in the state. He has received numerous awards including Service to Mankind Award, El Centro De Servicios Para Hispanos, Kansas City, Kansas, in 1981; Washburn University Law School Alumni of the Year in 1986; and the Kansas Bar Association Outstanding Service Award in 2007. Roger left KLS to pursue a program that helps low income people pay for medical care, assisting in obtaining public benefits for them. That project, the Midland Group, has been a regular contributor to KLS, with nearly $3.5 million contributed in the past 18 years."