R. James Unruh 1929-2017


Born: November 16, 1929
Died: May 29, 2017

A devoted American soldier and patriot chose the early hours of the morning of Memorial Day to take his final breath. A long-time Tulsa civic leader, lawyer and acclaimed amateur golfer, Robert James "Jim" Unruh II passed away at 12:30 a.m. on Monday, May 29th in Miami, Florida. He was 87 years old.

Born and raised in Tulsa, Unruh attended Will Rogers High School where he played Center on the football team and starred on the golf team. He got his B.A. Masters and law degree from the University of Tulsa where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity. He captained the TU golf team in 1948, '49 and '50.
He would eventually be inducted into the University of Tulsa's Athletic Hall of Fame for his life-long golf achievements. Unruh also coached TU's golf team in the seventies. His most famous students include Pro-golfer Ron Streck and Hank Haney, who would go on to become Tiger Wood's private golf coach.

Over his lifetime, Unruh won 152 golf championships, including six City of Tulsa Championships and seven Tulsa Country Club Championships. He qualified for three U.S. Amateur Championships, a Senior Open and the U.S. Open at age 54. He went on to become a Rules Official for the USGA, allowing him to stay involved from the collegiate level to the U.S. Open for 30 years, including long after he retired his clubs. Unruh is credited with sponsoring the first black member of a segregated Tulsa Country Club. The member was Marcus Haynes, a famous Harlem Globetrotter.

Unruh was an Attorney at Law focusing on civil matters. In addition, he was legal counsel for more than 45 years for the Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority. Upon his retirement, and in honor of his lengthy civic service, on 12/7/2014, Mayor Dewey Bartlett and the Tulsa City Council re-named the A.B. Jewell water reservoir The R. James Unruh Water Reservoir. He also taught thousands of students over his lifetime in U.S. History, American Government and Political Science at the University of Tulsa, American Christian College and Tulsa Community College.

Unruh served his 2 years in the Army after graduating from Law School. He was with the 10th Mountain Division stationed in Germany from 1954-1956. He is said to have regretted leaving the service for the rest of his life. On Thursday, May 25th, the Vitas Hospice organization in Miami, FL honored Private First Class Unruh with a ceremony and final salute.

Jim Unruh is survived by his wife Paula, sister Carla, three children Jilda, Jay and Allison, two granddaughters Jennifer and Jaclyn, two great-grandchildren Paige and Greyson, two nephews Jeff and David, two great nephews and niece Will, Sam and Ava.

Services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Tuesday, June 6, 2017 First Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, donations to the National Parkinson's Foundation are requested.