Robert B. McKay Papers
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Abstract
Robert B. McKay joined the faculty of New York University's School of Law in 1953. He became Associate Dean of the School of Law in 1963, and served as Dean from 1967 to 1975. McKay was the Director of the Program on Justice, Society and the Individual of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies until 1983, when he returned to New York University to teach. The papers of Robert B. McKay include materials generated by McKay while serving a variety of directorial, professorial and public service functions, as well as supplemental research materials used by him.
Biographical Note
Robert B. McKay was born August 11, 1919, in Wichita, Kansas, to Ruth and John McKay. Graduating with a B.S. from the University of Kansas in 1940, he joined the U.S. Army just before Pearl Harbor. He served in the Philippines, and by the time the war ended he had reached the rank of captain. He went on to earn his J.D. from Yale University in 1947. After completing law school he was employed as an attorney by the U.S. Department of Justice from 1947-1950, in the Appellate Division of the Office of Alien Property. He then moved to Emory University School of Law, where he taught as an Assistant and Associate Professor of Law from 1950-1953.
McKay joined the NYU Law Faculty in 1953, and after serving for four years as Associate Dean and Administrative Head of the Graduate Division, he became Dean in 1967. He succeeded Dr. Miguel A. de Capriles, who became Dean in 1964. McKay served in that position until 1975, and his strong leadership is credited with increasing NYU's prestige among American law schools. During a time of great unrest in higher education over the Vietnam War, McKay built an atmosphere of trust and communication between students and administration by giving student representatives a role in decision-making processes.
Taking a leave of absence from NYU in 1975, McKay served as Director of the Program on Justice, Society and the Individual at the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies until 1983. Throughout his career McKay was involved in a wide variety of legal causes and outside organizations. He served as the Chairman of the New York State Special Commission on Attica in 1972, Board Chairman of the New York Civil Liberties Union, President of the Legal Aid Society, and Chairman of the Citizens Union. He returned to NYU in 1983 to establish and teach courses in the increasingly important areas of professional responsibility and alternative dispute resolution.
Robert B. McKay retired from teaching in 1989. He died on July 13, 1990. He was survived by his two daughters, Kathryn and Sara. His wife, the former Sara Kate Warmack, predeceased McKay by three years.
Sources:
Profile: Robert B. McKay. NYU Law. Spring/Summer 1989Robert McKay, 70, Legal Scholar Who Led 1971 Attica Panel, Dies. New York Times. July 14, 1990Faculty Information: Professional and Biographical. New York Univeristy Office of Public Affairs. June, 1979Press Release, New York University News Bureau. March 9, 1967Press Release, New York University Press and Broadcast Services, Dec. 3, 1975
Arrangement
Materials remain in their original order and grouped into one series. Additional material donated at a later date was added to the end of the file listing.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials generated by McKay while serving a variety of directorial, professorial and public service functions. Materials include reports; correspondence; transcripts of speeches; clippings; periodicals; and articles and papers written by McKay.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Administrative records and unpublished reports of New York University are closed for a period of 20 years from the date of their creation. Access to files spanning multiple years will be opened to researchers based on the date of the most recent materials. Board of Trustees records are closed for 35 years from the date of creation. Materials related to personnel, grievances, job and fellowship searches and applications, and all files that fall under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) are permanently restricted. Additional restrictions may apply to other materials in this collection. For questions regarding specific restrictions, please contact the University Archives.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Robert McKay are maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the New York University Archives. Please contact: university-archives@nyu.edu.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Robert B. McKay Papers; MC 208; box number; folder number; New York University Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Custodial History
Transferred to University Archives by New York University School of Law.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2019 are unknown. In 2019, publications containing articles by McKay were arranged in chronological order by decade and added to the end of Series I as: Articles and Other Writings.