Don W. Sears
Dean of the University of Colorado Law Schoo
Don W. Sears (1921-2007) was the eighth Dean and Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Colorado Law School. Sears was also a two-time recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his military service during World War II.
Military service
Sears enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 during the last semester of his senior year at Ohio State University. He served in the 8th Armored Division with distinction and honor, earning two Purple Hearts with Oak Leaf Clusters and two Bronze Stars with Oak Leaf Clusters for gallantry and bravery. Sears also received several battlefield commissions, and ended his two years in the war theater as a major.
Education
Sears earned his bachelor's degree from the Ohio State University in 1946, where he was a wrestler, sang in the men's glee club and on the OSU campus radio, and was selected by the faculty as the outstanding senior to the Dipper and Bucket Big Ten honorary society with a 3.95 GPA. He then received his law degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1948, graduating Order of the Coif.
Legal career
Sears began his legal career working in private practice for two years and then was re-commissioned as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps.
In 1950, Sears joined the University of Colorado Law School faculty. For the next 50 years, he was as an educator, writer, arbitrator, and administrator. Sears was eighth Dean of the Colorado Law School from 1968 to 1973. While Dean, he was instrumental in securing funds from the Colorado Legislature to complete renovation and new construction on the Fleming Law building, and received the University of Colorado Recognition Medal from the Regents in 1975.
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The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q26837610. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1921, 2007, 1943 and 1946.
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