Richard Noble

A brilliant securities lawyer and an active member of the Board of Governors of Thomas Aquinas College since 1977, Noble died December 10, 2002, in Los Angeles. He was 63. Funeral and interment services were held on January 15, 2003, in Ardmore, Okla., where he was interred next to his father Lloyd Noble, a legend in the oil production industry. Born October 11, 1939, in Oklahoma City, Noble lived most of his adult life in Los Angeles. A graduate of both Stanford University and Stanford University Law School, he passed the California State Bar in April 1965, remaining a member until his death. John E. Schaeffer helped recruit Noble from Stanford Law School to the San Francisco law firm of Cooper, White & Cooper. In 1967, Noble returned to Los Angeles, where he became a partner with Voegelin, Barton, Harris & Callister. In 1970, he established his own firm, Noble & Campbell. A lifelong Republican and generous benefactor to conservative causes, Noble's passion for politics was fostered at Stanford, during which time he served as president of the Young Republicans. He was later appointed by former California Governor Deukmejian to serve on the Colorado River Board, a post for which he was singularly well-qualified due to the depth of his understanding of water rights law. As a young child often accompanying his mother to estate sales, Noble developed an eye for and eventually became a collector of, among other things, antiques, oriental rugs, jade snuff boxes, and art, including an extensive collection of nautical paintings. Noble is preceded in death by his beloved mother, Eloise Noble, father, Lloyd Noble, and half-brother, Sam Noble. He is survived by half-sister, Ann Noble Brown, half-brother, Ed Noble, by nieces and nephews, Lloyd Noble, Nicholas Noble, Russell Noble, Shelley Noble Dru, David Brown, Susan Brown, Marianne Brown Rooney, and Vivian Noble DuBose, and by numerous grandnieces and nephews.