Longtime Las Vegas attorney Robert Callister dies at 77

Tuesday, Oct. 19, 1999 | 9:32 a.m.

Las Vegas attorney Robert Callister, the son of a prominent Salt Lake City criminal defense attorney, shared some good advice with his attorney son and other lawyers.

"Dad would say that when you write a brief, tell a story and get the key information on the front page," said Las Vegas attorney Matthew Callister, a former assemblyman, state senator and Las Vegas city councilman.

"He said a judge doesn't have time to muddle through several pages of a brief to get to the point you are trying to get across. And Dad also used to say present your case artfully to a jury."

For a half-century in Las Vegas, the elder Callister practiced what he preached by litigating cases in nearly every field of law.

Robert Marshall Callister, who was co-counsel on two Las Vegas personal injury cases with prominent attorney Melvin Belli and whose major clients included the Nevada League of Credit Unions, died Saturday of heart failure at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center. He was 77.

Services for Callister, who lived in Las Vegas 52 years, will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel on Buffalo Road near Cheyenne Avenue. Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Friday at Palm Mortuary on Cheyenne and 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday at the LDS chapel.

Callister died one day before his 52nd wedding anniversary. He was married to the former Marco Christensen, the youngest child of prominent Las Vegas businessman M.J. Christensen. Robert was the son of Norval Callister, whose firm of Callister, Duncan and Nebeker still operates in Salt Lake City.

In addition to his local law practice, Callister was an excellent golfer who in his prime had a single-digit handicap.

"Dad was a student of golf," Matt Callister said. "He read every book on the subject and loved every aspect of the game. We played two weeks ago at Mount Charleston and he beat me. But winning was insignificant to him. He just loved to play the game."

The elder Callister played at every major golf course in Las Vegas, starting with Las Vegas Municipal, and was a member of the Las Vegas Country Club for 20 years. In his later years, he enjoyed playing at the Sun City area courses near where he lived.

Born Nov. 24, 1921, in Washington D.C., Robert was raised by his mother, the former Ada Hemsley, and Norval in Southern California and Utah.

After graduating from high school in Salt Lake City, Robert attended the University of Utah but interrupted his education to serve a Mormon mission in the South.

He left his mission early to enlist in the Army during World War II. Robert attended officers training school, but the war ended before he was shipped overseas.

Returning to the University of Utah, he graduated in 1947 and moved to Las Vegas where he walked up and down Fremont Street stopping at law firms and asking for a job as a law clerk. He was hired by Morse and Graves.

A few days after coming to town, Robert met Marco, who also was a University of Utah graduate. They married Oct. 17, 1947, at the LDS Temple in Salt Lake City.

Callister, who had three uncles who were lawyers, passed the Nevada bar in March 1948 and joined the firm of Ruyman and Gregory, which later became Gregory and Callister.

In the early 1950s Callister opened his own firm. It later became Callister and Reynolds when he brought his son-in-law, Ronald Reynold,s into the firm about a quarter of a century ago. Today Matt Callister is a partner.

Another of Robert's sons, Daniel Callister, is a Washington, D.C., attorney, and his other son, Tracy Callister, is a cardiologist in Tennessee. All three sons have the middle name Quayle, after an ancestor.

Although Robert practiced criminal law early on, he did not follow in his father's footsteps by specializing in that area. Instead, he became involved in divorce law and handled personal injury cases for many years. Later he practiced federal and state credit law, representing the Nevada League of Credit Unions among his many clients.

A lifelong Republican, Robert was critical of Matt's venture into politics -- first because his son was a Democrat and second because it brought Matt squarely into the public spotlight from which Robert had long shied.

"Dad had a keen intellect and had high expectations for those he loved," Matt said. "But he also was a very private man who avoided publicity."

Five years ago Robert underwent open heart surgery, from which he recovered, and continued to enjoy a productive life until his recent bout with heart problems.

In addition to his wife and three sons, Callister is survived by two daughters, Christene Reynolds and Mara Meservy, both of Las Vegas, and 26 grandchildren.