Robert C. Packard; Attorney, USC Benefactor

Robert C. Packard, 81, an attorney and benefactor of USC law school. A Los Angeles native, he practiced law here for nearly 50 years. He graduated from USC in 1941 and worked as a tuna fisherman during World War II before earning his law degree from USC in 1947. In 1948 he joined the law firm Reed & Kirtland, which 10 years later became Kirtland & Packard. As a trial lawyer, Packard specialized in aviation defense work and professional liability cases, defending engineers, contractors, doctors and hospitals. His gifts to USC had totaled $6 million since 1990. He established the Robert C. Packard President’s Chair in 1995 and the Robert C. and Nanette T. Packard Professorship. On Jan. 13 at his home in La Quinta, Calif.