Roland Edmund Dahlin II

Born on September 29, 1934 in Dallas, TX, Roland died peacefully on December 5, 2023 at his home with his wife.  He is survived by his wife Evelyn, daughter Eleanor, son Roland III (Ted), daughter-in-law, Jacquelyn, and grandchildren Emily and Cole.

Roland was in ROTC in high school and college and entered the Army Reserves in 1956 upon graduating from the University of Texas, Austin, where he was the 1955-1956 Student Body President.  He continued in the Army Reserves and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1976.

After graduating from the University of Texas with a B.A. in Economics in 1956, Roland pursued graduate studies at the University of Michigan until 1957.  Fate led him to work for JP Morgan Bank in New York City where he met his future wife, Evelyn.  They married on February 27, 1960 and lived in a little one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn that they adored.  They attended a lot of theatre while living on NYC – one of their favorite past-times and they spent most of their honeymoon attending shows on and off Broadway.

He and Evelyn returned to Austin where Roland earned his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1967.  He was attending class and Evelyn was working in the tower when the Charles Whitman shooting occurred and they spoke of the tragedy several times during their lives.

After graduation, Roland started his law practice as an Assistant DA in the Harris County District Attorney's office, where he earned the respect of prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges.  Roland always had a commitment to justice, and, in July 1974 Roland­­ was chosen to become the first Federal Public Defender in the Southern District of Texas.

Roland's appointment as the Federal Public Defender was truly ground breaking as there was no Federal Public Defenders Office in the Southern District of Texas at the time. In addition to establishing the office in Houston, Roland set up offices in Brownsville and Laredo, and later, in Corpus Christi and McAllen.  He built an office of high quality lawyers and staff, who served as a model for many. Indeed, he was honored by the Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court for his professionalism and inducted into the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Hall of Fame in 2012.   He led the Federal Public Defender's office for 30 years until his retirement in 2004 at the age of 69. During his tenure, the FPD presented cases to the US Supreme Court  on two occasions, something which he was very proud of.

Throughout his life Roland loved going to the theatre, opera, and symphony.  One of his other favorite past-times was enjoying food. He and Evelyn enjoyed eating out and tried many different restaurants regardless of where they lived.  They also traveled to many destinations throughout the United States and they also went to China, London, Italy, and France.

Roland attended St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Houston, where he was a long-time and faithful parishioner and leader.  He was a philanthropist and contributed to many charitable causes including the St. Mark's Endowment which he kept going for over 25 years.

Roland led an exemplary life of public service.  He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and he will be deeply missed.

There will be a service at 2 PM, reception to follow, on Saturday, December 16, 2023 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 3816 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, TX. 77025.  This will be a celebration of life so black clothing is optional.

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations being made in his name to either CCSC, PO Box 27924, Houston, TX. 77227 (https://ccschouston.org) or the St. Mark's Endowment, 3816 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, TX 77025 (https://stmarks-houston.org).