Biography:

Judge Collins Kilgore died on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 in the company of his wife and children. He was 83 years old.  His friends and colleagues remember him for his humor and intelligence, his commitment to the wellbeing of children, and his strong belief that the law promises a just and equitable society.

Born in Fordyce, Arkansas on December 3, 1941 to Collins Sr. and Edith Kilgore, Judge Kilgore spent his childhood in Fordyce, Little Rock, and Wichita, Kansas.  He attended the University of Arkansas before enlisting in the Army, serving from 1964-1967.  After his military service, Judge Kilgore completed his bachelor’s education at the University of Colorado and began law school at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he was classmates with Gary Isbell, Mary Ann McGowan, and Chris Piazza, each of whom went on to become judges. 

After two years of schooling, he returned to Boulder, where he met his wife Priscilla Whitlock of Waterbury, Connecticut.  The two moved to Little Rock, where they married in 1976 and Judge Kilgore completed his law degree, graduating from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law School in 1977. He completed his education with a masters in tax law from Georgetown Law School in 1978. 

Judge Kilgore spent the first decade of his law career practicing out of an office located in the Pyramid Building in downtown Little Rock.  He and Priscilla had two boys, Collins and Hank.  Judge Kilgore coached them in youth soccer, where his coaching style proved popular with the players and controversial among parents.  He famously put team management to a vote: would the team rather win or have fun?  The kids chose fun–equal playing time and an opportunity to try each position was guaranteed.  So was, it turned out, a losing record.  The kids nonetheless respected Coach Kilgore for giving them a say in how the team would be run.

Judge Kilgore’s sense of fairness and justice motivated him to seek election to the Chancery Court of Pulaski County, where he perceived that capricious and indifferent temperament on the bench created cruel and unjust results.  Judge Kilgore became one of only a few candidates ever to unseat an incumbent judge, winning election to the Court in 1990.

On the bench, Judge Kilgore stuck to his values of fairness, integrity, and ensuring that those with a lesser voice could be heard, for example, by giving weight to the wishes of a child at the crux of a custody dispute. He was revered by his court staff and colleagues not only for his kindness and humor, but for his thoughtfulness and care to ensure his decisions were correct and just. 

His commitment to justice and the wellbeing of children culminated in his landmark 2001 decision in the case Lake View School District Number 25 v. Huckabee.  Judge Kilgore ruled that the state’s school funding system violated the Arkansas constitution and directed the state to adequately and equitably fund public education.  After the Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed the ruling, the state overhauled its education system to increase education funding and share those resources with underfunded districts.

Like a judicial Johnny Cash, Judge Kilgore typically sported dark attire and cowboy boots.  He regularly attended lively post-work gatherings with his friends and colleagues at Vino’s and other Little Rock establishments.  His great musical loves were Bob Dylan, Warren Zevon, and the Rolling Stones. He was an avid reader and particularly loved detective stories and westerns. 

He is survived by his wife Priscilla, his sons Collins and Hank, their wives Lauren and Anne, his grandchildren Isobel, Owen, Ian, and Sophie, and his siblings Kristen Baber (husband Brent) and Kim Kilgore. He was preceded in death by his sisters Shirley and Karen.

Judge Kilgore’s memorial service will take place at White Water Tavern in Little Rock on July 12, 2025, at 1 p.m.  In lieu of flowers, Judge Kilgore’s family asks that donations be made to Little Rock Public Radio or to Arkansas PBS.