For the National Security Advisor

National Security Advisor

A National Security Advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. He or she is not usually a member of the Cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils....

 under U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan, see Robert McFarlane

Robert McFarlane

Robert Carl "Bud" McFarlane was a National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan, serving from 1983 through 1985.After a career in the Marines, he became part of the Reagan administration, and was a leading architect of the Strategic Defense Initiative for defending the United States...

.

Millard Robert "Bob" McFarland (born June 12, 1941), is an attorney and lobbyist in Arlington

Arlington, Texas

Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...

 and Austin

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, who served from 1983 to 1991 as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 member of the Texas State Senate from District 10

Texas Senate, District 10

District 10 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves a portion of Tarrant county in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 10 is Wendy Davis.-2008:-2004:-2002:-2000:...

, then parts of Dallas

Dallas County, Texas

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi...

, Denton

Denton County, Texas

Denton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 432,976; in 2009 the estimated population had reached 628,300. Part of the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex, it is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. The county seat is Denton. The county...

, and Tarrant

Tarrant County, Texas

Tarrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, it had a population of 1,809,034. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County is the sixteenth most populous county in the United States and the third most populous in Texas. The county is named in honor...

 counties. From 1977 to 1983, McFarland served in the Texas House of Representatives

Texas House of Representatives

The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...

 from the former districts 32-B and 32-D in Tarrant County.

In 1959, McFarland graduated from Arlington High School

Arlington High School (Arlington, Texas)

Arlington High School, located in Arlington, Texas, is a secondary school serving grades 9-12. It is one of the six high schools comprising the Arlington Independent School District. The current principal is Jennifer Young; the mascot is the Colt and the schools’ colors are Kelly Green and White...

. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration

Bachelor of Business Administration

The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...

 degree from the University of Texas at Arlington

University of Texas at Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...

. He then procured his Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor

Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...

 from Southern Methodist University School of Law

Dedman School of Law

The Southern Methodist University School of Law, commonly referred to as SMU Law School or Dedman School of Law is a prominent professional graduate law school located in Dallas, Texas. Founded in February 1925, the school remains the only law school in Dallas...

, since known as the Dedman School of Law. McFarland was admitted to the bar in 1966. McFarland was cited for achievement in the publication Texas Business. In 1981, he received the G. J. Sutton Memorial Leadership Award and was named "Legislator of the Year" by the Texas Municipal League. In civic affairs, McFarland is a former director of the Tarrant County Humane Society and the Arlington Civic Chorus. He is Roman Catholic.

In 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1985, McFarland was ranked among the "Ten Best Legislators" from both chambers by Texas Monthly

Texas Monthly

Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...

magazine. In 1989, McFarland was one of five senators to serve as the President Pro Tempore, having succeeded his regional colleague, Hugh Q. Parmer

Hugh Parmer

Hugh Q. Parmer is an attorney and Democratic politician in Fort Worth, Texas. He served in both houses of the Texas State Legislature, on the Fort Worth City Council, and as mayor of Fort Worth. In 1990, he was his party's unsuccessful nominee for the U.S...

 in that position.

In 1986, McFarland objected when the Texas Select Committee on Higher Education, a group appointed by Governor

Governor of Texas

The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

 Mark Wells White to consider streamlining of the state's colleges and universities, proposed that the University of Texas at Arlington be re-defined as a "comprehensive university," with an emphasis on teaching, instead of research. Many UTA faculty and students believed that the change would have eliminated doctoral programs at the institution. McFarland, a UTA "Distinguished Alumnus", declared the select committee recommendation "an over-my-dead-body situation." Soon political support was manifested throughout Arlington and Tarrant County. The mission of UTA was clarified to include "achieving excellence in all academic areas — teaching, research, and public service." McFarland said the controversy brought hundreds of letters and telephone calls and showed him that "there are people out there willing to get involved and support UTA." Then State Representative Kent Grusendorf

Kent Grusendorf

Darryl Kent Grusendorf is a businessman and investor from Austin, Texas, who served as a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 94 from 1987 to 2007, while he resided in Arlington in Tarrant County. He was unseated in the 2006 party primary.-Background:Grusendorf was...

, also of Arlington, joined McFarland in rallying to the defense of their common alma mater.

As a two-term departing state representative, McFarland succeeded Senator William C. Meier, a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 from Euless

Euless, Texas

Euless, known as "Tree City USA," is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Fort Worth. Euless is part of the Mid-Cities between Dallas and Fort Worth...

 in Tarrant County who switched to Republican affiliation and ran unsuccessfully in 1982 against U.S. Representative Jim Mattox

Jim Mattox

James Albon Mattox was a Dallas lawyer and Texas Democratic politician who served three terms in the United States House of Representatives and two four-year terms as state Attorney General, but lost high profile races for Governor in 1990, the U.S. Senate in 1994, and again as attorney general...

 for Attorney General of Texas. Mark White vacated the attorney's general office after one term to challenge, successfully, Republican Governor

Governor of Texas

The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...

 Bill Clements

Bill Clements

William Perry "Bill" Clements, Jr. was the 42nd and 44th Governor of Texas, serving from 1979 to 1983 and 1987 to 1991. Clements was the first Republican to have served as governor of the U.S. state of Texas since Reconstruction...

. In 1991, McFarland was succeeded in the Senate by Chris Harris, also of Arlington, who subsequently was shifted into neighboring District 9

Texas Senate, District 9

District 9 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves portions of Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The current Senator from District 9 is Chris Harris.-2004:-2002:-2000:...

.

Bob McFarland Park, part of which is heavily wooded, is operated at 410 East Embercrest Drive by the Arlington Parks and Recreation Department and named in his honor.