Tribute: Ronald M. Mankoff ‘54, an Early Supporter of Minnesota Law’s Tax Clinic

Ronald M. Mankoff ‘54, passed away on June 27, 2023. Born on the Cheyenne River Reservation near Gettysburg, South Dakota on October 13, 1931, Ron, his parents Sarah Frank Mankoff and Harry Mankoff, along with his sister Marilyn, resettled in Minneapolis during the Great Depression. 

Mankoff enrolled in the University of Minnesota where he joined the ROTC and was president of his Zeta Beta Tau fraternity chapter. His fraternity encouraged brothers to pursue an extracurricular activity and Ron chose debate. In 1950, his University of Minnesota debate team won the Big 10 Debate Tournament and Ron was named Outstanding Debater. In 1954, he graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School, after serving on the Minnesota Law Review. 

Mankoff entered the United States Navy as an ensign and served on ships in the Atlantic. After his discharge from the Navy, Mankoff moved to New York to be near his future wife. He then enrolled in the tax program at New York University Law School. In 1959 he and Joy married and they settled in Dallas, Texas. 

Mankoff practiced tax law for 20 years with Wentworth T. Durant and then with successor firms that carried the Mankoff name. Ron tried and argued more than 50 tax cases and appeals, among them the often-cited Commissioner vs. Tufts decision in the U.S. Supreme Court. He taught partnership tax at Southern Methodist University Law School and was a sought-after lecturer and author on tax subjects. 

Mankoff served as chair or president of several other Dallas community organizations including Temple Emanu-El, the American Jewish Committee, American Cancer Society and the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation. He also served on the national boards of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Center for Interreligious Understanding. 

The Mankoffs delighted in giving back to their community, and provided the initial funding for Minnesota Law’s tax clinic, which was named after him. 

“His generosity was truly a boon to the Tax Clinic and to the community it serves, said Professor Caleb Smith, director of the Ronald M. Mankoff Tax Clinic.  “Last year alone, the Ronald M. Mankoff Tax Clinic saved low-income taxpayers over $1 million in reduced tax liabilities, Smith said. “He always cared about what he could do to improve the student experience, going so far as to donate additional funds so that students could attend a national tax conference in San Diego. His gifts will live on with both the students and low-income community that he supported."

Ronald M. Mankoff is survived by his wife Joy, their sons, Jeff and Doug, daughters-in-law, Staci Burstyn Mankoff and Marcia Weiner Mankoff, and their five grandchildren, Bradley, Michelle, Sarah, Max, and Eli. 

In lieu of flowers, Ronald Mankoff requested that a contribution be made to an organization that might be surprised to receive it. A memorial service was held June 29, 11:30 a.m. at Temple Emanuel, Stern Chapel, in Dallas, with a reception to follow.