Her Father’s Daughter
Ruth Agather’s role model was born in 1931 in Camden, New Jersey. The youngest of four children—his eldest sibling having died in World War II—he was just 12 years old when his father died. With his remaining siblings already out of the household, the responsibility of helping his mother manage the home fell largely to him. Through their close bond, his mother nurtured both his curiosity and perseverance. With her encouragement, he set his sights on an education and pursued it with determination—eventually putting himself through college and law school.
Fortunately for Agather ’88, her role model wasn’t someone distant she only read about, but a close one: her father, Herb Kelleher, who died in 2019. During her childhood, Kelleher was a partner at Oppenheimer, Rosenberg, Kelleher, & Wheatley in San Antonio. He later co-founded Southwest Airlines and held leadership roles, but throughout those years, he regularly brought her into the company of lawyers, shaping her early understanding of the legal profession. Inspired by her father’s example, Agather later followed in his professional footsteps.
Growing up, Agather’s father taught her valuable lessons—to never give up, remain curious, and pursue knowledge. But perhaps the most lasting impression: the importance of forging one’s own path.
Today, Agather is a partner at Rosenthal Pauerstein Sandoloski Agather LLP in San Antonio, where she focuses primarily on real estate and business transactions. Although she sometimes wonders whether she measures up to her father’s unmatched drive, she credits him as the built-in mentor who paved the way for her—and made it possible for her to do the same for others.
She supports the Pipeline Program, which assists first-generation students in applying to law school, and the Summer Public Service Program, which supports those pursuing careers in public interest law.
Agather wants to ensure a more representative legal profession. “I’m a big believer in having people from all walks of life participate in our society,” she says, with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds likewise represented in the field of law.
“This country was built on the idea that there are no limits to becoming anything you want to be, but there are impediments, and they’re usually financial,” she says.
