Robert James Provan (14 September 1944 – 6 July 2006) was a lawyer in the United States. He was diagnosed at the age of five with Poliomyelitis. He overcame the disease, but later in his life was diagnosed with Post-polio syndrome. Provan was the first lawyer to successfully sue a Health maintenance organization under the Disability Discrimination Act.
In 1961 as a sophomore at Irving High School (Irving, Texas), Provan was persuaded by a senior named Lorenzo Johns to campaign for Student Council President, primarily because of his immense popularity after a trip to the school Principal Ed E. Williams’s office to be clear up any eligibility rules that might be against it. Once Provan added his name to the ballot, the other canditates withdrew and he was elected by acclamation. Today at Irving High School there is a plaque on the wall with his name as the only student ever to be elected twice as Student Council President.
He graduated in 1963 with honors to become Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas under John Hill. As a long time resident of Pflugerville, Texas and in his honor the Pflugerville Independent School District named one of their school buildings for him as a positive example of what education can accomplish if opportunity is offered. They now have the Provan Opportunity Center that offers a positive academic alternative to disciplinary expulsion, a lengthy suspension for any reason (including medical) or just dropping out. The kids call it the Provan OC Building for short.
He is survived by his daughter, Michelle (age 22), who is currently writing a novel on his life and has said, "I am in no rush to write this. I am taking my time with it and finishing college."