Andrew McCollam

Andrew McCollam Jr., 82, an attorney and former president of Southdown Land Company, died Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011, of natural causes at his home outside of Houma. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Chauvin Funeral Home in Houma. Mr. McCollam is survived by his sister, Ellen Westerfield, of Houston; two sons, Gerald Andrus McCollam and Andrew “Drew” McCollam III; one daughter, Marion “Molly” Cage McCollam; three grandchildren, Henry, Alexander and Kelsey McCollam; his former wife, Marion Andrus McCollam; and three cousins, William, John and Edmund McCollam. Mr. McCollam was born in Houma on Jan. 13, 1929, and raised on his family’s sugar plantation outside the city. He received his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and graduated from law school there in 1950. He joined the New Orleans law firm now known as Milling Benson Woodward and became a partner, working mainly in the area of corporate law. In 1964, he formed his own firm with his cousin John McCollam, also a partner at Milling. The firm dissolved when Mr. McCollam became president of Southdown Land, which had extensive property holdings in south Louisiana. In 1974, Mr. McCollam helped orchestrate the sale of Southdown to Valhi Inc., of Dallas, and thereupon became a consultant to the company. He remained a consultant to Valhi until his death. Mr. McCollam was active in oil and gas and real-estate investment throughout Terrebonne and neighboring parishes. Together with his cousins John and Edmund McCollam, he developed the Ellendale subdivision outside of Houma and built the Ellendale Country Club. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Bridget’s Church in Schriever.