Robert E. McPherson

Class of 1957: Opera singing and boat repair

At a very early age, Robert Edward McPherson developed two loves: sailing and singing.

He was born Jan. 29, 1935, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. From the age of 15, he sailed his beloved Snipe in area lakes, and crewed for other boat owners in regattas. He was a member of the Oshkosh Yacht Club and the Neenah Nodaway Yacht Club.

But McPherson really liked to sing. While still in high school, he began singing in a barbershop quartet and performed in shows and concerts all over the state.

His grandfather thought he should get a business degree so paid for him to attend Ripon. McPherson earned a degree in economics, started taking voice lessons and sang in the chorus. He recalled his times as a member of Sigma Chi as “fun. My father was a Sigma Chi. That’s how I happened to join.

“I learned an awful lot socially. I was with a lot of very smart, very wealthy kids. We did a lot socially together in the Smith building. My room was first room on the right on the first floor. You could go in and out of the room through the window if you wanted to.”

After Ripon, McPherson was one of 500 people to audition for the St. Louis Municipal Opera. He was hired for the chorus as a baritone. He appeared with Bob Hope, Andy Devine, Margaret Hamilton and Alan Jones, among others.

He sang with major opera companies in Florida and was a founding singer in the Palm Beach Opera Company. He toured with musical productions and performed with numerous East Coast opera companies.

After moving to New York City, he sang with the Metropolitan Opera chorus in New York for almost 10 years.

In between gigs, he always returned to boat repair.

When he retired from singing professionally in the mid-1990s, he returned to Wisconsin and opened Robert McPherson Marine Repair and continued to sing at area churches and for special events.

He died Sept. 24, 2015, at age 80.