Last week Chuck and I were talking about our friend Bob and he said he doesn't have any pictures of him so I went through my albums and put a collage of his pictures together and sent them off to Chuck.

Bob was my brother soul mate. We talked about everything, shared everything and knew each other inside and out. He was a friend like no other.

He was, affectionately, called Dr. K by many of us including his students. Who was Dr. K??

Above is his photo shot as Director of University Choirs at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois.

Previous to that he sung with Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians, the Robert Shaw Chorale traveling all over the world with both groups. He appeared on many radio and television shows including Perry Como, Dinah Shore and worked with Leonard Bernstein among others.

I saw him conduct a Christmas program which included Handel's "Messiah" and Verdi's "Requiem Mass" to a standing ovation and then two hours later, dressed in jeans, had a bunch of guys swooning over him at the New York bar in Carbondale. He was comfortable and welcomed in both worlds.

With all his traveling and life experiences Dr. K was that Mississippi Boy who could charm the pants off a police chef and he did.

He was one of the most masculine men you will ever meet and at the same time a sensitive human being who cared for everyone and never hesitated showing that sensitive side. He would come down to Memphis on weekends and stay at my place bringing home many noted Memphis big wigs who knew they could trust him not to say anything.

I remember the time he flew down to Florida to surprise me and help me celebrate my birthday. He was always doing things like that for people. I previously wrote about the gingerbread house he brought me one Christmas which knocked this city boy on his butt!

As talented as he was I will always remember the evening in St. Louis when I took him to his first performance of "A Chorus Line"--he was in awe of the show, the talent, the songs, the orchestrations and reacted just as I had--I was the 'civilian' he was the professional and we felt as one.

I could keep on writing about this special man for hours and hours but as they say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Dr. Robert Wilson Kingsbery June 28, 1927-April 20, 1987.

The man in the picture above is the same man as in the pictures below and he would be proud of all of them as his friends, co-workers and students were proud of him.