Dr. Robert William Molison

Robert “Bob” was born in Grinnell, Iowa on July 27, 1935, the youngest child of Wilbur and Miriam Molison. Bob grew up on the family farm near Grinnell and enjoyed a wonderful childhood and eventually found a love for music. After graduating Grinnell High School, Bob went on to college at Oberlin College and Conservatory. His first job in music was teaching at The Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawaii. While in Hawaii, Bob also played clarinet in the Honolulu Symphony. He received his Master of Music Degree in Performance from Yale University School of Music. Bob then studied choral conducting in Philadelphia and was a conductor for Singing City. He moved on to Brown University where he was the Director of Choral Activities. Bob completed his doctoral degree in Choral Music in 1970 at the University of Illinois, Urbana. In 1974 Bob became Director of Choral Activities for Iowa State University. During that tenure, the Iowa State Singers gained national distinction for their participation with leading orchestras from around the world in performances at the Ames International Orchestra Festival. In the 1980s Bob was Director of Choral Activities at Colorado State University, but his heart was in Iowa, and he returned to Iowa State University where he retired in 2000. In addition to his work in universities, he founded the Providence Singers, served as the Director of the Des Moines Choral Society and the Greeley Chorale, and was the Director of the Civic Chorus at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

His career in music led Bob to meet his wife of 55 years, Ann. During Bob’s internship at Singing City, Bob introduced Gay Donham, younger sister of Ann, to Quentin Quereau. During Gay and Quentin’s courtship, Gay decided to invite Bob to the Donham family home in North Chatham, Cape Cod in the summer of 1965. A coin toss between Bob and another friend determined who would spend the most time with Ann that weekend. As fate would have it, Bob won the coin toss, and the rest is history.

Back in Fort Collins, Colorado, Bob didn’t slow down in retirement as he conducted chamber choirs and became a lecturer for Road Scholar programs at the Central City Opera and the Boulder Music Festival. Bob was also invited to lecture for Road Scholar programs at the Aspen Music Festival and School and directed Road Scholar programs at CSU’s Mountain Campus, formerly known as Pingree Park for six years. Bob was also the former President of the Front Range Chamber Players in Fort Collins.

Bob was called “Doc” by his former university students, and he touched thousands of lives through his profession and love for choral music. He was a mentor, teacher, colleague, and professor to many people at the universities where he taught, and his family was told by many former students that he was the reason they now have a career in choral music today. Bob also understood that those who were not music majors enjoyed music and he fostered in them a love of music that has led his former students, of all majors, to continue to be active in choral music groups throughout their lives.

In early retirement, Bob enjoyed nature photography, skiing, hiking around Colorado, and long walks in his neighborhood. He traveled extensively and had a curiosity for other cultures and countries. He was a voracious reader and life-long student. His Sunday New York Times would be found scattered around his chair after being read cover to cover. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of choral music and a library of CD’s, tapes, DVDs, and vinyl records of his favorite music. The Foothills Unitarian Church in Fort Collins was extremely important to Bob, and he directed and sang in the choir. And he would rarely miss his weekly Tuesday lunches with his friends from The Foothills Unitarian Church. Bob was never one to sit around and be idle and always wanted to go on “Family Walks” after supper to talk and get caught up on the busy lives of his children and grandchildren. Music was his life-long passion, but his family was his life, most importantly, Ann, his wife of 55 years, his children: Chris and Laura, and grandchildren: Kayla, Ally, Alejandro, and Javier. The “family walks after supper” tradition will be carried on in his memory.

Bob is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ann (Donham) Molison of Fort Collins, CO; his two children, Chris Molison (Lisa) of Thornton, CO, and Laura Olmedo (Jon) of Denver, CO; and four grandchildren, Kayla Molison, Ally Molison, Alejandro Olmedo and Javier Olmedo. He is also survived by his sister Mary Newton (Don) of (West Des Moines, IA) and beloved in-laws, nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, grand-nephews, friends, former students and colleagues . He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilbur and Miriam Molison and his brother, Wilbur McLain “Mac” Molison.

A service is anticipated to occur in the spring or summer of 2022 in Fort Collins, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that remembrances be made in the form of donations to:

Robert Molison Scholarship in Music

Fund #2703763

c/o Iowa State University Foundation Fund

2505 University Blvd

Ames, IA 50010

https://www.foundation.iastate.edu/s/1463/giving/start.aspx.

Friends and family are encouraged to leave their memories of Bob on the Allnutt Funeral Service website.