Robert Soper ’49

Robert Soper ’49 was the first, and for many years the only, surgeon to specialize in pediatrics in Iowa. He died Oct. 3, 2012. He was 87.

Soper served in the Navy during World War II and attended Cornell College, followed by the University of Iowa College of Medicine. While at Cornell, he was a member of the 1947 wrestling team that won the NCAA and AAU championship.

After several years of training Soper embarked on a one-year fellowship in pediatric surgery in Liverpool, England. Upon his return to Iowa he joined the faculty at the University of Iowa and served as a surgeon and teacher until his retirement in 1995.

Soper was part of a long line of Cornellians, stretching back to Erastus Burroghs Soper, an 1868 graduate and trustee of Cornell College. Dr. Soper’s connection to Cornell was strengthened even further when he married Helene Jolas Soper ’51, daughter of renowned piano instructor Jacques Jolas.

Soper received the Distinguished Achievement Award from Cornell
in 1984. He is survived by his wife, Helene, six children, grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.