Bob McGill, Part 2
Bob and I never  worked together at Northwestern in theatre, but later in life we did in writing and publishing. We toiled for awhile on a controversial book idea that has not yet materialized.

We did, however, work on his excellent book of Poetry, FIND YOUR SONG. 
It's on Amazon at ridiculously low price. 
Get the print edition.
 
 We worked on that baby! 
He wrote, I edited, my VA aligned  the book. 
(poetry--it wasn't easy!) 
Bob didn't adhere to  any "same" system.  

It's a tribute to his brilliance, insight, self-criticism and truth-telling.

He was a dear, true friend. I loved him and will miss him until I die--when I will see him again. 
(That's the Irish Catholic part coming out. )

One more thing.
His son Connor, when he was about five, after a day at a fair of some kind, said,

"Daddy, that was more fun than it is!"

Yes, it was.

I met Bob in 1963, at Northwestern University in Chicago/Evanston where we were graduate assistants /academic advisors in the large theatre department.

He was from Detroit (my then favorite baseball team) and I was from Ottawa, Canada. 

Bob was getting his PhD and I, my MA, but strangely we never discussed that, even once. We were just into theatre.

I have a few stories. 

We shared an apartment with Bruce Marchiafava, a wild Sicilian with a mid -30’s black Maria, pronounced “MA Rye A.” (for you young people!). 

We were all Catholics and every Sunday we went to Mass at all the RC churches in town 
I think there were four, and none had anybody who could deliver a nonboring sermon.
We finally went to the Newman Club where there were two brilliant speaker-priests.

We also used the car to get groceries weekly. 
That was pure theatre

We bought two yellow, plastic toy machine guns, painted them black, and Bob and I sat in the back seat at each window looking out menacingly to the street, the gun barrels held high and obvious.
Bruce drove.  
He looked terrifying.

We were dressed in typical Hollywood gangster-style.   Bob and I did not look remotely like Cary Grant. 

This was occasioned by a cartoon in which a drunk staggers out of a south-side bar at 4 a.m., sees a black Maria, just like Bruce’s, circa1938, screech around the corner and dump a body on the sidewalk in front of the  bar.

 The drunk takes   second to assess the situation, then bends over, glares at the body, and yells, “SAFE!” 
----
One day, it was my turn to pour the drinks for dinner. Bob was setting the table.

(This one is for Kathy.) 
I had two boxes of milk out because one was nearly empty. 

Bob screams at me: DON’T DO THAT! 

‘WHY NOT?” I YELLED. 

A pause.

“I DON’TKNOW!” he yelled 

We both cracked up.

“What the hell!” I said.

Then, he said. “Oh, I remember now. I was doing that once, and my mom yelled that at me. 
When I asked her why, she said it could poison a person. Or something.”

Belated condolences to you Kate and your family. Bob was a close colleague and very good friend of Tony's and mine. We missed him when he left Wayne State, but know that he had a great and happy life with you and the boys. He was so proud of you and the boys. I wish I could share the Limerick's that he and Tony created; they were hilarious, but not for publishing! We all missed Bob, his humor, his scholarship and his passion for Shakespeare and theater when he left Wayne, but mostly we missed his friendship. He and Tony were part of what we called the "new guard." It was special to be part of that, mostly because of Bob. As I said, he was missed when he left and he is now more missed by those of us left to mourn.  I wish you the best. Fondly, Jan  Schmitt

As a grad student at the University of Michigan, Bob was such a fine actor that I was almost surprised to hear he hadn't gone on to Broadway! But his chosen path was to teach, and he was in fact an inspiration and mentor to undergrads like me. It was fun in later life to correspond and read his poems, plays, and songs.

Back in the '60s, in a production of Henry VI, Bob played one of the central characters, the Duke of York. In Part 3, I was one of several student actors playing his enemies, who finally capture, taunt, and stab him to death. (I mean, Shakespeare, right?) Bob hyper-ventilated to project a character exhausted from battle, and actually fainted before we could "kill" him. We all really cared about him so much that we broke character and had to lovingly revive him, just so we could torture and slaughter him properly!

Bob was a major influence in my life as an artist, in acting, teaching and directing. His passion and his humor influence me still, half a century after my studies with him. I was lucky enough to follow him, as my mentor, from my undergraduate years at OU to my graduate studies at Wayne State....where I was also welcomed warmly by his father and mother, as I, an unsophisticated kid who had never lived outside of Oklahoma, adjusted to urban life in downtown Detroit. Bob--and his parents--were always kind to me; and Bob always pushed me to give the best I was capable of. He was both tough and creatively nurturing, simultaneously. He was my first Shakespeare inspiration, and my introduction to the beautiful plays of Chekhov. He has been with me in spirit in all the classes I've taught, all the plays I've directed, and all the roles I've acted.  I wish I had lived nearer, and been able to visit him in person in his later years.

My heart and thoughts are with those closest to Bob: his wife, his children, and his sister.  

"He was a man, take him all for all. I shall not look upon his like again."

Bob was  a  very dear friend with whom I was fortunate to work at UCO for many years.  His kindness and genuine decency to all of those he encountered were the gold standard.  He faced adversity with humor and zest.  He exhibited a gregarious compassion for equity and  comraderie, and made the world a better place.   I extend my heartiest and heartfelt condolences to his family of whom he spoke often with unconditional love and adoration.  Always know that you were the light of his life.

Bob McGill was a wonderful person, teacher, supporter of artists and he will always be remembered for this and so much more. He was a part of my life at the Hilberry at Wayne State and was a passionate director. He loved and lived theatre and was kind and generous. May he rest in peace. 
Kristin Reeves

I knew Bob at Wayne State University and worked in the theatre department with him as a grad student. He was a fun and creative director and will be deeply missed. I was so sorry he missed our Hilberry Reunion, but it was great to reconnect with him during the planning of that event. We spoke on the phone many times.

My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

God speed, Bob.

My life first intertwined with Bob’s  studying for my master’s degree. Bob was working on his PhD. 

He helped me with my breathing. I’d lie on the floor and standing  over, he prompt me to breathe slowly, quickly, dramatically. I wasn’t smitten but did have a crush on Mr. McGill. 

One night in the house he shared with friends, as we started to dance, Barbra Streisand began singing “Why did I choose you?” The world fell away, and it was just the two of us. The fusion was intense and beautiful beyond words. And we both loved words. 

That summer, I played Perdita to Bob’s Leontes in “The Winter’s Tale.” He should have played Charles Condomine to my Elvira in “Blithe Spirit,” but the director cast someone else.

As The Porch Players, we produced William Saroyan’s The Cave Dwellers.

Off stage, Bob and I were inseparable. I left for Europe the following September. We kept in touch with letters. Mine were postmarked London, Paris, Athens. I picked up Bob’s blue aerograms at American Express. When I returned, the magic had faded, but fast friends we did remain.

I moved to Switzerland, married and had two children. On a visit to friends in Ann Arbor, I introduced Bob to Sarah and Thomas. 

At Deerfield Village while the children explored the Wright Brothers’ bike shop, Bob and I reminisced.

More years went by. One day in Zurich I received an aerogram. My hands shook as I ripped it open. Bob asked for forgiveness had he hurt me in any way. There was nothing to forgive except the years we’d spent apart. 

I flew into Detroit. In the the airport, we embraced, and the world fell away. But as he had predicted years before in another blue aerogram, whether it was shoe boxes or a relationship, I couldn’t tie a knot that lasted.

Now he’s gone. I see him as clearly as I did when we danced together oh, so many years ago.

Bob’s spirit will always glow in my heart. I know his spirit will glow in the hearts of those he loved and of those who love him.

Dr. McGill was an inspiration to the artist in me.  I was fortunate to learn and acquire from him his passion for the delicate perfection of the moment of truth that happens when a performer is honest and the material is too.  He was both.  And we could use more of him in the world.  Ed Nahhat

Bob was a wonderful actor, a brilliant director, a revered professor and a beautiful soul. RIP, old friend.
Mark White

OBITUARY

Robert Emmett McGill

September 8, 1941 – May 25, 2026

Baggerley Funeral Home

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