Robert C. Lower

Family-Placed Death Notice

LOWER, Robert ROBERT C. LOWER Robert C. Lower, age 64, of Atlanta, GA died Sunday, August 28, 2011, at Emory Hospital of complications from leukemia. Bob was born in Oak Park, Illinois and raised in Benton Harbor, Michigan. He received his A.B. degree, magna cum laude with highest honors, from Harvard College, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School where he served as president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. An attorney at Alston & Bird LLP, Bob led the firm's Health Care Regulatory Compliance practice where he specialized in complex health care transactions. He served as an adjunct professor of law at Emory University School of Law for several years and was a panelist and author on health care and copyright law. Bob co-founded the Georgia Lawyers for the Arts, was the founding chairman of the Fulton County Arts Council, and a trustee of the Woodruff Arts Center. He was on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Glee Club Foundation and a trustee of Piedmont College. An accomplished singer, Bob sang with Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra choruses and the prestigious Robert Shaw Chamber Singers. He was also a member of The Atlanta Singers where he and his wife, Cheryl, shared the administrative responsibilities for the critically acclaimed 18-voice ensemble. Bob was especially proud of the choral works he commissioned from Alice Parker and Stephen Paulus. Bob's greatest adventure occurred last summer when he undertook a 14-day solo trek in Torngat Mountains in northern Labrador. He was awakened early one morning by two polar bears. This adventure in the mystical region known as "the land of the spirits" was a life-changing experience that he loved to share with others. Love of family epitomized everything Bob believed in. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Cheryl, and three sons from his first marriage to Jean Ludwig Lower (d. 1985): David (Amanda), Andrew (Claire), and James (Kate), and grandchildren, Matthew and Anna Jean. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Atlanta Singers for commissioning new choral works in his memory (935 Plymouth Road, Atlanta, GA 30306). Or to Preserve the Dunes, Inc. (P.O. Box 38, Hagar Shores, MI 49039). A memorial service celebrating his life will be held on Thursday, September 1, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 435 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, GA 30308. (A program of special music begins at 3:30 p.m.). A. S. Turner & Sons.