They called him "Boss." A generation of Lehigh student-singers revered Robert Cutler, who directed Lehigh's choirs from 1954 to 1979. To address Cutler as "Bob" seemed disrespectful; to call him "Professor" belied the warmth of a man who would take soup to the dorm room of an ill student.

As director of the Glee Club, Cutler arranged joint concerts each year with singing groups at women's colleges. The Glee Club also recorded the wealth of music composed for male ensembles and performed it on tour.

In later years, Cutler's students remembered him as a man whose sole devotion was to them, a man who inspired and made them believe. A year before he died, Cutler's students gathered from around the country, rehearsed the music he had taught them and threw him a surprise 90th birthday party and concert. For his centennial, they gathered again to give him an encore.