Oberlin College Athletics

Robert H. Palmer earned three letters in both soccer and lacrosse at Oberlin College and also competed on the freshman basketball team and club fencing squad. While he served as a team co-captain for the lacrosse squad his senior season and was a key player for the Yeomen, Palmer truly excelled in soccer. He was a three-time All- American, earning first team honors in 1951, second team accolades in 1952 and second place honorable mention distinction in 1950. Palmer was also named first team All-Midwest in each of his three seasons for the soccer team, and the Yeomen went a combined 24-1-2 those three years. He received a bachelor's degree in pre-medicine from Oberlin in 1953 and later went on to earn a medical degree from Harvard University.
As a student at Oberlin, Palmer was active in the Musical Union and First Church Choir. More recently, Palmer served on the Gift Committee for his 50th reunion. Additionally, he is a member of the New Amsterdam Singers in New York.
An author of over 100 professional publications, Palmer served as a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, Rockefeller University, and the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He remains active in medicine, working in the pharmaceutical industry since 1985. Palmer and his wife, Jessie, reside in New York City, and they have two children, Thomas and Elisabeth.