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Robert F. Baustian
| Robert F. Baustian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 June 1921 Storm Lake, Iowa |
| Died | February 2016 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Protestant |
| Awards | Bronze Star |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| ASN | 16126186 |
| Rank | Major |
| Rank at Ritchie | Private First Class |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 19 (16 May – 13 July 1944) |
| Section | 5C |
| Enlisted | Chicago, Illinois |
| Team | IPW 153 |
|
| Bronze Star |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Robert Frederick Baustian (4 June 1921 – February 2016) was a United States Army interrogator who trained at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, in Class 19 and later became an opera conductor.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Robert Frederick Baustian was born on 4 June 1921 at Storm Lake, Iowa, the son of Alfred and Grace E. Martin Baustian. He graduated from East High School in Sioux City in 1938 and earned a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in 1942.
Baustian enlisted in the Army Signal Corps enlisted reserve (radar) in Chicago in September 1942 and entered active service at Fort Custer, Michigan, in September 1943. After basic training at Miami Beach, Florida, he trained for German prisoner-of-war interrogation at Camp Ritchie (Class 19) and served in combat with the 4th Infantry Division and the 11th Armored Division in Germany from November 1944 to May 1945. Discharged as a technician fifth grade at Camp Grant, Illinois, in March 1946, he received the Bronze Star.
Returning to Eastman for a Master of Music in 1948, Baustian studied further in Zurich and conducted opera and symphony in Europe and the United States, including assistant conducting on Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Consul tour (1950–1951) and service as second conductor at the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden (1953–1957). From 1957 he was associated with the Santa Fe Opera and later with the University of Kansas and Oberlin Conservatory. He died in February 2016.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- ASTP
- Birth place: packet/obituary materials support Storm Lake, Iowa (replacing earlier Malcom, Iowa). Live |rank_final=Major is not supported by the wartime packet (T/5 at discharge); left unchanged pending stronger evidence of a later commission.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Robert F. Baustian biographical sketch page (RB Archive)
Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Nara ASN | 16126186 |
| Nara Name | BAUSTIAN ROBERT F |
| Nara State | 72 |
| Nara County | 169 |
| Nara POE | 6120 |
| Nara DOE | 180942 |
| Nara Grade Alpha | PVT |
| Nara Grade Code | 8 |
| Nara Branch Alpha | SC |
| Nara Branch Code | 90 |
| Branch | Signal Corps |
| Nara Term or Enlistment | 0 |
| Term of enlistment | Unknown |
| Defer. Date | 3 |
| Nara Source | 0 |
| Nara Nativity | 72 |
| Nativity.1 | IOWA |
| Nara Year of Birth | 21 |
| Nara Race | 1 |
| Nara Race Description | White citizen |
| Nara Education | 8 |
| Nara Civilian Occupation | 992 |
| Nara Marital Status | 6 |
| Nara Height (inches) | 71 |
| Nara Weight (lbs) | 145 |
| Class_ASN | 16126186 |
| Class_Name | BAUSTIAN, Robert F. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 4 June 1921 — Born in Storm Lake, Iowa.
- 1938 — Graduated East High School, Sioux City, Iowa.
- 1942 — Bachelor of Music, Eastman School of Music.
- September 1942 — Enlisted in Army Signal Corps reserve (radar training, Chicago).
- September 1943 — Inducted at Fort Custer, Michigan; basic training at Miami Beach.
- 1943–1944 — Trained at Camp Ritchie (Class 19) for German POW interrogation; IPW Team 153.
- November 1944–May 1945 — Combat interrogation service with 4th Infantry Division and 11th Armored Division in Germany.
- March 1946 — Discharged as T/5 at Camp Grant, Illinois; Bronze Star.
- 1948 — Master of Music, Eastman School of Music.
- 1957 — Began long association with the Santa Fe Opera.
- February 2016 — Died.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Robert F. Baustian biographical sketch page (RB Archive)
- Slipped Disc, “Santa Fe mourns formative opera maestro”
- AP News remembrances of Robert Baustian
- Robert Baustian obituary (Santa Fe New Mexican / Legacy)
- RB Archive biographical sketch (University of Kansas / Santa Fe Opera era), Robert F. Baustian packet
- Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
- Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2023-01-01 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Robert F. Baustian for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Baustian, Robert F. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: ROBERT F. BAUSTIAN.doc)