by Matt Kelley [Radio Iowa, 30 March 2006]

A retired opera star who won international fame during his long career returns to his alma mater in central Iowa today (Thursday) with the goal of further motivating the next generation of singers. Seventy-one-year-old Sherrill Milnes grew up on a family dairy farm in Illinois and won global acclaim as a baritone after getting his B.A. and master's degrees from Drake University in the 1950s. Milnes says he's coming back to Des Moines to provide something to budding vocalists: "a route, a glimmer of hope, certainly inspiration to these singers and hopefully, a lot of knowledge."