Robert Lancaster Hoskins (CC ’60) was born on August 3, 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended Cincinnati Country Day School.  A member of Calhoun College, he majored in political science and was assistant manager to the varsity basketball team.  Though upon graduation he aspired to a career in public relations, he followed a decidedly different career path. After a brief stint at the Hartford Insurance Company, he taught at the Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, Massachusetts, and at the Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling, New York, before earning an M.Ed. from the University of Cincinnati in 1968.

Hoskins later moved to New York, where he met nightlife impresario Erv Raible.  Together, Hoskins and Raible bought and managed the Duplex Cabaret and Piano Bar in the West Village.  The pair brought many big names to Duplex, including Woody Allen and Joan Rivers; renowned comedian and talk show host Dick Cavett (YC ’58) made his first New York appearances there.  Together, Hoskins and Raible assumed ownership of several such venues including Don’t Tell Mama and Brandy’s, and became a powerful force behind the ongoing revitalization of New York’s cabaret scene.  

Robert Hoskins died on December 23, 1984 at age 46.

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