Dr. Robert W. Rumbelow, the director of bands at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, resigned earlier this week amid allegations that he sold the school's inventory of older musical instruments and deposited the money in his personal bank accounts.
The alleged theft reminds Classicalite of yet another academic, Professor Harold Hill--the leading con man in Meredith Willson's classic American musical The Music Man.
As you might recall, the fictional Prof. Hill planned to sell musical instruments to River City's residents and then make off with the proceeds.
According to University of Illinois police, Dr. Rumbelow sold an estimated 76 musical instruments that belonged to the university and deposited the money--an amount totaling almost $76,000--into two personal bank accounts.
When Rumbelow resigned, he paid the university more than $87,000, most of which resulted from the sale of the instruments.
Illini police Lieut. Matthew Myrick also said that Rumbelow had about $10,000 of questionable charges on his university-issued credit card, including home improvement materials and speakers.
For now, Rumbelow has not been charged with a crime, but police have been investigating for what would amount to a felony case, according to detective James Carter.
The Champaign County state's attorney's office is also investigating this case.
Could it be that, just like Harold Hill, Robert Rumbelow had second thoughts about keeping the cash?
Rumbelow's lawyer, Daniel Jackson, said that his client sold the instruments in order to fund a study on the feasibility of building a new structure to house the band department, since the existing building is in disrepair.
Jackson maintained that Rumbelow planned to give the money back to the university anonymously, as a way of funding the study.
"He never spent any of it for anything, nor did he intend to keep any of it," Jackson told the Chicago Tribune on August 23. "It was always sitting there, waiting to go back to the university, which it has. He hasn't spent a nickel of it for himself."
More details about Rumbelow's actions and motives will come out when he is arraigned, which should be some time in late September, police said.
News of Dr. Robert W. Rumbelow's resignation is yet more trouble for the University of Illinois, which had to weather an admissions scandal that resulted in the unversity's president stepping down in 2009.
UIUC's School of Music has over 800 students in undergraduate and graduate programs, making it one of the largest collegiate music programs in the U.S.
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