Apart from his prowess as a yachtsman, Bob Halperin was well known as a football player at Notre Dame and the University of Wisconsin. At the 1960 Olympics he crewed for Bill Parks, a fellow member of the Chicago YC, and at the 1963 Pan American Games, Halperin won a gold medal as crew to Dick Stearns in the Star class. Halperin enlisted in the navy at the outbreak of World War II and finished his service as a lieutenant commander. He saw action in the Pacific, North African, and European combat zones and was highly decorated for gallantry Halperin was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and a Presidential Citation. He was also awarded the highest possible honor by the Nationalist Chinese government.
United States