In 2007, Karen Bishop took fellow opera fan Dan Shea aside and broke the news: She was ill, and had to step away from her role with UW Opera Props. In January, Bishop, 54, died after a 20-year fight with breast cancer, leaving behind a family and a gift expected to change the history of opera at UW-Madison. A gift of $500,000 from Bishop’s husband Charlie, along with a matching grant from the John and Tashia Morgridge Foundation and funds from University Opera supporters, has ushered in a new era for the art form on campus, supporters say.
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