William Lawrence Slout (July 17, 1923 – February 4, 2017) was an American professor of theater at California State University, San Bernardino. He wrote ''Olympians of the Sawdust Circle'' and other

reference book A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to f ...

s on circus history.

Biography

Slout was born on July 17, 1923 in

Charlotte, Michigan Charlotte ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,074. It is the county seat of Eaton County. Charlotte is in the central portion of the county, on the boundary between Eaton Township an ...

. He served in World War II and received a B.A. from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

in 1947 and an M.A. from Utah State University in 1953. He received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Slout died in

Redlands, California Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 census. The city is located approximately west of Palm Springs and east of Lo ...

on February 4, 2017, at the age of 93.

Publications

Author

*''Theatre in a Tent: The Development of a Provincial Entertainment'' (1972) *''Olympians of the Sawdust Circle'' (1998)

Editor

*''Life upon the Wicked Stage: A Visit to the American Theatre of the 1860s, 1870s, and 1880s As Seen in the Pages of the New York Clipper (Clipper Studies in the Theatre, No. 14, 1996) *''Old Gotham Theatricals'' *''Popular Amusements in Horse and Buggy America'' *''Broadway Below the Sidewalk'' *''The Theatrical Rambles of Mr. And Mrs. John Greene'' *''Clowns and Cannons'' *''Amphitheatres and Circuses'' *''Ink From a Circus Press Agent'' *''A Royal Coupling'' *''A Clown's Log'' *''Grand Entrée'' (with Stuart Thayer) *''Chilly Billy''

References

External links

Circus History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slout, William L. 1923 births 2017 deaths California State University, San Bernardino faculty Michigan State University alumni Utah State University alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni People from Charlotte, Michigan