William Booth Wecker (December 17, 1892 – September 3, 1969) was an American entertainer and all around showman and was also the agent for his wife Bee Kyle the well known high diver. Will was born in Owensboro, Kentucky the son of a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

immigrant father Frank Wecker who was a Confederate drummer boy during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and Martha Beverly Boehm Wecker a descendant of the Reverend Martin Boehm who helped found the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

. He had four brothers George W., Frank, Isidore, and Joseph Wecker, all of whom lived during their adult lives in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. His brother Joe was a friend of

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

and helped pay for his famous flight. Will Wecker served in the United States Army in France in World War I, and he was a member of the Army of Occupation in Germany after that war. He married Beatrice (Bee) Kyle, from Maine, who was a high diver, and Will became her manager. They traveled throughout the United States and the world, and he and Bee worked at carnivals and circuses and other shows. In 1939, she was a featured high diver in a show in Japan. Will returned to the United States and told his brother George's son-in-law, Herman Francis Borgman, that, based on his experiences and contacts in Japan, he had gained the impression that someday the United States was going to have to fight the Japanese. Will Wecker, through the years, did many things as an entertainer and showman. He was a jockey, a magician, a circus producer, a pitch man on circus main ways, and he once entered a lion cage at a circus and held back an attacking lion, saving the lion tamer's life. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, he produced the annual Firemen Circuses in St. Louis. In the summer of 1946, Will Wecker and Bee Kyle were with the Cole Brothers Circus in Effingham, Illinois. Will was in charge of all the concessions on the circus main way. Bee Kyle was bedridden (in her and Will's house trailer) and unable to high dive any more, for she, while appearing in a show in Alabama, had hit the side of the tank once too often, and doctors said if she hit the side of the tank again, she would die. Will and Bee subsequently moved to Biloxi, Mississippi, where they operated a restaurant. Bee Kyle was famous for her cooking. Wecker died on September 3, 1969, and was interred with his wife at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. They never had any children. Bee Kyle had a brother who resided in St. Louis.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wecker, William Booth 1892 births 1969 deaths People from Owensboro, Kentucky United States Army personnel of World War I