BO DINO SCHOLARSHIP
Dean Richard Weiss was the vice president of a Chicago bank. He traded his pinstripes for a
tattered hat and a big nose.  Dean Weiss started in 1971 as a Christmas, Holiday season clown
known as Bo-Dino when he visited an orphanage.  It wasn’t long before he resigned his
position as vice President of a large bank in Chicago and entered clowning on a full-time
basis.  He went on to do school shows, circus appearances and performing before college
audiences.  In 1978, he became Brunswick Corporation’s Goodwill Ambassador. In this
capacity, he traveled the country visiting schools and recreation centers where he
entertained young people.  He was seen frequently at festivals and state fairs, where he
entertained from his self-contained stage/theatre.  His much anticipated first appearance on
the staff of the University of Wisconsin- La Crosse’s Clown Camp© was denied as a result of his
early death (48) in an automobile crash to a show in South Carolina.  Mary Weiss, his widow,
donated his props to Clown Camp.  They were auctioned off and the funds used to start the
World Clown Association Bo-Dino Scholarship, the first scholarship program for clowns.  In
1987, the first $200 scholarships were presented to five clowns.  Auctions at the University of
Wisconsin Clown Camp© and the annual World Clown Association convention continue to
fund the program.  The number of scholarships awarded each year is determined by those
donations.  It is fitting that a clown who taught his audiences to pursue their dreams is honored
by a scholarship that enables others to get the education they need to fulfill their dream of
becoming a better clown.
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