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He eventually earned a Doctorate in Educational Me- of all the local alleys to speak about their group and
dia. He joined the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse invite people to attend one of their meetings.
faculty in 1975 teaching media classes in the educa- Richard's first term as President was 1987-1988.
tion department. In 1980, he taught a department of Three significant things occurred during his term.
continuing education one night a week clown course.
Publicity that course received led to the creation of The first was mail in ballots for WCA elections.
Clown Camp in 1981. Previously clown organizations held their elections
during their annual convention. Richard felt that
Richard said, “Weeds grow by themselves, but a since a small percentage of the membership attend-
flower has to be carefully tended. That is why our ed- ed conventions most of the members had no voice in
ucation program is so important.” the direction of the organization. He got the change
Richard was chosen as the President Elect at the in voting passed and in 1990 every member had the
1986 WCA Convention. He was busy promoting the opportunity to vote for the first time.
WCA before he was installed as President. In the Dean “Bo Dino” Weiss was scheduled to be on Clown
spring of 1987, Richard led a contingent of American Camp staff in 1986. He was killed in an auto accident
clowns to a Clowns International Convention in En- earlier that year. His family donated many of his
gland. props to Clown Camp. They were sold during a silent
Richard has made it possible for many others to auction. Richard could have kept the money to start a
make their contributions to the WCA. While at the scholarship exclusively for Clown Camp participants.
1987 CI convention, he met Arthur Pedlar and con- Instead, he donated the money to the WCA to start the
vinced him to join the WCA. Richard encouraged Bo Dino Scholarship Fund, which was the first avail-
Arthur to help in organizing a WCA alley located able for the study of clowning. The scholarship could
in the United Kingdom. Arthur was elected the first be used for any educational clown program that met
Motley Alley President in 1989. He began writing his a set of minimum standards. For thirty years, Clown
Clowning Around column describing famous Europe- Camp continued to donate money from their annual
an clown acts. Arthur was the convention chair for auction to the WCA Bo Dino Scholarship. People are
the 1995 WCA Convention in Southport, England. He still benefitting from using the scholarship program
eventually became the first WCA President from out- that Richard began.
side the United States. The third important change was the result of Rich-
ard's belief that if our organization was truly a World
I had heard about the WCA, but was not interest-
ed in joining. Richard also convinced me to become a Clown Association, we needed to be involved interna-
member in 1987. Everything that I have contributed tionally. He proposed that every four years our con-
to the WCA was at Richard's suggestion and encour- vention would be held outside of the United States.
agement. After that was approved, planning began for the
1991 World Clown Convention to be held in Bognor
Richard consistently promoted WCA membership. Regis, England. It was actually two conventions held
One year the descendants of a clown who had ap- one after the other in the same location. The World
peared on television in Southern California donated Clown Association held our convention first followed
a case of his autobiography to Clown Camp. Richard by the Clowns International convention. Members of
used those books as a premium. Anyone joining the each association were invited guests to the other or-
WCA during Clown Camp that year received a free ganization's convention. Over 700 clowns participat-
copy of the book.
ed in the joint convention making it the largest one in
During the closing session of Clown Camp on the history. Richard was the chairman of the WCA
Road programs, Richard would invite representatives portion of the convention.
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