William L. Schultz

William ‘Bill’ L. Schultz (November 25, 1923 – June 7, 2009), was a late 20th century American circus performer (acrobat and flying trapeze artist), national paddleball champion,[1][2] national racquetball champion,[3][4] U.S. Marine, Big Time wrestler, the youngest executive director of the YMCA,[5] and poet.[6] He also sparred with John Wayne and other Hollywood celebrities.[7]

William L. (Bill) Schultz
BornNovember 25, 1923
Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA
DiedJune 7, 2009(2009-06-07) (aged 85)
Manitowoc, WI, USA
NationalityUSA
OccupationCircus performer;
Circus World Museum Director;
YMCA Director
Known forNational Paddleball Champion; National Racquetball Champion; Director of the Chicago Great Circus Parade; Wisconsin Racquetball Association Hall of Fame

Early life

William ‘Bill’ L. Schultz was born in 1923 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA into his father, William ('Billy', 'Lester') Schultz's Circus.[8][9] Born into a circus family, Schultz developed into an acrobat and all-around athlete. Following high school and one year at the University of Wisconsin (UW),[10] he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942.[11] He became a Marine Champion in boxing and wrestling,[12] later touring and performing alongside professional athletes and Hollywood stars at War Bond shows throughout the United States.[7]

Bill Schultz grapples with John Wayne (1943, Hollywood)

Education and YMCA career

Following the war, Schultz returned to the University of Wisconsin and earned a Bachelor's degree and Master’s degree in Physical Education.[11] During this time, he served as captain of the Gymnastics Team and earned the title of Big Ten Champion on the flying rings.[13][14] Schultz performed in the half-time shows of UW football and basketball games, entertaining fans with cartwheels on the fifty-yard line and handstands in the rafters of the old Field House.[15] Subsequently, Schultz turned down an offer to perform with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, instead beginning a career with the YMCA. He served as Physical Director of the Madison (Wisconsin, USA) YMCA in 1949,[16] and later became the youngest YMCA Executive Director in the country (Keokuk, IA).[17][18] During his career, he traveled to build many YMCAs, while becoming a national champion in Paddleball in 1962[1] and Racquetball in 1968.[19][20]

Circus World and Circus Parades
The Chicago Circus Parade (1982)

Going home to his circus roots, Schultz became Executive Director of the Circus World Museum in Baraboo (Wisconsin) in 1972.[21] During the next 12 years, he developed the Museum and Library to become the state’s leading attraction.[22] In 1980, Schultz brought the Great Circus Parade and 100,000 visitors to the streets of Baraboo.[23] In 1981 and 1982 he staged the largest Circus Parade in the world for the city of Chicago. The Chicago Circus Parade was attended by over one million spectators lining the Michigan Avenue parade route.[24][25]

Later life

After retiring from the circus in 1984, Schultz became a substitute teacher, teaching throughout Wisconsin.[26] In 1993 Schultz wrote and illustrated The Joy of Remembering, a book summarizing his philosophical and practical reflections on life.[27] He promoted the book with talks throughout the country.[28] Subsequently, Schultz wrote and self-published The Alphabet of Life, a book that shared a lesson on life for each letter of the alphabet.[29] Between 1992 and 1997, Schultz wrote his memoirs, titled My Life.[30]

In 2004, Schultz was one of four inaugural inductees into the Wisconsin Racquetball Association Hall of Fame.[31] Following Schultz's death in 2009,[32] his memoirs were published as Bill Schultz: Ringmaster of Sport.

Books authored by William L Schultz
  • Schultz, William L. The Joy of Remembering. Madison, Wis: Fox Point Pub, 1993.
  • Schultz, William L. The Alphabet of Life. Madison, Wis: Point Pub. Co, 1998.
  • My Life (1997)
  • Bill Schultz: Ringmaster of Sport (2016)

References
  1. "National Paddleball Association National Champions List" (PDF). paddleball.org. National Paddleball Association. 2012. Retrieved 14 Apr 2016.
  2. "'Y' champs to be feted at banquet". The Daily Telegram from Eau Claire WI. USA. 14 Apr 1964. Retrieved 11 Apr 2016.
  3. Zaferos, Barb (2014). "Game for a racquetball kill, outdoor thrill" (PDF). Milwaukee Business Journal. Milwaukee, WI, USA. Retrieved 11 Apr 2016.
  4. "First paddle racquet nationals at Milwaukee JCC". Ace Magazine. USA. Jun 1968. p. 25.
  5. Testimonial Program Brochure. Keokuk YMCA. 1954.
  6. Speaking Brochure: The Joy of Remembering. 1993.
  7. "I Out-duked the Duke". Films of the Golden Age Magazine. 1996.
  8. "Under the Marquee". Billboard Magazine. 2 May 1942. p. 25.
  9. Dippel, Beth (2 Oct 2015). "Sheboygan History: Vocational classes have a rich history". Sheboygan Press. USA. Retrieved 11 Apr 2016.
  10. William B. (Billy) Schultz – The Man, His Circus, and School. Manitowoc, WI, USA: Manitowoc Historical Society. 1981.
  11. "Bill Schultz eagerly grabbed second chance at circus career". Milwaukee Sentinel. Baraboo, WI. 4 Jul 1973. Retrieved 15 Apr 2016.
  12. Adams, Barry (17 Jun 2009). "HELPED BUILD TWO YMCAS, EX-DIRECTOR OF CIRCUS WORLD OBITUARY: BILL SCHULTZ, 85". Madison.com. USA. Retrieved 8 Apr 2016.
  13. "Circus History Rides Rails, Rolls into city for parade (first page of article)". Milwaukee Sentinel. USA. 30 Jun 1972. Retrieved 8 Apr 2016.
  14. "Circus History Rides Rails, Rolls into city for parade (second page of article)". Milwaukee Sentinel. USA. 30 Jun 1972. Retrieved 8 Apr 2016.
  15. Schultz, Bill (1997). My Life. p. 83.
  16. "Schultz Will Leave Y". Oshkosk Daily Northweatern. Oshkosh, WI, USA. 8 Apr 1957. p. 5.
  17. Erickson, Doug (10 Jul 2011). "Long gone after 54 glorious years, Camp Wakanda returns to life for a special, one-time YMCA reunion". Wisconsin State Journal. Wisconsin, USA. Retrieved 14 Apr 2016.
  18. Schultz, Bill (1997). My Life. p. 149.
  19. Official Racquetball Rules plus Instructional Articles. Skokie, IL, USA: International Racquetball Association. 1970.
  20. "Detailed Historical Timeline". United States Racquetball Foundation. 2006. p. 5. Retrieved 12 Apr 2016.
  21. "Circus Museum Director Will Leave Post in December". 31 Jul 1984. Retrieved 9 Apr 2016.
  22. Parkinson, Robert (1983). "Circus World Museum Library and Research Center: Wisconsin's Three-Ring Library". Wisconsin Library Journal. Division for Library Services, Department of Public Instruction, Wisconsin. 78 (3): 97. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  23. Boyd, Joe (2 Jul 1959). "35,000 see circus parade at Baraboo". USA. Retrieved 9 Apr 2016.
  24. Seymour, P.B. (15 Jul 1985). "Circus Parade a Step Back in Time". The Free Lance–Star. Milwaukee, WI, USA. Retrieved 15 Apr 2016.
  25. "'83 Parade Plans" (PDF). The Circus Report (3). USA. 1 March 1983. p. 3. Retrieved 11 Apr 2016.
  26. "An Interview with William A. (Bill) Schultz Jr". USA: Manitowoc Historical Society. 11 Oct 1980.
  27. Schultz, Bill, Bill Schultz: Ringmaster of Sport, p. 135, 2016
  28. ‘Speaking Brochure: Joy of Remembering’, 1993
  29. Schultz, Bill, Bill Schultz: Ringmaster of Sport, p. 158, 2016
  30. Schultz, Bill (1997). My Life. p. 272.
  31. "WRA Hall of Fame". wiracquetball.org. Wisconsin Racquetball. 2014. Retrieved 11 Apr 2016.
  32. "William L. "Bill" Schultz, 85, Manitowoc, WI". Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter. Manitowoc, USA. 7 Jun 2009. Retrieved 9 Apr 2016.
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