Jay O. Glerum, Rigging Specialist, Passes Away

	Jay O. Glerum

Jay O. Glerum died June 26, 2014, in Bothell, Washington, after a brief illness. Born August 16, 1939 in Washington, D.C. to Jay O. Glerum Sr. and Catherine (Hobreckx) Glerum, he grew up in Evanston, Illinois; Marinette, Wisconsin; Washington, DC, and Wheaton, Maryland; with many of his childhood summers spent in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

After touring Europe and the US with Catholic University Players, Glerum attended Montgomery Junior College before moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington School of Drama, where he met his future wife Sara (Sallie) Johnsone. They married in 1962, and Jay began his long and successful career in technical theatre, which included teaching at Seattle and Marquette Universities and working at Peter Albrecht Company, a theatrical rigging design company based in Milwaukee. In 1986 he returned to Seattle to lead the graduate program in technical theatre at the UW School of Drama. After writing a definitive book on theatrical rigging, Stage Rigging Handbook (published in 1989 and now in its third edition), he established his own theatrical consulting firm, Jay O. Glerum & Associates, Inc., which became his life's work and remained so until December 2013.

As an advocate, catalyst, educator, and practitioner of safe rigging practice, Glerum is considered by his peers to have been one of the most influential forces in improving backstage safety for theatrical riggers and stagehands. He taught Master Classes throughout the US and Canada, and inspected and designed rigging systems at numerous venues. He is also considered pivotal in the stage rigging industry's recent adoption of safety standards. He was made a Fellow of the US Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT) in 1995 and was the recipient of its Joel E. Rubin Founders Award, as well as its Health and Safety Award.

Glerum is survived by his wife, Sallie; their children, Andrea (Dominique Guttierez), Matthew (Candra Canning), Philip (Denise Kenney), and Peter (Eleni); granddaughters, Katie, Maddie, and Mae; his sisters, Judy Summers (George) and Joan Irvine; sister-in-law, Judy Miller (Patrick), and many cousins, nephews and nieces. Known for being a kind and gentle man, as well as a dynamic and gifted teacher, he was much beloved by his family, friends, and colleagues. He will be greatly missed.

According to the family, Glerum was a huge fan and supporter of The PLASA Foundation's Behind the Scenes charity. Donations in his memory can be made through the URL below. Or, donations in his memory may be made to University Food Bank (1413 NE 50th St, Seattle, WA 98105), or Operation Sack Lunch (OSL PO Box 4128, Seattle, WA 98124), two local organizations he cared deeply about.

A Facebook page was created at the URL below right.

The family has planned a memorial gathering to honor Jay O. Glerum (a Cast and Crew party):

Sunday, August 3, 2014
1:00 - 4:00pm
ACT Theatre (Bullett Cabaret)
700 Union Street
Seattle, Washington 98101