October 17th, 2011 Published by: mooresb

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Growing Up InsideUniversity SchoolGrowing Up Inside UniversitySchoolOctober 17th, 2011

A great many books have been written about America'sLaboratory Schools. For the most part these books examine theschool as an institution. University School Historian RobertButche breaks new ground by approaching the UniversitySchool experience from the student's perspective -- andnot just any student, but Butche himself. Craig Kridel,Professor of Education History and Curriculum Theory at theUniversity of North Carolina suggested the idea to RobertButche and Paul Klohr, former Director of the UniversitySchool, in the spring of 2004. Although Kridel and Butchespoke of a book that would trace several student experiencesthat could be interwoven with archival materials abouttheir schooling, there were many problems. Concerns aboutprivacy, consistent writing style and presentation soon madeclear that a multi-student story had many potential problems.By Summer, Paul Klohr had a better idea. Butche should writea detailed autobiography of his own childhood, organized bygrade level. The autobiographical materials, Klohr argued,should reveal in great detail what was happening in youngRobert's life. Overlaid on Robert's story would be his completeand unexpurgated quarterly reports as well as informationfrom the vertical file kept on all students who attendedUniversity School. The resulting book, Klohr and Butcheagreed, would also contain descriptions of the UniversitySchool system, philosophical model, methods and commentsabout what the biographical-achievement information saidabout the school, its faculty, and its contributions to the lifeof one student examined every step of the way from the firstgrade through graduation in 1954.Excerpt from Fourth Grade

From this time on, my penchant for traveling Frost’s roadless traveled, would take me places and engage me inactivities far beyond the ordinary.

One of my first adventures came later this same year whenone of my dad’s Masonic organizations, the Achbar Grotto,sponsored an off-season circus as a way of fund raising.The cost of renting acts was substantial, so the managerssought to use lodge volunteers wherever possible. Mostof the men were needed for ticket sales, ushers, and otheradministrative tasks, so none volunteered for severalvacant clown positions. When my dad and his brothers

were discussing this problem one night in our front room, Ivolunteered. My dad thought this a bad idea, but my uncleWalter pressed forward. Soon, I was named an official clownfor the five day run of the circus. My act would be me andour small cocker-terrier named Zoonie.

The other clowns were very helpful with teaching me howto use the zinc-oxide makeup. My costume was made ofclothes mom deemed ready for the trash. It took me acouple of nights to get the hang of clowning, but by the firstweekend performance, Friday night, I was familiar with ouractivities and roles. I worked hard to earn the respect ofthe professional clowns and they recognized my efforts bynaming me to break in a one-night clown for Friday night.Although I had heard the name from adults, I neither knewnor recognized the most famous newspaper figure of thetime, Johnny Jones, of the Columbus Dispatch.

Columnist Johnny Jones with Robert ButchePhoto: Columbus Dispatch

Jones was an affable and friendly man, full of fun andanxious to learn from his experiences and to later writeabout them. I taught him how to design and apply his clownmakeup. The head clown, Emmett Kelley, one of the mostfamous in the American Circus world, told me to help Jonesput on black-face makeup. In the clown world the black faceclowns, like Emmett Kelley, are the sad faced. Black facemakeup covers less of the body, is mouth oriented, and takesfar less time to apply because there is no white foundation. Igave it my best, but in the end, one of the other clowns hadto help get Johnny Jones looking like a clown.

Johnny Jones was a great deal of fun that night.

October 17th, 2011 Published by: mooresb

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Shortly after we began the grand parade that opened thecircus, the announcer identified Johnny Jones and hisfriend, Bobby Butche. The crowd roared, and my mom lovedit – but even I knew it was Johnny Jones the crowd wasrecognizing, not me.

Emmett KellyPhoto: Clown Hall of Fame

By the time the circus ended on Saturday night, I loved beingpart of the show. I had come to know the animal people, andI had discovered the other kids in the show, or who traveledwith their parents in the off-season. The clowns invited meto join their regular act the next year when they were in theOhio region. For months I dreamed of being in the big tentwith the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Baily Circus as ittraveled all over the Midwest. Mom put the kabash on mebeing on the road all summer, but I did get to play the showwhen it was in Columbus, and one afternoon in Canton.

The next fall, Achbar Grotto sponsored a Rodeo in Columbusand I was invited to clown with them. While I loved therodeo format, the work of a Rodeo Clown was far differentfrom what I learned from the Ringling trained clowns. Circusclowns are for diversion, crowd interaction and comedy.Rodeo clowns play a far different role for they are chargedwith protecting the bull riders. Although clowns make theirsafety role appear comical to the audience, Rodeo clowningis very serious business. Once a rider is thrown, he is indanger of being attacked by an angry bull. The job of theclowns is to confuse and divert the bull. The only safetyfor the clowns is outrunning, confusing or disappearingfrom view. When the first two don’t work, the only way forthe clown to avoid getting gored is to jump into a safetybarrel just large enough for a man to get into. Sometimes theclown’s disappearance confuses the bull, but very often theangry animal is not fooled and charges the barrel. The barrelis therefore the clown’s last choice for avoiding the chargingbull.

The first night I was charged the barrel was on the other sideof the bull. Inexperienced as I was, I decided to race the bullto the safety fence. From the moment I began to run I knewI was in trouble, but then I had yet to discover how muchfaster a person can run when being charged by an angry bull.

Both mom and dad were in the Coliseum that night. WhenI made it safely to the side fence and scrambled above thebull’s level, the ring announcer exclaimed, “. . . Never saw aclown run so fast in my life. So, at the end of the first event,it’s Fat Boy one and bull zero . . . “