Jay O. Glerum died June 26, 2014, in Bothell, Washington, after a brief illness. Born August 16, 1939, Glerum attended Montgomery Junior College and later the University of Washington, where he met his wife Sara (Sallie) Johnson. In addition to teaching at Seattle and Marquette Universities, Glerum started his career working at Peter Albrecht Company, a theatrical rigging-design company based in Milwaukee, eventually becoming one of the world’s foremost experts in theatrical rigging. As an advocate, catalyst, educator, and practitioner of safe rigging practice, Jay is considered by his peers to have been one of the most influential forces in improving backstage safety for theatrical riggers and stagehands through his master classes and writing. In 1989 he published the

, the definitive book on theatrical rigging (now in its third edition). He led his own theatrical consulting firm Jay O. Glerum & Associates, Inc. until December 2013. 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. When asked to comment on his passing, David Grindle, executive director of USITT, said “Jay Glerum was a giant in the field of rigging and theatrical safety. His work has taught many and made us all safe. But far beyond that, Jay was a great person who treated each person with dignity and respect and showed us all how to be a wonderful person each time you crossed paths. He left behind his knowledge in his book, but more importantly, he left behind a bit of himself in each one of us that got to know him.” A fuller biography, as well as comments from Bill Sapsis of Sapsis Rigging and Mike Murphy of J.R. Clancy, are after the jump.

Stage Rigging Handbook

In an email to Stage Directions, Bill Sapsis wrote that "Jay's seminar programs reached out to so many people. If you had a dozen riggers in a room it was a safe bet that more than half of them had taken Jay's class at some point over the years. He truly helped shape an industry."

And in a phone conversation, Mike Murphy, executive director of J.R. Clancy said "I’ve known Jay for quite a long time. I’ve known Jay since he worked at Peter Albrecht, and he also worked at Secoa when I was at Secoa. We’ve bought hundreds of Jay’s books. We give Jay’s book away to our dealer partners, to architects, to anybody that wants to know about rigging—we send them Jay’s book. When it comes to safety and training, I’ve thought Jay was always the best. He was always a gentleman, he always explained everything well. What else can I say? He will be missed.”

Richard Cadena, former editor of PLSN and founder of the Academy of Production Technology wrote "Jay was giving of his time and considerable knowledge until the end. One of the last things he did was to compile a list of important industry rigging standards to make it easier for people to find them. He touched so many lives and helped make the industry a safer place."

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 U.S. with Catholic University Players, Jay attended Montgomery Junior College. In 1961 he moved 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. became his life’s work and remained so until December 2013.

As an advocate, catalyst, educator, and practitioner of safe rigging practice, Jay 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.

Jay is survived by his wife, Sallie; their children, Andrea (Dominique Gutierrez), 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 (Pat), 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.

A “Cast and Crew Party” in his honor will be held Sunday, Aug. 3, from 1-4 pm at ACT Theatre’s Bullitt Cabaret, 700 Union St, Seattle. Donations in his memory may be made to University District Food Bank (1413 NE 50th ST, Seattle, WA 98105), Operation Sack Lunch (OSL PO Box 4128, Seattle, WA 98194), or www.behindthescenescharity.org, three organizations he cared deeply about.

Additionally, Sara has set up a Facebook group for people to share their remembrances of Jay. It can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/714754741900627/