The collection of the history of the touring industry housed at the Briscoe Center for American History can be viewed online.
W. Dean Justice, 88
Not only was W. Dean Justice among the first to bring full-service, one-stop shopping to the venue world, a leader in what is now the International Association of Venue Managers and longtime manager of the Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas, he was our industry archivist. His contributions to the industry and the community were remembered Nov. 18 in Austin.
Justice, 88, who died Oct. 29 in Austin, has been remembered as an icon in the industry, but his place in history also includes founding and nurturing The Professional Touring Entertainment Industry Archive at the University of Texas at Austin. Created in 1995 to document the history of touring entertainment companies and those venues and arenas in which acts were presented, the archive is housed at the university’s Briscoe Center for American History and includes oral histories from entrepreneurs, promoters, architects, facility managers, and individuals associated with the International Association of Assembly Managers, as well as papers from Abe Saperstein and Joe Anzivino of Harlem Globetrotters fame, Tom Collins of World Figure Skating, and individuals and organizations relevant to the live touring industry. An inventory of items available can be seen here.
Jimmy Earl, Erwin Center, recalled Justice as the first, or at least among the first, to take ticketing and marketing in-house, creating a one-stop shop in what had been a four-wall rental business. “We called it UTTM for University of Texas Ticketmaster,” Earl said of that original ticketing service.
Justice opened Erwin Center in 1977. He arrived in Austin from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and ran it until he retired 20 years ago.
Along the way, he served as president of IAAM (now IAVM) and received the prestigious McElravy Award from that organization. And he ran a tight ship in Austin. “When Dean trained you, you stayed trained,” Earl said. “He had no tolerance for anything less than excellent, but he was always genuine in trying to help you.”
His passion was the touring and venue industry and preserving its history was his drive. Earl said he has taken industry people to the archive facility, where everything is stored. Interested persons can contact the university and they will bring items out of storage for research.
The Archive is supported by the Society for the Preservation of Professional Touring Entertainment History, which assists Center staff in identifying and acquiring relevant collections in order to ensure the on–going documentation of the touring entertainment industry's history.
A list of contents includes:
• Amusement Business Photograph Collection, 1959–1972 (5 in.). Photographs and press releases capture the Ice Capades, Holiday on Ice, Ice Follies, Vienna Eisrevue, Hell Drivers (stunt cars) and circus acts. Included are photographs of Peggy Fleming, Nikita Krushchev meeting Arnold Sloda, Joanne Hydoft and Dick Button, and Tiny Tim.
• Anzivino (Joseph J.) Collection, 1930–1997 (20 ft. 4 in.). Correspondence, financial documentation, legal documentation, notes, itineraries, photographs, calendars, publicity kits, programs (1952-1993), telephone logs, player profiles, scrapbooks, and ephemera document Joe Anzivino's management of the Harlem Globetrotters from 1949 to 1994. The collection also contains papers concerning Abe Saperstein, founder of the Harlem Globetrotters and the American Basketball League.
• Atkinson (Buddy) Collection, 1989–1994 (8 ft., 5 in.). Buddy Atkinson was an early performer in the sport of Roller Derby and later worked as a promoter. Collection consists of videotapes, promotional materials, performer agreements, press releases, posters of Roller Derby events and includes artifacts of jackets and skates.
• Bustin (John) Papers, 1940–1997 (49 ft. 6 in.). Press releases, drafts of reviews, photographs, correspondence, playbills, and clippings document the life of John Bustin. Bustin was an entertainment reporter who wrote for such publications as The Daily Texan, Texas Ranger, and Austin-American Statesman.
• Cavalieri (Lincoln "Linc") Collection, 1943–1997 (1 ft., 6 in.). Legal documentation, subject files, correspondence, photographs, ephemera, newspaper clippings, and printed material document the career of Lincoln Cavalieri, who served as general manager of the Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Michigan.
• Collins (Tom) Collection, 1959–1964 (6 in. and 24 film reels). Collection consists of motion picture film, photographs, and programs documenting the career of Tom Collins, an ice skater who became the general manager and vice president of Holiday on Ice. He was also the owner of the Tour of World Figure Skating Champions.
• Cunningham (William) Papers, 1958–1996 (27 ft., 6 in.). Correspondence, publications, pamphlets, surveys, reports and administrative records document William Cunningham's career as a past president of The International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM) and as a facilities management consultant.
• Franz (Robert) State Fair and Theatre Guild Collection, 1994–1997 (43 ft.). Collection consists of press releases, contracts, scripts, playbills, photographs, audiocassettes, tour schedules and promotional materials concerning various plays produced by Robert Franz, including State Fair, Shirley Valentine, Stieglitz Loves O'Keeffe and Driving Miss Daisy.
• Ice Capades Collection, 1948-1993 (4 in.). Programs, photographs and a book document the Ice Capades from 1948 to 1993.
• Independent Booking Office Records (IBO), 1956-1991 (11 ft., 6 in.). Correspondence, publications, surveys, financial records, reports, reviews, placards, photographs, and newspaper clippings document the Independent Booking Office, The League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc., American and Canadian Theatres, Touring Theater Productions, and Broadway.
• The Independent Booking Office Records is a nonprofit organization, sponsored by The League of New York Theatres, Inc. and the Committee of Theatrical Producers to improve conditions for touring road shows.
• International Association of Venue Managers' Records, 1927–2004 (34 ft., 10 in.). Conference proceedings and meeting transcripts, programs, printed material, newsletters, trade magazines, clippings, oral history tapes, and blueprints documenting the International Association of Assembly Managers, Inc. The bulk of the material consists of records from the organization's annual conferences and trade shows. The records reflect the construction and operation of large multipurpose arenas, theaters, stadiums and convention centers. Organized in the 1920s as the Association of Auditorium Managers, the organization's membership became international with the inclusion of Canadian facility managers in the 1930s.
• International Society for the Performing Arts Records, 1948–1998 (6 ft.). Newsletters, financial documents, minutes, convention materials, correspondence, audiocassettes and photographs relate to the International Society for the Performing Arts. ISPA is a not-for-profit international organization founded in 1949, which seeks to educate an international network of arts professionals to advance the field of performing arts.
• International Ticketing Association Records, 1981–2002 (1 ft. 7 in.). International Ticketing Association (INTIX) newsletters, Box Office Management International (BOMI) newsletters, conference proceedings, correspondence, financial documentation, ephemera, and artifacts document developments within the profession. The association represents 1,200 ticketing professionals in the performing arts, theater, entertainment, professional sports, and college and university athletics.
• Justice (William Dean) Papers, 1972–2000 (1 ft., 6 in.). International Association of Assembly Manager membership directories, photographs, newsletters, annual symposium records, committee and board meeting files document the career of William Dean Justice, the retired Director (1976-1990) of the University of Texas Frank C. Erwin Jr. Special Events Center.
Liegler (Tom) Collection, 1969–1975 (8 in.). Correspondence, contracts, lease agreements, blueprints, press kits, specifications, and newspaper clippings relate to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Tom Liegler was a facilities consultant on the Louisiana Superdome from 1969-1975.
• Minchew (Robert J.) Houston Astrodome Engineering and Architectural Collection, 1928–1990 (21 ft.). Construction files, research files, legal documents, financial documents, newspaper clippings, films, magazines, photographs, drawings, blueprints and correspondence document the career of Robert J. Minchew and his work on the Houston Astrodome and other construction projects.
• Norton (Clinton) Papers, 1997 (1/2 in.). Clinton E. Norton was a former Director of the University of Texas Performing Arts Center and Executive Director of the International Society for the Performing Arts. Papers include an autobiography of Norton's personal and professional history, some recollections.
• Oswald (Robert and Helen) Papers, 1917–1930 (9 in.). Photo albums, business records, comedy material, financial records, advertisements, programs, correspondence, legal files, photographs, and a postcard document of the lives of Robert and Helen Oswald. Robert Oswald (1892–1948) and his wife Helen Oswald partnered with Jess and Irene Myers to form the Myers' and Oswald's Comedy Players. The comedy players performed in theaters and tent theaters in small towns and small farming and ranching communities throughout the south in Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma in the 1920s.
• Palmer (Richard) Collection, 1940–1986 (1 ft., 3 in.). Books, programs, schedules and photographs document the three companies of the Ice Capades. The first company was started in 1940, the second company was started in 1945, and the third company was started in 1974. Richard Palmer was president of the Ice Capades until 1986.
• Parkinson (Thomas P.) Collection, 1910, 1931–1932, 1955–1993 (301 ft.). Correspondence, financial documentation, legal documentation, printed material, audiocassettes, reel to reel film, newspapers, magazines, catalogs, blueprints, architectural drawings, posters, flyers, window cards, photographs, promotional materials, artifacts, and newspaper clippings, comprise this collection, which documents the career of a facility manager. Much of the collection focuses on Parkinson's association with the Assembly Hall multipurpose facility at the University of Illinois. Other material reflects Parkinson's term as president of the International Association of Assembly Managers.
• Saperstein (Abe) Harlem Globetrotters Papers, 1928–1991 (1 ft., 5 in.). Programs, yearbooks, travel logs, correspondence, subject files, photographs, rosters, and artifacts regarding the Abe Saperstein Foundation and Saperstein estate document Abe Saperstein's career as the founder, promoter, and coach of the Harlem Globetrotters Team. Saperstein also founded the American Basketball League, serving as its first commissioner from 1961-1962, and was inducted into the basketball hall of fame in 1971.
• Seltzer (Jerry) Collection, 1942–1997 (5 in.). Newspaper clippings, programs, printed material and a scrapbook document the career of Jerry Seltzer, who worked as a promoter, movie producer, and ticket entrepreneur with his company Bay Area Seating Systems and his father's (Leo A. Seltzer) development of the Roller Derby.
• Shipstad (Robert) Collection, 1938–1987 (1 ft., 5 in.). The collection consists of programs, photographs, media promotion kits, costume design illustrations and a scrapbook documenting Shipstad's work with Shipstad and Johnson's Ice Follies, Holiday on Ice, the Ice Capades and Sesame Street on Ice shows.
• Sidney (Jack) Family Papers, 1910–1983 (4 ft., 6 in.). Financial documentation, correspondence, creative works, printed material, photographs, film, broadsides, newspaper clippings and scrapbooks document the lives of Jack Sidney, Sr., his wife Irene Sarli, and their son Jack, Jr. The bulk of the collection documents the management by Jack Sidney, Jr., of family touring shows such as Disney on Parade and the Ice Capades.
• Skinner (Denzil) Collection, 1979–1987 (3 in.). Correspondence, legal documentation, financial documentation, and newspaper clippings all document the career of Denzil Skinner, owner of the Facility Management Group, Inc. and manager of the Louisiana Superdome.
• Squires (Art and Barbara) Papers, 1901–1996 (4 ft., 1.5 in.). Business correspondence, financial documents, legal documents, promotional material, photographs, and printed material document the operations and productions of Art and Barbara Squires' various companies including: Southwest Concerts Inc., Stage Door Associates, Barbara Productions, Art Advertising Agency, and Sixth Street Live, which all promoted a wide variety of major performers, primarily in Texas.
• Touring Entertainment Industry Oral History Collection, 1986, 1993–1998 (62 sound cassettes). Oral history interviews document the American professional touring entertainment industry, through the personal narratives of entrepreneurs, promoters, architects, facility managers, and individuals associated with the International Association of Assembly Managers. Oral history interviews were conducted by William Dean Justice, former IAAM president and James Klain. Topics discussed include the development of public assembly facilities; the development of professional sports; the early history of traveling family shows such as ice shows and the Harlem Globetrotters; technical stage and lighting problems; and the International Association of Assembly Managers.
• University of Texas Frank C. Erwin Special Events Center Records, 1978–2001 (186 ft.). Subject files, correspondence, legal documentation, financial documentation, event files, and box office files document the Frank C. Erwin Special Events Center at the University of Texas at Austin, which opened in 1977, providing a venue for commencement ceremonies, meetings, banquets, basketball games, professional entertainment and other activities both public and private.
• VEE Corporation Archives, 1980–1997 (7 ft., 1 in.). Proposals, minutes, drafts, scripts, itineraries, clippings, programs, correspondence, promotional and sales kits, videotapes, audiotapes, slides, brochures, and oversize material from arenas and other venues document the Sesame Street Live/Muppet Touring Show and the Muppet Babies Touring Show.
Ward (Ray) Collection, 1969–1997 (8 ft.). Correspondence, minutes, printed material, financial records, and course materials document the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM) and the IAAM School for Public Facility Management. Ray Ward was an arena manager, consultant, and president of the International Association of Assembly Managers.