William Booth Wecker
Encyclopedia
William Booth Wecker (December 17, 1892 – September 3, 1969) was an American
entertainer and all around showman and was also the agent for his wife Bee Kyle
the well known high diver.
Will was born in Owensboro, Kentucky
the son of a German
immigrant father Frank Wecker who was a Confederate drummer boy during the Civil War
and Martha Beverly Boehm Wecker a descendant of the Reverend Martin Boehm
who helped found the United Methodist Church
. He had four brothers George W., Frank, Isidore, and Joseph Wecker, all of whom lived during their adult lives in St. Louis, Missouri
. His brother Joe was a friend of Charles Lindbergh
and helped pay for his famous flight.
Will Wecker served in the United States Army
in France
in World War I
, and he was a member of the Army of Occupation in Germany after that war. He married Beatrice (Bee) Kyle, from Maine, who was a high diver, and Will became her manager. They traveled throughout the United States and the world, and he and Bee worked at carnivals and circuses and other shows.
In 1939, she was a featured high diver in a show in Japan
. Will returned to the United States and told his brother George's son-in-law, Herman Francis Borgman, that, based on his experiences and contacts in Japan, he had gained the impression that someday the United States was going to have to fight the Japanese.
Will Wecker, through the years, did many things as an entertainer and showman. He was a jockey, a magician, a circus producer, a pitch man on circus main ways, and he once entered a lion cage at a circus and held back an attacking lion, saving the lion tamer's life.
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, he produced the annual Firemen Circuses in St. Louis. In the summer of 1946, Will Wecker and Bee Kyle were with the Cole Brothers Circus in Effingham, Illinois
. Will was in charge of all the concessions on the circus main way. Bee Kyle was bedridden (in her and Will's house trailer) and unable to high dive any more, for she, while appearing in a show in Alabama
, had hit the side of the tank once too often, and doctors said if she hit the side of the tank again, she would die.
Will and Bee subsequently moved to Biloxi, Mississippi
, where they operated a restaurant. Bee Kyle was famous for her cooking. Wecker died on September 3, 1969 and was interred with his wife at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery
. They never had any children.
Bee Kyle had a brother who resided in St. Louis.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entertainer and all around showman and was also the agent for his wife Bee Kyle
Beatrice Kyle
Beatrice Kyle was known as Bee Kyle and was a world famous high diver. She would jump into an tank of water from a height of or more....
the well known high diver.
Will was born in Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
the son of a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immigrant father Frank Wecker who was a Confederate drummer boy during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and Martha Beverly Boehm Wecker a descendant of the Reverend Martin Boehm
Martin Boehm
Martin Boehm was an American clergyman and pastor. He was the son of Jacob Boehm and Barbara Kendig who settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania...
who helped found the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
. He had four brothers George W., Frank, Isidore, and Joseph Wecker, all of whom lived during their adult lives in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. His brother Joe was a friend of Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
and helped pay for his famous flight.
Will Wecker served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and he was a member of the Army of Occupation in Germany after that war. He married Beatrice (Bee) Kyle, from Maine, who was a high diver, and Will became her manager. They traveled throughout the United States and the world, and he and Bee worked at carnivals and circuses and other shows.
In 1939, she was a featured high diver in a show in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Will returned to the United States and told his brother George's son-in-law, Herman Francis Borgman, that, based on his experiences and contacts in Japan, he had gained the impression that someday the United States was going to have to fight the Japanese.
Will Wecker, through the years, did many things as an entertainer and showman. He was a jockey, a magician, a circus producer, a pitch man on circus main ways, and he once entered a lion cage at a circus and held back an attacking lion, saving the lion tamer's life.
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, he produced the annual Firemen Circuses in St. Louis. In the summer of 1946, Will Wecker and Bee Kyle were with the Cole Brothers Circus in Effingham, Illinois
Effingham, Illinois
Effingham is a city in Effingham County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,384 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Effingham County....
. Will was in charge of all the concessions on the circus main way. Bee Kyle was bedridden (in her and Will's house trailer) and unable to high dive any more, for she, while appearing in a show in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, had hit the side of the tank once too often, and doctors said if she hit the side of the tank again, she would die.
Will and Bee subsequently moved to Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, where they operated a restaurant. Bee Kyle was famous for her cooking. Wecker died on September 3, 1969 and was interred with his wife at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery
Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery
- External links :**...
. They never had any children.
Bee Kyle had a brother who resided in St. Louis.