Don't Forget To Renew Your COAI Membership Today! Page 2 The New Calliope
Jim “Jimminee” DeWilde has won top ten spots at COAI conventions. He’s won the Commercial Float Division award at his hometown’s Christmas parade. He’s even won the “Darn Good Job” award at an Altus Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet for his volunteer clowning. And now he’s won the cover of the New Calliope! What could be better than that? Well, maybe not many things, but if you ask Jim, “The best awards/rewards that I have ever received were when someone’s child came up to me and gave me a hug. That doesn’t seem like much until you hear the parents gasp and say, ‘I don’t believe it, they were absolutely afraid of clowns!’ What more could a clown ask for than that?” On Winning The Cover Jim said he was totally dumbfounded that he won the cover! He looked around for someone – anyone – to place a higher bid, but it didn’t happen. He, in a way, wished the bid did go a little higher. (A note from Jim, to the Editor: No Tom, I am not giving you any more money, a deal is a deal!) By winning the cover, Jim hopes to bring some attention to his neck of the woods – Altus, Oklahoma. Hailing from this small town of around 22,000 people, Jim does not belong to a local COAI alley because the closest one is over 85 miles away! He and his wife, Maria “Maggee” DeWilde, have called Altus home since 1971 when he was transferred to Altus Air Force Base while serving in the United States Air Force (USAF). On Serving His Country While serving as a technical sergeant in the USAF, Jim’s clowning career took off. In the late 70s, as an aspiring magician, he volunteered for a squadron Christmas party to entertain the children until Santa arrived. The party needed one clown and two elves – that’s right folks, we almost got ourselves a Jimminee the Elf. Luckily for us that night he donned a red nose instead of pointy ears. “I think that started me thinking about how I could use the clown character as a magician, so even if I mess things up I could make it look funny and maybe even intentional. It was like a wake-up call to hear the laughs and see the smiles of the young and old alike.” Jim was such a success that his squadron commander asked him if he would like to visit local nursing homes to clown on a monthly basis. The Air Force and clowning may seem like two completely different worlds, but as Jim points out, there are a lot of similarities. Both require intensive training and study, and teach the values found in patience and listening to others. Not only that, but both worlds have clowns (some are just not in makeup). One major difference however says Jim, is that “You can mess up as a clown and not get busted for it.” While Jim jokes around some about his years in the Air Force, he is also very proud of his military career. “As a veteran, I salute each and every one of the thousands of military personnel – the ones on the front continued on page 5 Jim DeWilde A True Veteran at Your Service By: Lulu Mire continued on page 5 November/December <strong>2012</strong> Page 3