Garber, William F.

William Tracy Garber was born in Strasburg, Ohio on January 21, 1928. He acted in school plays before he left for the army. He attended The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. After graduating from Wooster he moved to Fort Worth in 1952 to work on his master's degree at Texas Christian University where he was a paid graduate assistant until 1957. He directed many of the plays performed at TCU during this time. He was a charter member of the Fort Worth Community Theater when it organized in the fall of 1955 along with nine other members. In 1957, he became the first paid member of the Fort Worth Community Theater as manager. He served in this capacity until his retirement in 1993. He performed and directed many of the productions during his years at the theater. One of his most performed roles was Elwood P. Dowd in "Harvey." He was also mentor to the founders of other local theatrical groups including Sharon Benge, organizer of Shakespeare in the Park, B. J. Cleveland, artistic director of Theatre Arlington, Jerry Russell of Stage West and Rose Pearson of Circle Theater. He continued to act after his retirement including as narrator for various Fort Worth Symphony performances. He died on May 8, 2006 in Ohio while on his way back to Texas after attending his 60th high school reunion.

From the description of Garber, William papers, 1950-2006. (Fort Worth Library). WorldCat record id: 660176765