Tribute to Don B. Wilmeth (15 December 1939–7 February 2020)

Don Wilmeth, who specialised in American theatre, drama, and popular entertainment, was a man with a mission. He was educated at the University of Illinois by two of the founding fathers of American theatre history, Richard Moody and Barnard Hewitt. Throughout his career, Wilmeth excelled at compiling bibliographies, checklists, documentary records, glossaries, exhibitions, encyclopedias, guides, theatre histories and anthologies of drama. Editing was Don’s scholarly identity. He established himself as the most accomplished editor of his generation. In his early career, he published a series of bibliographies within a five-year period: (1) The American Stage to World War I: A Guide to Information Sources (Gale Research, 1978); (2) American and English Popular Entertainment: A Guide to Information Sources (Gale Research, 1980); (3) The Language of American Popular Entertainment: A Glossary of Argot, Slang, and Terminology (Greenwood Press, 1981) and (4) Variety Entertainment and Outdoor Amusements: A Reference Guide (Greenwood Press, 1982). In 1980, Wilmeth made a temporary break from editing when he published George Frederick Cooke: Machiavel of the Stage (Greenwood Press). Yet, editing remained his primary mission. In the same year that he published the actor’s biography, he and Rosemary Cullen co-edited three plays by Augustin Daly, the American playwright, manager and director (Cambridge University Press). This was the first of Don’s many editing partnerships. In 1983, he and Cullen again