Clive Elliott – theatre artist, beloved educator, and friend – passed away on Sept. 1, 2018, at Fountain West Health Care Center in West Des Moines. He was 82.
Clive began an association with the Theatre Department at Drake in 1982 when he started as a visiting director and performer. He officially joined the Drake faculty full-time in 1990 as the Daniel B. Goldberg Artist in Residence. He remained for nearly 23 years, teaching, directing, and occasionally performing in productions before retiring in 2012. Clive touched the lives of countless students at Drake; his performance of the Lewis Carrol poem “Jabberwocky” (from Alice in Wonderland) was a perennial favorite at the orientation assembly for new students. Clive also shared his talents with the community by directing Shakespeare plays, performing character roles in ballet productions, and adjudicating student performances for the Iowa High School Speech Association’s annual competitions.
Clive had a passion for classical music, art, and poetry. His guilty pleasures were coffee, kids movies, and anything chocolate. He was a voracious reader and he had a wonderful gift for storytelling. Clive didn’t keep scrapbooks. He never wrote a memoir of his remarkable life, although many of his friends urged him to do so. He took great pride in the accomplishments of his students, whether they followed his footsteps into professional theatre or found success elsewhere. They are his true legacy.
Those who wish may donate in Clive’s memory to the Drake University Theatre Department or Hospice of Central Iowa. A celebration of his life will be held later this fall – date and location to be determined. Read Clive’s full obituary.
