Bill Raoul

Bill Raoul died on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula of complications from diabetes. He was 73 years old.

Bill was Professor Emeritus at the University of Montana where he taught in the Department of Theatre and Dance for 27 years (now the School of Theatre & Dance). His areas of expertise were scenic design, set construction, costuming and film history. Bill designed "more shows than he could forget" at UM, and was the driving force behind many of the details in the construction of the PARTV building on campus, which was completed in 1985. He also designed numerous productions for the Montana Repertory Theatre, the professional theatre company based at UM, mastering the fine art of designing scenery that had to load in and out of a truck and tour across the country.

Bill studied theatre at East Carolina University, the Goodman School of Theatre and received his MFA from the University of Washington. While in Seattle he designed shows for A Contemporary Theatre and the Seattle Repertory. He was also a professor of design for California State University, Fullerton and Citrus College. Bill was the author of several textbooks on scenery construction and sound design.

Born in Florida and raised there and in North Carolina, Bill developed a lifelong passion for classical music at about age 13. Over the years, he amassed a collection of nearly 70, 000 records and CDs which he generously donated recently to the UM Mansfield Library. He also collected books, movies, china, silverware, art and statues and images of Nipper, the RCA Victor dog.

Upon his retirement at age 60, Bill purchased an 1874 Steinway grand piano and built a music room in his home. He then began producing classical "musicales" for his friends and colleagues. He was also known for his irreverent sense of humor and his love of cooking and entertaining. Despite the fact that he was never seen wearing anything except blue work shirts and blue jeans he was named "best dressed" by a Missoulian poll in the 1980's.

Bill is survived by his sister Jane of Michigan; his brother Peter in North Carolina and his former wife, Dale, who will be eternally grateful to him for showing her that life could be fun.

A public celebration of his life will be held on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Montana Theatre on the UM Campus. A reception will follow in the lobby. Donations in his memory may be made to the Mansfield Library, earmarked for the Bill Raoul Music Library. These donations will be used to continue the cataloging of the collection. Checks should be mailed to the UM Foundation, P.O. Box 7159, Missoula, MT 57807-7159. You may make a gift online at SupportUM.org or by calling the foundation at 1-800-443-2593. Please indicate that your gift is in memory of Bill Raoul
Read Bill Raoul's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.