We are very sad to report that Bill Giduz passed away on May 11th, 2024. Born William Roland Giduz on April 12, 1952, Bill grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His father was a journalist and his mother was the town manager for Chapel Hill.
Bill Giduz was an extremely important figure in the juggling community around the world. His contributions were many, varied, and of great importance. Bill is universally credited as the inventor of the sport of joggling, where track and long-distance races are run while juggling. Bill started joggling in 1975 and brought that activity to the International Jugglers’ Association (IJA) in 1980. He organized and ran the races for many years at the IJA as the Joggling Director and took the sport to many other regional festivals as well. The sport of joggling is recognized by the Guinness World Record Book and continues as a part of the annual IJA Festival and elsewhere.
Bill became an IJA Board member in the 1970s and served in various capacities over the next several decades, including working as the Affiliates Director, Joggling Director, and heading up World Juggling Day celebrations. In 1979, Bill Giduz took over publishing the IJA Newsletter, which he later turned in the professional quality Juggler’s World Magazine. Bill served as editor of Juggler’s World from 1981 to 1997, working to connect jugglers around the world. His work with Juggler’s World showcased his immense talent as a writer and photographer. He served as IJA President from 1985 to 1987. Bill received the IJA Extraordinary Service Award in 1993.
Bill was one of the founders of the Atlanta Juggling Association and was the first secretary in 1977. He researched and obtained the Phil trophies for the Groundhog Day Jugglers Festival from 1979 to 2017. Even after moving away, Bill continued to support and attend the Groundhog Day festival and bring the trophies with him each year.
In 1980, Bill moved to Davidson, NC to work as the Director of Media Relations at Davidson College. He brought his love for juggling with him and helped run the Hurricane Hugo Juggling Festival there for over two decades. He also established a yearly survey of Davidson College students to find what percentage of them could juggle. Bill retired from Davidson College in 2017.
Bill served as a photographer at many juggling festivals for decades, recording wonderful memories that are still enjoyed and appreciated today. Bill was renowned for his gentle spirit and generosity to all who came in contact with him.
Bill had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease and succumbed to a bout of pneumonia on May 11th, 2024. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and many friends.
David Cain
David Cain is a professional juggler, juggling historian, and the owner of the world's only juggling museum, the Museum of Juggling History. He is a Guinness world record holder and 16 time IJA gold medalist. In addition to his juggling pursuits, David is a successful composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and singer as well as the author of twenty-six books. He and his children live in Middletown, OH (USA).