Meet our Chaplain! Paul Muller is a Permanent Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church. He was ordained in June of 2009, after 4 ½ years of formation at Conception Seminary College. After Fr. John died, the Showmen’s League of America asked Paul if he would step in as one of the Chaplains for the SLA. In March of 2021, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) appointed Deacon Paul as the Chaplain/Advisor to the Carnival community in the United States. Paul serves as the Chaplain for the Showmen’s League of America, the St. Louis chapter of the SLA and now the Midwest Showmen’s Association. Paul also serves the needs of his local parish: St. Margaret of Scotland in Lee’s Summit MO. Paul and his wife Pam have been married for 52 years and have two children and 4 grandchildren. The Mullers reside in Lee’s Summit, MO, a suburb of Kansas City, MO. Paul graduated from St. Joseph’s College, Rensselaer, IN with a BS in Management and a BA Communications. For the last 32 years Paul has had the pleasure of being a part of the Outdoor Amusement Industry. Paul and Pam are part of the ownership group that operates OA Finance, LLC, one of the companies who provide capital and equipment financing to Carnivals, Concessionaries and Parks throughout the United States. During those 32 years he has had the opportunity to develop many friendships within our industry. After 30 years in business Paul and Pam retired from OA Finance in April of 2023. Their son Wade is the President of OA Finance and is responsible for the daily operations of the company. When needed they will work in the office, and at conventions. As the Chaplain, Paul is blessed to be able to serve the industry he loves in a different way. His cell phone is 816.665.2329 and his email is paul.n.muller@gmail.com (fb)

Dear Members: PhD student Christina Hurtado-Pierson is hoping to interview SLA members about their experiences traveling in our industry, as well as anything you can share about your family histories from the old days of traveling showmanship. This is part of her doctoral dissertation. She has agreed to give the SLA access to the material that she collects so that we can preserve our history as showpeople and share our unique way of life. Please volunteer to assist her. It will benefit both her and the League. From Christina: Hello Showmen's League! My name is Christina Hurtado-Pierson, and I am a PhD student at Stony Brook University in New York (and Jill-of-all-trades in live theater). I'm writing my dissertation on the role of touring entertainment in creating and spreading a shared American culture. The geographic territory of the United States tripled between 1800-1850. In the second half of the 19th century into the early 20th century, one of largest internal migrations in American history occurred, spurred on by the Gold Rush and the Homestead Acts of the 1860s. As Americans spread out across the continent, touring shows connected far-flung communities by creating shared cultural touchstones through entertainment, long before film, radio, or television. I would love to interview any interested members of the Showmen's League about their experiences in traveling entertainment today, as well as their historical connections. I know show business is often a family affair, and if you're willing to share family experiences from 1870-1930ish, I would love to hear those as well. You can reach me at Christina.Hurtado-Pierson@stonybrook.edu. (fb)