Hialeah, Florida
Joe Hildon Boyd attended high school plays as a child and dreamed about being on stage. He became a Thespian in 1952 and eventually devoted his life to theatre. Mr. Boyd began his teaching career in Ohio and retired in the spring of 1992 after thirty years of teaching. For nineteen of those years, he was a drama teacher and sponsor of Troupe 2501 at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School in Hialeah, Florida. He directed numerous shows, including two main stage productions at the Thespian Festival.
Mr. Boyd was active in the leadership of the Florida Theatre Conference, the Southeastern Theatre Conference, the Florida State Thespian Society, and the Florida State Thespian Board. He was a member of the National Forensics League and a recipient of their Double Ruby Coach Award. He received the Florida Distinguished Career Award from the Florida Theatre Association in 1990, and was twice named teacher of the year at his school.
He co-founded and was a former resident director for the Miami Lakes Players Guild, a community theatre, and the founder and director of Candlelight Players, a community and high school theatre. He also served as an ITS state and regional director and hosted the first regional conferences for Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.