Born Jay Otis Glerum, Jr., on August 16, 1939, in Washington D.C., he lived with his parents, Catherine and Jay Otis Glerum, Sr., in Evanston, Illinois and Marinette, Wisconsin for the first nine years of his life. The family then moved to the Washington D.C. area, where he graduated from Wheaton High School (Maryland) in 1957. In high school, Glerum became a student of technical theatre and was hired upon graduation as a theatre technician for the summer season at Olney Theatre in Olney, Maryland. He subsequently was hired as the lighting and sound guy for the Catholic University National Players 1957-58 Tour. As the youngest person ever hired at that time by what then was known simply as “The Players,” Glerum toured Germany, Austria, and Italy, entertaining U.S. military troops with Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew. That same season, he also toured thirty-six U.S. states with them.  Not only did Glerum set up sound and lights for each venue, he drove the truck hauling scenery, props, and costumes and also played small parts in both plays.
