Joe Short, known fondly to thousands of kids and their parents as Capt. Bob-Lo, plied the Detroit River between Detroit and Canada aboard the Bob-Lo cruise boats Columbia and St. Claire. A diminutive clown, just 4 feet 1 inch tall, Joe entertained both children and adults.

He had been hired in 1952 by the Browning's away from the Ringling Brothers Circus.  He captivated children with adventurous tales and sugary knock-knock jokes until his retirement on March 9, 1974, at the age of 90.

For years in Detroit, Capt. Bob-Lo also appeared as a white-faced clown in the annual Shrine Circus and entertained as a clown at countless special events in Metro Detroit.  Short died at the age of 91 on Dec. 20, 1974.  Some of the text here is quoted from the Detroit News Rearview Mirror article by Jenny Nolan.

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