From Prabook:

Education

"William Hezlep received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Westminster College in 1961. In 1965 he obtained Master of Arts from Wayne State University. In 1973 he earned his Doctor of Philosophy from Wayne State University."
Career

"From 1965 to 1968 Mr. Hezlep worked at Wayne State University, Detroit, Ml, as an instructor. Between 1968 to 1972 he was appointed assistant professor at Southwest State University, Marshall, MN. From 1973 till 1976 he was an associate professor and department chairperson, and since 1976 professor of theater arts at the same university.

"During 1968-1977 William Hezlep served as a director of Southwest Summer Theatre, Marshall. Later he occupied the post of a stage actor with the Hilberry repertory company in Detroit, summer stock productions in Pennsylvania at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, and in Illinois and Minnesota, and with a touring children’s theater company. He also was an actor in films and television commercials."

Very strangely, I can't find any real obituaries.

Here's what I DID find:

https://www.weremember.com/william-hezlep/4q3l/memories

"William was born September 14, 1936, and died October 26, 2022 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA. William is buried in Marshall Cemetery in Marshall, Minnesota, USA."
__________________________________________

What I posted in 2016:

From one site:

"...at seventeen he headed for bigger waters and spent three years on a destroyer in the North Atlantic chasing Russian subs and patrolling the Caribbean and Persian Gulf. Upon completion of his Navy service he attended Westminster College in Pennsylvania where he received his B.A..."

http://prabook.com/web/person-view.html?profileId=218992
(his credentials)

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31b5kRIyLtL._UX250_.jpg
(photo)

From "Contemporary Authors":

....Hezlep's fictional travelers Dirk and Erin find themselves in Egypt in Pharaoh's Dagger, and when their new friend Mohammed is about to get in harm's way, they use an incantation from a Pharaoh's knife to call forth ancient visitors to help save Mohammed from a modern-day evil. The Yucatan peninsula is the setting for The Treasure of the Mayans, as Dirk and Erin stumble upon two unsavory characters called Doc and Stinger, who are hard at work making off with Mayan artifacts. Together with their friend Jose, the two travelers manage to save the day with their quick wits and teamwork. In one of Hezlep's most popular plays, Nessie, the children go to Scotland in search of the legendary Loch Ness monster, meeting skeptical Dr. Dalyrumple, who stubbornly refuses to believe what is right before his eyes as they discover the object of their search. Closer to home, the two energetic children aid an old prospector named Crazy Sally in his search for the mysterious Lost Dutchman mine, while evil treasure-seekers Boris and Lizard will stop at nothing to steal the mine's contents first...

http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n90716893/
(synopses - you have to click at the bottom to see all the titles; only half of them have synopses)

One title:

Kokopelli's Cave (2001)

"Dirk and Erin are lured to an enchanted cave where they encounter a time-traveling Anasazi Indian--and danger."

https://www.amazon.com/Merlins-Cave-William-Hezlep/dp/0887344208
("Merlin's Cave," 1996 - you can flip to read the back cover, which is good)

"TRAVELERS" PLAY SERIES; FOR CHILDREN

Nessie (one-act; first produced in Minneapolis, MN, 1978), Players Press (Studio City, CA), 1980, adapted by Hezlep as Nessie: The Musical, 1986, 1998..

Ghost Town (one-act), Players Press, 1981, 1992.
Pharaoh's Dagger (one-act), Players Press, 1982, 1992.
Cayman Duppy (one-act), Players Press, 1984.
Treasure of the Mayans (one-act), Players Press, 1988, 1994.

Tower of London (one-act), Players Press, 1990, 1995.
Red Cloud's Revenge (one-act), Players Press, 1990, 1994.
How Come Christmas? (one-act), Players Press, 1991, 1996.
Merlin's Cave (one-act), Players Press, 1993. 1996.
It's a Living (juvenile play; first produced in 1979), Farmer's Union, 1978..
Shipwrecked, Players Press, 1999.

Kokopelli's Cave, 2002;
Trouble in the Mountains, 2002;
Bog Bodies, 2004; Bigfoot!, 2004;
Plays of the Past, 2004;
Plays of the Present, 2004;
Curse of the Tomb Raiders, 2005;
Time Travelers, 2006;
Past and Present, 2010.

OTHERS:

Pipestone Cafe, 1977;
Winterkill, 1978;
It's a Living, 1979;
Time Pockets, 1979;
Computer Bait, 1983;
Obit for a Polar Bear, 1985;
Runestone 2005;
Blackbeard's Lost Treasure, 2013.