CONVENTION REPORT
1st row: Bud Carlson - Stuart Raynolds - Pryde Shannon - Victor Cheslick - Alex Rom - Herbert Stocker - Art Jennings,Jr.- Robert Lee Jackson - Paul Gordon - Bill Dietrich
2nd row (newly elected officers): Art Jennings, Chaplain - Harry Lind, Director - George Lerch, 2nd V. Pres. Jeanette Mitchell, Ass't Sec.Treas. - Vin Carey, President - Violet Carlson, Sec. Treas. - E.W. Davis, V. Pres. Lou Meyer, Director - Dr. Wm. Crosby, Chairman of Convention Committee.
3rd row: Buster Barnard - Mrs. Harry Lind - Mrs. Art Jennings - Betty Gorham - Mrs. Bill Dunham - Mrs. Morgan Anderson - Morgan Anderson's daughter Alice Daye - (her mother) Mrs. Florence Tierney (Eddie's mother) - Mrs. Eddie Tierney - (her mother) Mrs. Hall- Helen Hoefert - Louis Rich.
4th row: Larry Weeks - Morgan Anderson - Bill Dunhnam - Harold Brown - Jim Reynolds -John Losksa - Wesley Grogan - Nevin Hoefert - Al Barnard - Joe Fleckenstein - Dr. Baldwin - George Barvin - Eddie Tierney.
Members who had to leave before the dinner - not on picture - Chas and Oliver Helmrich and Bernard Joyce
AT ALLEN PARK
IN HOTEL JAMESTOWN LOBBY
EDDIE TIERNEY & MOTHER, MRS. FLORENCE TIERNEY
CONVENTION REPORT as told by BETTY GORHAM
Convention personalities: Bill Dietrich- doesn't he ever stop juggling? - Bill Dunham's "Mr. Kresge" monologue - Everyone missing Jack Greene - E.W. Davis' humor - That genial gentleman Eddie Tierney and his wonderful wife, Doris - Pryde Shannon busy thinking up caustic comments for his feud with Art Jennings - Likable little Lou Meyer - George Lerch always smiling - Doc and Mrs. Crosby busy as bees but always time for a kind word.
Tossing to Remember: Mrs. Tierney passing clubs with Harry Lind - George Barvin's comedy facial expressions - Pryde and Daye slinging those murderous shoulders - Everyone trying George Lerch's ring and two ball routine - Vin Carey's popular peacock feather - The Barnards' terrific club passing - E. W. Davis' spools - Bob Jackson and his ball spinning - Oliver Helmerich's excellent baton spinning.
The Big Toss Up Show: Vin Carey's fine job as M.C. -- George Lerch's beautiful Stroblite props and wardrobe and the swell reviews he received in the local papers - The wonderful job Eddie Tierney did after driving 700 miles and going without sleep for two nights - Then all that delicious food at the buffet supper at Harry Lind's home after the show.
BETTY GORHAM
CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS as told by VIN CAREY
The Hotel Jamestown was more than kind to us and we took advantage of their hospitality by juggling in the lobby, ball rooms and corners as well as our regular room assigned to us. One of the high lights was eight jugglers criss crossing clubs in the lobby one evening. George Karger took dozens of pictures for Life Magazine (See Aug. 8th issue). We had a session of juggling and picture taking in Allen Park nearly as strenuous as last year.
Eddie Tierney left Boston at 3 A.M. Tuesday morning and drove all night and all day to get to the Auditorium in Jamestown at ten minutes before eight o'clock Tuesday evening to be on the Big Toss Up that night and although he was literally asleep on his feet did his great act for us all. Carlson & Reynolds surprised everyone that had not previously seen their act. No one could believe that they could put such a fine act together since they met at last years convention.
Betty Gorham was most pleasing with her very feminine and dainty act. Betty added that needed girlish touch to a rather heavy masculine bill. George Lerch's act using black light and fluorescent paint was a surprise and delight. In fact every act on the bill was a hit act and the combination was out of this world as the audience showed by its spontaneous applause for each act. In fact the show was running at such a fast pace that it was almost impossible to stop it to introduce the celebrities in the audience.
The bubbling over vivacity of Larry Weeks and the good natured ribbing that he took because he was having the best time he ever had in his life. Harold Brown, our oldest youngster again parking himself directly in front of Joe Fleckenstein at the banquet and getting an even bigger kick out of the stories told by Joe than he did last year. Wes Grogan of Atlanta, Ga. entertaining us all most innocently with his deep southern drawl. It's so thick that every word he said was a delight and several of our Northern Yankees were following him around without his knowledge just to hear him talk. Hope we can hear him soon again as he certainly made a host of friends through that drawl.
George Lerch innocently protesting that he could not juggle very well and then topping most of those there with any and all props that he got his hands on. Paul Gordon doing such an outstanding wire act that George Lerch was holding his head thinking what might happen to him if he marched back and forth on the wire with his hands in his pockets as Paul was doing. Easy to see why Paul has been a headliner in Europe and America for years. Then to see Paul slyly doing four clubs for his own entertainment and protesting he could not juggle much and asking advice from the others present. Bill Dietrich with his constant juggling of five objects between the showing of movies and at all other times for that matter.
Mrs. Tierney, Eddie's mother passing clubs after the banquet from about nine thirty until two A.M. wearing out all the men present and still going strong. The genuine fun that Mrs. Tierney and Mrs. Hall were having. Eddie Tierney doing a three club kick up to a four club juggle. Everyone rushing around to get cards to send to Jack Greene who was very much missed by all. The stories of old circus days as related to Paul Gordon, Alex Rom, and myself by Al Barnard, Sr. as we drove up from Baltimore to Jamestown in my car. Highlights, Roger, it seems that every word and act was a high light from the start to the present. Gosh, I can't give you highlights unless I can tell you every word and act from Sat. night until I was back home Thursday night.
JUG JUGGLESON'S LETTER by DOUG COUDEN
Dear Roger, Was I burned when I read in Jugs Bul that I got kilt being shot out of the canon. This here is the real lowdown on what occurred. Marie and I had a hot argument before the canon act and I wasn't thinking what I was doing but I landed in the net O.K. anyways. Marie always had a chair ready when I dropped off the net as it's rigged too high. Well, this night the argument started before I even got off the net so we wasn't paying no attention about the chair and I stepped on one side of it and it tipped over and I fell off and sprained my ankle sos I couldn't work no more. Well, Marie says lets go back to the Waldorf so she drove the outfit and we are back in Ga. again, so help me. It happens like this, We laid off Sunday from driving and Marie says let's go to church which we done. But a funny thing happened as we sat in church and no preacher show up and everybody gets squirmish and then a guy jumps up and says I reckon the preacher aint coming and he asts is there any one else in the congregation who can preach. Well, Roger, Marie nudges me as I bragged how good I could preach and I had to make good so I says, I'll save the day if your willing so I walks up to the pulpit and starts warming up until I had plenty on the ball and was giving them plenty of Fire & Brimstone and all and I must of went over big as when they passed the plate there was 47 bucks took in. Roger, this here aint bad at all and I guess I'd of made a better preacher than a juggler as I have a swell gift of gab and all.
But the surprise punch came when a member of the congregation walks up after my sermon and sticks out his mit and asts, Are you the Jug Juggleson who writes the editorials in the Jugs Bul and I say Yes, so he says they are very educational and asts will we join his show as he likes novelty acts especially jugglers but I said I would have to consider the offer as I might stick to preaching. So long pal, Jug.