Mills Bros. Circus 1954/ Axel's parents

One day Axel handed me this picture, took it back and wrote on the back "my mother and step-father on Mills Bros. Circus 1954" his father Louis Gautier was a well know horse trainer who had died while on the Ringling Show. The gentleman in the picture would be Count Bekatow. Hugo Schmitt was on the Mills Show 1950-53 so this would be Axel's first connection with him. One winter at Circus World Axel dropped by saying that he and Donna had just returned from a brief European vacation the show had paid for, his cousin Trolle Rhodin even had business cards made up and directions on whom to see, especially Circus Krone with which he was also related. In Munich he found that the show was in rehersal but was directed to Karl Sembach's secretary who led him to the great man's office, Axel was ordered to wait outside and watched as the secretary approached this portly, gray haired gentleman seated behind the desk and presented him with Axel's business card. She returned saying "Herr Sembach is busy today but offers you this" it was a program. We both had a good laugh.