From Joe Giordano

Attached is my first attempt at scanning photos. The guy in this photo has a smile on face his altho early in the morning. Photo was taken November or December 1978. Rail yards Garden City L.I. N.Y.. Getting ready for the animal walk to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale L.I., N.Y. In our household this is our favorite photo of you. Maybe you can identify the 3 elephants and the handler in the red cap for us. Thank you much Joe & Gail Giordano (Actually, this is the closing stand of the 1979 season, bitterly cold. The elephants are "Peggy", "Gilda" and "Rebecca" formerly with the Billy Smart Circus and the man pictured is Samuel "Rammy Sammy" Haddock (the pride of Davenport, Florida) whom I started out in the elephant business and remains employed at the Ringling Elephant Stud Farm until this day. When I returned to the show in 1994, this date had been moved up early in the year to coincide with the other NYC engagements and on that occasion there was an Automobile Show in the basement so we kept the elephants outside in their tent. On closing night we walked the elephants to the cars in a sleet storm, then we discovered that the canvas was frozen and when we tried to roll it up, it became sort of a large triangle that we finally got loaded. We jumped from there to the Meadowlands where the elephants were kept indoors and a day or so later we unloaded the tent on the parking lot and spread it out to dry.) (On the subject of the Meadowlands, I hear that Ken & Nicole will be showing there Mar. 7-12 and the admission prices are $150 (Circus Celebrity), $70 (Gold Seats) and $50 (VIP). When Col. Herriott and I attend the CFA Convention in May we have been invited to attend this show in Hershey but have since learned that our seats are located out in the hallway, $3.50 each.)