Sunday, January 27, 2008

Carly Peterson 1967


SAVE0778, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Recently Mr. Ratliff asked me about Carly and in a nutshell he came from the Peterson family of horse, dog and pony fame and worked the Gil Gray elephants in the early 1960's.
In 1965 Howard Suesz hired him to train five more baby elephants "Belle", "Judy", "Dixie", "Kitty" and "Boo Boo" (four of which are seen above).
In 1979 the Suesz elephants were sold to Donnie Johnson and Larry Carden but by this time all that remained from this particular group was "Judy".

I best remember Carly from the time he, Benny White and Billy Cox all worked at Busch Gardens. In those days, this was the most important place to take visiting friends since the beer was free.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Buckles,
Are you sure the date 1979 is accurate. I realize I'm stumbling around in the James C. Hall Historical Material Building, and probably have no business here, but 1975 rings a bell. Also, the Judy mentioned, is she the Judy still with the Carden Show?
Thank you,
Wade Burck

Buckles said...

As my dad used to say, "It's not the law as handed by God unto Moses" but this is what I have for 1975.

Clyde Bros. #1
1. Mary
2. Sue
3. Margie

Clyde Bros. #2
1. Judy (the same Judy as today)
2. Vickie (formerly "Vates" with Bucky)
3. Jennie

Carden & Johnson
1. Sita (former Hunt elephants)
2. Muna
3. Dinnu

Anonymous said...

Buckles,
I get it now? Your records of 1975 are in the "transitional grey area", and you are still the smartest, most rightest man in show business, and all tie's go to the house. Sita, Muna, Dinnu were the 3 that came into Edmond in 1975when Carden purchased the show from Clyde Bros. Bet that Judy could tell some tales. "Hey, do you know who I am?" "ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. I'm going." Curator Hall is shoving me out the door. "That's all right, I didn't want to come back again anyway".
"Henry Edgar"? Yes, it's Wade. Call the James C. Hall Historical Crap Building and tell them who their Curator just threw in the street. I don't think they have any idea."
Wade Burck