Buckles, The two men next to Logan- Maxine Gross and John Carrol were still on Carson and Barnes when I joined the show in 1972. At least 20 years later. Gary Jacobson |
Saturday, January 07, 2012
1950's K-M Elephants #5
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3 comments:
Didn't Whitey Gross go to Hoxie for a few years before coming back to work for Dorey on Carson and Barnes? Remember when he couldn't travel in the bull trucks when he became sick and Dorey got him a little house trailer which traveled with the show. Took care of all the little ones Dorey purchased in the early 70's. Had been an accountant/book keeper at one time if I remember right.
Gary,
They were both still there in 1975 when I went to pick up Obert, Kelly and Tracy. What a couple of characters. That they missed not writing a book about their elephant experiences is a real shame. John only had one eye. He told me the other was taken out with a bull hook when he and a number of others were trying to stop a Def Con 3 runaway with 14 elephants.
Wade Burck
In early April of 1980, I visited Okie and John Carroll on one of the lots around Ft. Worth. Two weeks to the day later, John dropped dead of a sudden heart attack, I believe while working the elephant ride with Okie. He was a good and dedicated showman who had joined out on Kelly-Miller in 1948, and remained with the Miller family to the end. I heard he rarely if ever collected his salary, and asked Dorey Miller to invest his money for the purpose of doing good deeds for circus men like himself. The John Carroll Foundation is his legacy.
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