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All
but the oldsters, Jack Breene and Harry Lind, who were
invigorated by the late night session, dragged themselves out of
bed late. They just had time for coffee before the ten o'clock
Juggling Session, the formal demonstration of the juggling arts
to the magicians. Nearly 20 jugglers were there for the big toss
up.
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AII
went according to plan until Bobby Jule (born Joe Pegnato)
introduced two Italian kids, Sergio and Vinicio, ostensibly from
Bobby's neighborhood. He noted that they were still rank
amateurs, come to learn from the old masters, but that they
would demonstrate the little progress they'd made just to be
part of the camaraderie.
The
first brother walked on with five rings and then, with four more
from the wings, calmly did a nine ring cascade. The other
brother then did eight rings while spinning one on his leg and
balancing a ball on a forehead pedestal. Then they did some foot
passing with rings.
They
were the Chiesa Brothers, stopping by from Ringling Brothers
Circus. Jule's joke is still talked about as the quintessential
ringer of all IJA conventions.
The
session broke up at noon and nine people left for lunch in the
Hotel's Embassy Restauraunt, around the corner at 600 Grant
Street
. This was no impromptu
event.
Throughout the last two days, there had been little
stand-in-the-corner meetings of two and three jugglers amidst
the knots of magicians.
Aside
from the pleasantries, there was talk of forming a separate
juggler's brotherhood. Plans were finally taking shape. Art
Jennings was collaring people. "This is the time!" he
told them. There
were noncommittal nods, firm maybes, and a few dedicated
"yeses."
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Jennings,
Montandon and Jack Greene decided on a luncheon meeting at noon
get the jugglers the hell away from this crowd, away from their
props, sit 'em down, and hammer this thing out. George
Barvinchak joined in a pre-lunch caucus in which preliminary
by-laws were drafted.
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Of
the 20 or so jugglers, 10 made the trip to the Embassy.
Bobby
Jule and his hand-balancing friend, Teddy Ray, left early. The
remaining eight became founders, and Bobby and Teddy became
charter members along with three others - Vin Carey, Doc
Baldwin, and Joe Fleckenstein - who quickly ratified what took
place at the meeting.
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The
eight founders sat at two booths in a semi-private
alcove of the Embassy. Jack Greene and Harry Lind were the old
pros, masters of vaudeville, lending their years of experience
to the youngsters' energies. There was Art Jennings, with his
moving force personality, certitude, sharp wit, and ready smile.
Roger Montandon, chewing his ever-present cigar, added few
words. The meeting was on track and he watched it quietly and
carefully.
Tall
and humorous George Barvinchak was willing to help in any way.
Floyd "Bill" Dunham was quick to crack up the group
with a joke, and quick to take on any dirty job nobody else
wanted. And there was the young and handsome set - Bernie Joyce
and Eddy "Easy" Johnson, just out of the Army,
post-war students, who had taken the train in from Altoona
in response to an ad in Linking Ring. They didn't know anyone
there and couldn't believe the company they suddenly joined.
After
the dishes were cleared, the meeting began. Jack Greene acted as
chairman, and minutes were kept on the back of the menu until
more space was needed. Hotel stationery was used then. The
constitution and by-laws were drafted and voted on, to be
ratified at the next convention.
Doc
Baldwin, one of the charter members, held an international
office in the I.B.M. and had been consulted on the legalities of
the procedure.
Jennings
wanted everything legal and proper, unassailable - a good thing
since there were those who later questioned the officers'
authority and the legitimacy of the founding.
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The
first issue at the luncheon was whether or not to stay within
the
I.B.M. Jennings initiated the movement to make the IJA
independent of the I.B.M. After some discussion over Jack
Greene's suggestion for calling the officers Big Club, Small
Club, Feather (Secretary) and Balancer (Treasurer), more
traditional titles were agreed upon and officers were elected:
Jennings
as President, Johnson as Vice President, Barvinchak as Secretary
and Montandon as Treasurer. The first independent convention was
planned for the summer of 1948.
It
took three votes to name the new organization. There was a lot
of debate over simply calling it "American," but
Jennings
pointed out that there were jugglers in
England
and
Germany
who had
aIready. through Montandon's "Bulletin,"
voiced an interest in joining. He said they
should be included - and why not think big anyway?
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