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The IJA founders pose for posterity immediately after creating the organization in Pittsburgh . (Top l-r) Bernie Joyce, Jack Greene, Harry Lind, Art Jennings, George Barvinchak. (Bottom l-r) Bill Dunham, Roger Montandon, Eddie Johnson. Photo courlesy of Eddie Johnson.

Profiles of a Few Prominent Members

The Founders - Art Jennings & Roger Montandon: The two principal catalysts in the founding of the IJA. See their biographies elsewhere.

Harry Lind: Vaudevillian club manipulator, one of the grand old men at the founding of the IJA. See his biography in "the history of propmaking."

Jack Greene: Born in 1887, another veteran of vaudeville. He was an intelligent and successful businessman, a superior juggler, and always willing to help others, particularly young jugglers. His one handed four-club shower was an outstanding achievement of its time. This quiet, modest man, friend of Harry Lind, died in 1954.

Floyd "Bill" Dunham: Remembered by all as an easy man to know, quick with a funny line. He appropriately made his career in clown juggling. He and his wife, Amy, were the social leaders of the early IJA gatherings, taking care of the nitty-gritty work of setting up, providing refreshments and cleaning up. Most of all, they made everyone feel welcome.

Bernie Joyce: For the past 30 years an engineer with the city of Altoona, Penn. He learned to juggle at the age of 12 after his father took him to a vaudeville show. He got three oranges at home and stood over his bed until he mastered a passable cascade - all before dinner was on the table. He attended school with Ed Johnson and they did some shows together. Joyce had his own group, "The Flying Saucers." with his two sisters, brother, and a neighbor, that specialized in hoop passing patterns.

Eddy "Easy" Johnson: The first veteran to subscribe to the "Juggler's Bulletin," he and Bernie Joyce went to the IBM convention cold, not knowing a soul. and wound up as IJA founders. While Joyce was studying economics, Johnson took a degree in accounting and suffered through the usual "juggling the books" cracks.

Born in 1922, he learned how to juggle from articles written in "Popular Mechanics" by Charles Career. The magazine was one of the few sources of juggling information before World War II. He used his juggling in the Army Air Force by performing in many special service shows. During college, he performed professionally in the Philadelphia area. He went to work with the IRS, then ran a travel agency and has now served five terms as a state representative In Pennsylvania.

George Barvinchak (now Barvin): Another friendly fellow with an infectious smile, he learned juggling from his older brother, Bill, and did his first show at the age of 15 in high school in 1932. Now in their seventies, both he and his brother are still performing.

In retirement from the Edicott Shoe Company, George has more time than ever, making some 100 shows a year as a comedy magician and juggler. He was a machine gunner with an armored division in World War II and performed extensively for the special services division. He was instrumental in making the first convention a success and later served as president of the IJA.