Issue #28 (June 1, 1959) Gymnastics Meet in Rantoul. Louisiana

Another busy month for the Nissen Trampoline Company!

This of course included several gymnastics and trampoline competitions where every Nissen trampoline that was used ended up being sold to the local YMCA, school or recreation center. It also gave my father an opportunity to meet up with his coaching buddies;

Jeff Austin, Charlie Pond and Frank Bare.

 Significant on this page is the signing of the first distributor contract for consumer sales. This means the general public - - who will be soon sold on the concept of buying a trampoline for their own backyard. What a "concept!" To think it all started here!

Don't miss the mention of my father's trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan to learn how automobile bumpers were chrome-plated. Plans were already moving forward for the new Nissen factory and Bill Haberland was hired to help develop my father's idea to chrome trampolines.

Last, we have the Bloomington YMCA. This is where back in 1934, my father and Larry Griswold spent many days & nights learning the art of the circus!

 Pages 3 & 4 are devoted to the Newsy News among the Nissen employees.

The continuing increases in sales of trampolines, plus the big plans underway to manufacture gymnastics apparatus meant that the company needed to expand once again. 

Do these newsletters spark a memory? You are invited to share your own stories and comments below.

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"Nissen's - - a great place to work!"

Issue #27 (May 1, 1959) National AAU Meet in New Jersey

It must be spring, and in 1959, weddings and baby showers were in bloom!

Peg and Bob's wedding was a traditional 50s style: big and with lots of Chantilly lace, satin plus roses!  Peg stayed on at Nissen's for 22+ years; becoming another of the valued, long-time members of the Nissen Trampoline Company family.

Page 2 contains several interesting trampoline "moments."

First, we have Boris Grunwald, Olympic diver bouncing on the first trampoline in Yugoslavia!

Beneath this is a photo of a group of New Jersey school kids...unfortunately the occasion is the first lawsuit brought against Nissen's for an accident on a trampoline.

Finally, the naming of a new model of trampoline to be manufactured in England. I searched future newsletters in vain for published results and finding none, I'll share the answer:

Named "Gazelle" - this non-folding, pit-tramp was soon found in many of Great Britain's holiday parks on the south coast near Brighten.

The Gazelle's real contribution was that it became the prototype frame for the yet-to-be-invented Spaceball!

 

Some notables on Page 3:

George Gulack, 1932 Olympic gold medalist on the rings, and now

chairman of the AAU gymnastics committee.

Leslie Judd, world famous gymnastics coach (special background LINK here).

Finally, Ron Munn (1st place winner) and Harvey Platte (2nd place) on trampoline at the 1959 National AAU gymnastics & trampoline meet that was held at the University of Massachusetts in Amhurst, Mass.

(Note: the newsletter states "Amherst, New Jersey" but with the amount of trampoline news pouring in, we'll let the editor off on this one!)

BUT, don't miss what will be one of my father's proudest moments (and one step closer to his goal) the photo of his Nissen Gymport equipment that what used at the AAU meet, and was selected to be used exclusively at the Pan American Games, Chicago in August!

A lot of fun "Nissen Company Family" news. If you have the time to read it all - - there's lots of great memories of life in the little town of Cedar Rapids during the late 1950s.

Do these newsletters spark a memory? You are invited to share your own stories and comments below.

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"Nissen's - - a great place to work!"

Issue #26 (April 1, 1959) NCAA Meet in Berkley, California

Big things are on the horizon for the Nissen Trampoline Company; and these next two years (1959 & 1960) will be full of challenges. Right now a lot is "brewing" behind the scenes. I enjoyed the detective work of matching photos to events, sort of reading between the lines...and I'll try to give you, the reader, as much help as I can along the way.

First we get to meet Gary Robertson who joined the company September 1, 1955. Working back in the factory he eventually moved up to "shipping," and now will join the accounting department. Gary stayed on for nearly 30 more years as a member of the big Nissen Trampoline Company family!  

In last month's newsletter, Ted Blake addressed the need to maintain high quality products because competitors were knocking at the door. The first competitor that Nissen took on was the American Trampoline Company in Jefferson, Iowa. The lawsuit charged trademark infringement over their use of the word "trampoline" in their company name. 

The Nissen Trampoline Company was doing its best to defend its patent; for instance, if you go back to Page 1, and look closely at the masthead you'll see an asterisk by TRAMPOLINE, linked to a notation at the bottom of the page. (A notation added to all future newsletters) They also put their faith in Owen Ooms (who won Duncan Yo-Yo's trademark case).

The "trampoline" trademark lawsuit lasted a full two years.

On the good news side of things, my father received a very special award from the

American Academy of Physical Education.

"For his contribution to gymnastic apparatus through development  of the Trampoline which has become a major stimulus of the century to large muscle activity."

Page 3 is full of great names in trampoline and gymnastics!

Ed Cole - University of Michigan athlete who won first place in trampoline at the 1959 NCAA Championships, held in Berkeley, CA.

Coach Dick Holzaepfel - and members of the University of Iowa gym team.

Joe E. Brown - As a young boy back in the 1920s my father loved watching Joe E.'s vaudeville act; he thrilled audiences by jumping off the edge of the stage right into the orchestra pit, only to rebound up into view again. His secret was a barrel covered with stretched cloth and hidden in the orchestra pit below! The iconic photo captures my father meeting one of his "inspirations" for the trampoline.

Charles "Chuck" Keeney - A champion tumbler and diver from California who, when assigned to St. Mary's Navy Pre Flight school during WW2 saw the value of the then "new" trampoline and ordered 12 for the Navy from George Nissen's fledgling business. Chuck went on to a great coaching career as well as author his own book on the trampoline, published in 1961. Use this LINK to read more about Chuck's career in gymnastics.

I've added two photos that you'll enjoy.





 Page 4 - Even though the back page is almost always devoted to employee news...

I did find a few hidden references that hint at future excitement for the company:

That of Harry Raygor creating space for the new weaving loom - - this secret one of a kind loom developed with the help of the Singer Company could sew straight across the trampoline bed with 100 needles, rather than the old one-needle system.

Then, a visit by Bob Wright and Howard Short to the Sawhill Tubular Products Company in Sharon, PA.  - - in order to set up new contracts. My father's plans were slowly beginning to take shape; that of expanding beyond simply importing Gymport gymnastics apparatus, to eventually manufacturing his own Nissen line. More excitement in next month's issue!

Do these newsletters spark a memory? You are invited to share your own stories and comments below.

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"Nissen's - - a great place to work!"

Issue #25 (Mar. 1, 1959) Kurt Baechler Returns to U.S.A.

First, the Danish gymnastics team stopped by last November, then came the team from Finland.

My father's plan to promote his new Gymport line of gymnastics apparatus

 by showcasing the experts using it was in full swing!

He kept the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce busy as well; with welcome receptions at the airport, special exhibitions in local high school gyms and hosting banquets dinners at the

Cedar Rapids Country Club.

We'll see a number of visiting teams throughout the coming year!

Ted Blake, Director of Nissen Trampoline Co. Ltd. wrote a wonderful motivational letter for his employees at the England site. It's easy to see why my father nicknamed Ted "Little Churchill." Throughout the years, Ted excelled at developing enhanced business practices with inspirational presentations, so luckily we'll be reading  more of his wit as time goes on.

Meanwhile, the trampoline clinics throughout the U.S. and Europe "carried on." Here are a few more photos of events that didn't make it into the last several issues.

With sales of trampolines rocketing, more employees needed to be hired!

Here we meet a few of the new folks.

I have to mention Manuel Polo (photo below) who proved to be a versatile asset at the company. Originally from Ecuador, his job was "weaving trampoline beds," however the Sales department borrowed him quite a bit to assist in translation duties. 

Page 4 is full of "newsy-news" covering the employee's happy activities outside of work.

A special mention however, about half-way down is worth noting -- of the collective effort to send out 10,000 new 1959 catalogs (that contained GymPort equipment). Charlie Igram and his partner Bill Hutchings from Igram Press did the printing of the BOUNCE newsletter as well as all the Nissen catalogs. In fact, Nissen's and Igram Press (now known as Cedar Graphics) enjoyed a great business relationship for many years to come. Charlie and Bill began their business in the back of a grocery store! Read Igram's interesting history HERE. 

Do these newsletters spark a memory for you?

You are invited to share your own stories and comments below.

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"Nissen's - - a great place to work!"

Issue # 24 (Feb. 1, 1959) Finland Gymnastics Team Visits Nissen Factory

February 1959 - Time once again for the National Sporting Goods Dealer Show!

This year it's being held in nearby Chicago and the BIG news at the Nissen booth is the debut of gymnastic apparatus under the brand name: GYMPORT.  

Expanding into the world of gymnastics equipment was a big step for the Nissen Trampoline Company.

It was based on my father's determination that in order for American gymnasts to have a chance to excel in international competitions...they needed access to Olympic-caliber equipment as well. GYMPORT (the name being a combination of GYM and IMPORT) was his solution.

Bottom left is a photo of my father's brother Paul Nissen. Back when they were kids, Dad tagged along to his older brother Paul's gymnastics classes. One day they needed a small person for the top spot in a group pyramid balance - - and Dad filled in. From that point on, gymnastics was his favorite sport!

Paul by the way, created quite a reputation for himself through the years as a Handball champion.

My father always knew that the best way to introduce a new line of gymnastics apparatus was to show top level gymnasts using it. So he made sure that the touring Finnish Gymnastics Team had the new Gymport equipment at their stops which included Sarasota Florida Clinic, New Jersey, Canada and in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

On this page is a unique photo of the fellows who are responsible for building the Nissen Trampolines over in the Essex, England - - under the expert management of Ted Blake. As you read through their job titles/duties it's easy to see that even back in 1959, a lot of work went into building each trampoline! 

Thanks guys, from all of us!

The back page: once again reserved for the "newsy-news" of Nissen employees.

By 1959, Dad was creating his own personal "time zone;" the result of his weekly cross-country and globe-trotting travels. Whenever he felt the need to sleep, he'd simply take off his neck-tie, wrap it around his head a couple of times and...nod off for forty-winks!

My naps were never as "stylish" as Dad's. This rather embarrassing photo of me :-) proves that even a young 8-year old kid couldn't keep up with her own Dad's zest & energy!

Do these newsletters spark a memory? You are invited to share your own stories and comments below.

____________________________________________

Nissen's - - a great place to work!