1967 (March 9) Big 10 Gym Coaches Visit Nissen Corp. & Employee Profile: Tom McGrew (Special Issue: Collegiate Gymnastic Schedule)

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

1964 (May) Conventions, Hollywood Movies and Game Shows!

You'd think that supplying the equipment for two international trampoline competitions would be enough for any trampoline factory...but that's not how 1964 rolled out 

for the employees of the Nissen Trampoline Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

     One full-size Spaceball unit plus additional gymnastics apparatus were sent to Washington D.C., for the 79th annual National Convention of the American Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER), May 8-12th. 

     Nissen's National Sales Director "Bus" Charles Klinge and Dick Zuber, who handled Nissen sales on the East coast, were both on hand to greet attendees at the Nissen booth. An iconic photo below captures a number of gymnastics coaches who gave presentations at the special Gymnastics Section of which Coach George Szypula served as moderator.              

Upper Left: Bus Klinge and Dick Zuber at the Nissen booth
Bottom: A gathering of gymnastic coaching greats. L-R:  Unknown, Lou Bordu, Newt Loken, Dick Clausen, Carl Patterson, George Szypula, Paul Romeo, Tom Darling, Bruce Fredrick, Pat Bird.    Photos: Glenn Sundby

      Back at the factory, employees were all "abuzz" about the special delivery to the Chicago movie set of "Mickey One." The movie scene staged at Chicago's Ohio Street Beach called for 18 trampolines to be set up near and even in the water. Although the movie was a disaster at the box office when it was finally released in 1965, it did produce some great trampoline photos. 
(Check below for photos plus a link to the movie trailer)                                                                                                                                              
Looks like a number of the women in the office were vying to help drive the truck for a chance to see the then-movie heart throb: Warren Beatty!

"Micky One" photos:

LINK here to the movie trailer where at the 1:15 minute mark, Warren Beatty makes a daring window escape landing on a 

Nissen trampoline.

     Near the end of the month, my father George Nissen, was invited to be a guest on an episode of T.V.'s game show, "Missing Links," hosted by Ed McMahon and filmed at the Elysee Theater in New York. 
     According to the description, "A panel of three celebrities face a studio contestant who comes with an unusual story. He/she gives a statement with a blank at the end or near the end, and each panelist tries to guess the missing word. A correct answer from one celebrity wins the contestant $50, but an incorrect answer passes the turn to the next star. If all three missed, the host gave hints with a correct guess earning $25." (My father's unusual story? Why, HE invented the trampoline!)  

     Unfortunately, the series was cancelled after only one year and all footage destroyed. But back in 1964, T.V. sets were brought in to the factory and all enjoyed a little time off from making trampolines to watch the fun. 

______________________________________________

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

Issue #16 (June 1, 1958) Trampoline Schools & Clinics

This issue of BOUNCE is bursting with fun photos, events and interesting facts!
Incredibly, my father George Nissen, managed to cover it all, and appeared to"be everywhere at once!"

The big news was the opening of Bob Bollinger's new outdoor trampoline school in Sycamore, Illinois. Quite a few notables from the world of trampolines were on hand to help out as well.  

Then, before my father took off for the big toy fair in Los Angeles he made a special stop in Soccorro, New Mexico to meet up with Bob Hazlett (recent University of Iowa graduate and collegiate tumbling & trampoline champion).

A quick family note here: Marie Jensen celebrated her 107th birthday in Dysart, Iowa. Marie was my father's grandmother who as a child traveled to Iowa in a covered wagon. Being seven years old at the time, I still have vivid memories of attending several of her big family reunion birthday parties that were held at her Dysart home. 

George Szypula, men's gymnastics coach at Michigan State held a trampoline clinic in Battlecreek, Michigan with trampoline champions Ed Cole and Don Carney assisting!

We also get to meet Gary Robertson, who stayed on at Nissen's for many, many years!

On page 3, we have the opportunity to see a number of folks not usually found on this side of the camera lens. I'll share a little background on each.

Irving "Speed" Wallace - - a free-lance writer for a number of professional journals. He never ran out of material when George Nissen was his topic!

Jacky Brown - - who years earlier with Xave Leonard and my father, performed together as the "Three Leonardos;" an acro-hand-balancing act.

Finally, bottom left is a rare photo of three special men standing next to my father: 

Ed Cole - University of Michigan trampoline champion.

Dick Kimball who one year earlier won the NCAA springboard diving championship and now coached diving at the University of Michigan.

Nard Cazell of Amarillo, Texas. Owner of one of the first trampoline schools and coach to numerous collegiate and national trampoline champions.

X

Lest we think Europe and the U.K. weren't also feeling the "bounce,"  on page 4, we have Ted Blake teaching a special teacher's clinic in Essex, England. Plus, professional trampoline performer Eddie Murillo catching the "perfect shot" in Milan, Italy.

Do these newsletters spark a memory for you?

If so, please share your own stories and comments below.

----------------------------

"Nissen's - - A Great Place to Work!"