Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Proske #10


Proske-10, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Like Clyde Beatty, Proske had his own zoo in Florida in the 1940s.

4 comments:

Ole Whitey said...

Eric: I didn't know he had a zoo- can you give us some details- where in Florida and when? Thanks

Dick Flint said...

Proske’s owned the North Miami Zoo and Tiger Farm at least in the late 1940s. By the way, Ole Whitey, Proske appeared at the Jungle Zoo in Summit Beach amusement park in Akron, Ohio, during the zoo’s first year, 1941. The next year, 1942, Beatty leased his animal to the Akron park’s zoo. Though Beatty did not appear there, he did furnish a 10 lion act and a presenter. The park's PR head was circus man Jerome T. Harriman, formerly with John Robinson, Downie, and the 101 Ranch.

Dick Flint
Baltimore

Ole Whitey said...

Thanks, Dick. I didn't know Proske had been at Summit Beach either.

Mark Harriman said...

Dick,

Jerome T. Harriman was my grandfather. He passed away in Dec 1942. I have a good deal of information on him, but do you know any more than what you outlined in this post, like his years spent in the circus or at Summit Beach?