Call Number
CWM Mss 34
CWM Ph 12
Title
Parkinson, Thomas P. (1921-1993), Papers, (1793-1990). (31 c.f., 41 boxes)
Biography
Thomas Paul Parkinson was born on April 7th, 1921 in Decatur Illinois. Over the course of his life he held jobs as a US Army Staff Sergeant, a journalist, a historian, and an arena manager. Parkinson had a lifelong interest in circuses, working as a circus researcher, a model builder, and a writer of circus books. He began collecting circus memorabilia in 1930, and was an early member of the board of directors for the Circus World Museum.
Parkinson earned undergraduate degrees in History and Journalism in 1943 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he worked as the chief editor of the Daily Illi, a major campus newspaper. In 1943 he wrote his first article for Bandwagon magazine while still in College. He would continue to write for the magazine until 1985. After college, Parkinson enlisted in the Army, where he rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant in charge of operations for the 80th division of the 319th infantry regiment, part of the 2nd Battalion of the US Army. In 1945, Parkinson fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
Parkinson was released from service in 1947 and enrolled in Northwestern University, where he earned a graduate degree in Journalism. He subsequently relocated to Louisiana, where he became the city hall reporter for the Shreveport Times. In 1949, he wrote his first circus-related news article, on the closing of the Older and Chandler Circus in Shreveport in 1873. It was later republished in the 1949 edition of White Tops.
Parkinson's long career in entertainment and entertainment history began in 1950, when he began work as an associate editor and writer for Billboard magazine, a position he would hold for most of his life. During his time at Billboard, he edited and wrote articles on circuses, circus history, and arena management, a field he later became heavily involved in himself. Parkinson's work with Billboard included a comprehensive elephant census (published in 1952) and a critical examination of the decline of the Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus (published in 1956) both of which are vital historical documents. In addition to his work with Billboard, Parkinson published three independent books on Circus history with fellow circus historian Charles Phillip ("Chappie") Fox: The Circus in America (1969), The Circus Moves by Rail (1978) and Billers, Banners, and Bombast: The Story of Circus Advertising (1985).
From 1978-1981, Parkinson served as president of the Circus Historical Society, an organization he joined in 1941 (membership #31). He served on the board of the Circus World Museum from its creation in the middle 1950's to its transfer to the Wisconsin historical society in 1959.
Parkinson died in 1993.
Scope and Content
The Thomas P. Parkinson Collection consists of personal notes, business papers, newspaper clippings, correspondence, promotional material, publishing galleys, and photographs relating to a variety of different circus subjects and constitute the personal research and correspondence of Tom Parkinson. The collection was primarily dates from the 1950s through the 1980s, though it contains telegrams, other documents, and show printings that date as early as the mid 1800s. The papers are divided into five series, PUBLICATIONS, CORRESPONDENCE, RINGLING PAPERS, SUBJECT FILES, and VISUAL MATERIALS (CWM Ph 12).
The PUBLICATIONS series (boxes 1 through 8) contain copies and manuscripts of articles and books written by Tom Parkinson himself, including circus reviews and editorials published in Billboard magazine. Boxes 2 and 3 contain source material, correspondence, and publishers galleys relating to his 1978 book The Circus Moves By Rail. Boxes 4 and 5 contain similar material relating to his 1985 book Billers, Banners, and Bombast: The Story of Circus Advertising and Boxes 6 through 8 contain material relating to his unpublished Big Book of Circuses. Of special note in the PUBLICATIONS Series is a manuscript copy of “The Big Book” an unpublished manuscript which was a joint venture between Tom Parkinson and Chappie Fox. The Big Book was intended to be a comprehensive history to the American Circus and was never completed.
The CORRESPONDENCE series (boxes 9 through 14) primarily contain Parkinson’s correspondence with circus managers, circus performers, and fellow circus researchers and historians.
The RINGLING Papers series (box 15) contains a variety of materials including legal documents, contracts, estate papers, and news clippings given to Parkinson by John M. Kelley, longtime attorney for the Ringling Brothers.
The SUBJECT FILES series (boxes 16-36) contain historical research files, business documents, cards, fliers, and newspaper clippings collected by Parkinson. Of particular interest is correspondence related to the management of the Circus Historical Society (boxes 21-22), paperwork related to his comprehensive 1952 elephant census (box 24) and various promotional material collected from assorted circuses, including several boxes of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey promotional materials from seasons in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s. (Boxes 31-33). The series also contains an extensive set of files relating to calliopes (boxes 19-20)including circuses that used them, individuals that produced, researched or collected them, and museums which had examples in their collection.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series contain an extensive assortment of photographs of circuses and individuals who worked in various circuses from the late 19th century through the early 1970s. The vast majority of the images are copy photographs however there are a number of original images scattered throughout the collection. Of particular note is a large assemblage of material relating to Calliopes.
Also included in the collection are a series of card catalogs Parkinson used to track information related to biographies and circus logistics. The collection contains a catalog of circus performers and managers, a catalog of circus wagons, and a catalog of steam calliopes. Most of this information pertains to circus seasons in from the early 1900s through the 1950s.
CWM Mss 34
CWM Ph 12
Title
Parkinson, Thomas P. (1921-1993), Papers, (1793-1990). (31 c.f., 41 boxes)
Biography
Thomas Paul Parkinson was born on April 7th, 1921 in Decatur Illinois. Over the course of his life he held jobs as a US Army Staff Sergeant, a journalist, a historian, and an arena manager. Parkinson had a lifelong interest in circuses, working as a circus researcher, a model builder, and a writer of circus books. He began collecting circus memorabilia in 1930, and was an early member of the board of directors for the Circus World Museum.
Parkinson earned undergraduate degrees in History and Journalism in 1943 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he worked as the chief editor of the Daily Illi, a major campus newspaper. In 1943 he wrote his first article for Bandwagon magazine while still in College. He would continue to write for the magazine until 1985. After college, Parkinson enlisted in the Army, where he rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant in charge of operations for the 80th division of the 319th infantry regiment, part of the 2nd Battalion of the US Army. In 1945, Parkinson fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
Parkinson was released from service in 1947 and enrolled in Northwestern University, where he earned a graduate degree in Journalism. He subsequently relocated to Louisiana, where he became the city hall reporter for the Shreveport Times. In 1949, he wrote his first circus-related news article, on the closing of the Older and Chandler Circus in Shreveport in 1873. It was later republished in the 1949 edition of White Tops.
Parkinson's long career in entertainment and entertainment history began in 1950, when he began work as an associate editor and writer for Billboard magazine, a position he would hold for most of his life. During his time at Billboard, he edited and wrote articles on circuses, circus history, and arena management, a field he later became heavily involved in himself. Parkinson's work with Billboard included a comprehensive elephant census (published in 1952) and a critical examination of the decline of the Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus (published in 1956) both of which are vital historical documents. In addition to his work with Billboard, Parkinson published three independent books on Circus history with fellow circus historian Charles Phillip ("Chappie") Fox: The Circus in America (1969), The Circus Moves by Rail (1978) and Billers, Banners, and Bombast: The Story of Circus Advertising (1985).
From 1978-1981, Parkinson served as president of the Circus Historical Society, an organization he joined in 1941 (membership #31). He served on the board of the Circus World Museum from its creation in the middle 1950's to its transfer to the Wisconsin historical society in 1959.
Parkinson died in 1993.
Scope and Content
The Thomas P. Parkinson Collection consists of personal notes, business papers, newspaper clippings, correspondence, promotional material, publishing galleys, and photographs relating to a variety of different circus subjects and constitute the personal research and correspondence of Tom Parkinson. The collection was primarily dates from the 1950s through the 1980s, though it contains telegrams, other documents, and show printings that date as early as the mid 1800s. The papers are divided into five series, PUBLICATIONS, CORRESPONDENCE, RINGLING PAPERS, SUBJECT FILES, and VISUAL MATERIALS (CWM Ph 12).
The PUBLICATIONS series (boxes 1 through 8) contain copies and manuscripts of articles and books written by Tom Parkinson himself, including circus reviews and editorials published in Billboard magazine. Boxes 2 and 3 contain source material, correspondence, and publishers galleys relating to his 1978 book The Circus Moves By Rail. Boxes 4 and 5 contain similar material relating to his 1985 book Billers, Banners, and Bombast: The Story of Circus Advertising and Boxes 6 through 8 contain material relating to his unpublished Big Book of Circuses. Of special note in the PUBLICATIONS Series is a manuscript copy of “The Big Book” an unpublished manuscript which was a joint venture between Tom Parkinson and Chappie Fox. The Big Book was intended to be a comprehensive history to the American Circus and was never completed.
The CORRESPONDENCE series (boxes 9 through 14) primarily contain Parkinson’s correspondence with circus managers, circus performers, and fellow circus researchers and historians.
The RINGLING Papers series (box 15) contains a variety of materials including legal documents, contracts, estate papers, and news clippings given to Parkinson by John M. Kelley, longtime attorney for the Ringling Brothers.
The SUBJECT FILES series (boxes 16-36) contain historical research files, business documents, cards, fliers, and newspaper clippings collected by Parkinson. Of particular interest is correspondence related to the management of the Circus Historical Society (boxes 21-22), paperwork related to his comprehensive 1952 elephant census (box 24) and various promotional material collected from assorted circuses, including several boxes of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey promotional materials from seasons in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s. (Boxes 31-33). The series also contains an extensive set of files relating to calliopes (boxes 19-20)including circuses that used them, individuals that produced, researched or collected them, and museums which had examples in their collection.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series contain an extensive assortment of photographs of circuses and individuals who worked in various circuses from the late 19th century through the early 1970s. The vast majority of the images are copy photographs however there are a number of original images scattered throughout the collection. Of particular note is a large assemblage of material relating to Calliopes.
Also included in the collection are a series of card catalogs Parkinson used to track information related to biographies and circus logistics. The collection contains a catalog of circus performers and managers, a catalog of circus wagons, and a catalog of steam calliopes. Most of this information pertains to circus seasons in from the early 1900s through the 1950s.