Please post your bios in the comments section below and be aware that many people have posted their bios on the T West Facebook page.......be sure to look there !!!
Jan Pipkin Flesher wanted to go first but wasn't able to load it. This is what she submitted:
Bio from Jan Pipkin Flesher
Following graduation from Topeka West I left Topeka to follow my dreams. As most of you may recall the Topeka Free Fair came to the fairgrounds and it was an event to look forward to every year. Attending that fair with all of my friends was where I got my inspiration join the circus. I started as an assistant to the animal caregivers which means I shoveled poop. I can tell you that cleaning up after the elephants is no easy task and my arms quickly became very very strong. When I was finished with my shift each night....I would sneak into the tents and practice on the trapeze and found that due to my amazing arm strength that I was quite good at it. Within a few years I had my own " act " and top billing as " The Fantasy in the Sky". I had many great years andloved the life of a circus performer. I marred many times but sadly all ended in divorce. As you can imagine being in the circus gives a girl lots of opportunities to meet interesting men....and I could never just settle for very long. Among my many husbands was one Ringmaster ( too bossy), two clowns ( they're not so funny to live with every day), one Bearded Lady ( trust me " she " was NOT a lady) and my favorite " Jack, the Human Cannon Ball" -- he met a sad end when someone packed too much gunpowder into the cannon. Over the years I had to modify my act since it's not possible to stay as flexible as when was younger. One of my husbands was a drummer so he taught me to play the drums and I changed my act to " Rhythm on a Swing" . Of course since I was playing the drum and it takes both hands-- I needed a way to hang on to the trapeze. I've always had weak ankles so I used neck and then my teeth. I've enclosed a picture so you'll understand how much skill this took. This was all working out great and I thought I'd be able to stay with the circus for life..but my teeth just couldn't stand the pressure and I had to give up my job. The circus is a wonderful life...but the retirement benefits are terrible. Since I didn't have retirement or a husband to help me, I was really concerned that I might starve. I decided to turn all of my skills with the circus into a second career and I'm now a government consultant. I advise on economics, environmental issues, space exploration and such. In my spare time I teach percussion to students in middle school. For fun I go to Gage Park and swing.... I just feel so at home on a swing and close to the zoo animals. I do have 3 children and 3 grandchildren and they love having a grandma who will swing with them ! I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at the reunion and hearing all about what YOU have been doing since our days at West !!
