Granny Johnson served in the military during both world wars. In the First World War he was a first lieutenant and was Athletic Director in 1918 for the U.S. Army in Camp McArthur, Texas. During the Second World War he filled the same role as a Lieutenant Commander for the United States Navy at a reserve training camp from 1942-1945. Typically, on university campuses, people in physical education or athletics do not get much respect from their colleagues in the arts and sciences. University archives newspaper accounts of the lives of both Mabel Rilling and Granny Johnson show, however, that these two were very much respected by their fellow faculty members. There is a men’s residence hall at the University of Denver on the corner of South High St. and East Iliff named for Granny Johnson.

“Damn everything except the circus." - e.e. cummings

A look at old programs from those early circus performances is instructive. The shows involved boxing and wrestling exhibitions, which are not typical circus fare. But they also involved gymnastics, acrobatics and dance numbers. In 1921, for example, there were “three rings” in the gymnasium. In those three rings were tumbling, flying rings, vaulting on the horse, parallel bars and horizontal bar, the usual gymnastics events. But there were also were pyramids or group balancing, tight wire, revolving ladder, trampoline, and there were clowns. These were not gymnastics events. In fact, at this time the trampoline was considered a vaudeville show gimmick. Also, as a part of the program there were a “balancing trapeze,” single trapeze, double trapeze, and flying trapeze. In 1930 a “casting rig” act was added to the circus. The flying trapeze made the move from the University of Denver alumni gymnasium to the Denver Central YMCA gymnasium on 16th and Lincoln streets. It had a larger space, a much higher ceiling, and iron girders from which to hang the equipment, which was all suspended and then “flown” back into the ceiling of the gymnasium when out of use. When the flying trapeze made the move, the single trapeze, double trapeze and revolving ladder went along with it and were featured in YMCA circuses. Bob Gray and Jimmy Kyle did the revolving ladder act, and Manny Crespin and Cheryl Cohan did the double trapeze act on the original equipment.

D.U. Gymnasts c. 1923. Trapeze net in background.

In 1928, the tightwire walkers were Coralyn Carey, Betty Osgood, and Lucille Fitzsimmons; the flyers were Julius Ginsberg, Allen McMillan, Dick Wilder, Granville Johnson, Willis Collins, Chester Preisser, John Klein, Lindsay Keeler, Henry Ham, and Hugh Gunnison. These are the people who went along with the circus equipment, most likely installed it, and became the first Imperial Flyers at the Denver Central YMCA. Julius Ginsberg, who had a long distinguished legal career in Denver, was the largest of the acrobats and
became the catcher for the group. He was a big man with a big frame. A special catcher’s trapeze was built for Julius Ginsberg in order to accommodate his rear end. Long after his retirement, this trapeze continued to be used by generations of catchers, who knew nothing of Julius, until the group left the YMCA sixty plus years later.

Otto Pribyl Flyers c. 1931. Left to right: Julius Ginsberg; [unknown];Otto Pribyl; Dave Werb; John Pribyl; Yo-Yo Moreno

“If running away and joining the circus sounds romantic to you,
think about sleeping nights in a parking lot and sharing your water with the elephants.” - Lisa Hofsess