Sad News!

( a 1994 photo - courtesy of Bill Prickett )

Herberth Edward Head Jr. was born in Owensboro , Kentucky on August 17, 1925, the son of Herberth Sr. and Henrietta Lanham Head. Herb's younger sister Mary Inez joined the family in 1927. Herberth married Wilma Louise Carrico on August 21, 1948. Herb and Wilma had five children: Herberth III, Kenneth, Jeanine, Sharon, and Kathleen.

For 35 years, Herb played the America steam calliope in the annual Great Circus Parade held each summer since the 1960s in Chicago , Milwaukee , or Baraboo , Wisconsin. Herb had the great pleasure of helping Homer carve the front carvings on the America during the major rebuild of the parade wagon. With only four days till load out in Baraboo, Homer and Herb worked side by side completing the carvings on the front of the wagon before getting some paint on it and watching it roll. Herb also played The Henry Ford's John Robinson calliope at events in Greenfield Village during the 1950s.

Being a huge circus model builder, Herb re-created the Cole Bros. Circus in 1" scale known as Head Bros. Circus. Complete with 12 flatcars each 6 feet long, 5 stock cars and 7 coaches that hauled 50 wagons, his show was uniquely displayed in his back yard, Model Builder Conventions and at thew Ringling Museums in Florida and the Circus World Museum in Baraboo.

Herb had been a long time member of the Circus Historical Society. He carried the number 120, having joined sometime prior to 1944. ( I don't have a Bandwagon going back that far ) He was also a long time member of the Circus Model Builders.

Herberth E. Head Jr. passed away December 15, 2011, survived by his wife Wilma, children, Herberth III, Kenneth (Lisa) Head, Jeanine (Glenn) Miller, Sharon (Randall) Ward and Kathleen (Jeffrey) Berliner. Herb is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.