20 Nov 1938 - 10 Jan 2008

In January 2008, the world lost a hell of a showman. I lost a father.

My earliest memory of Dad was of a visit when I was in 3rd grade. I knew Dad was a knife thrower in the Sideshow so I had spent hours with an old rusty hunting knife learning to throw it at a stump in the yard. On the day Dad visited, I hollered "Dad Look" and somehow on the first try stuck that knife in the stump.

You could have heard a pin drop. Mom looked at him and said, "Damn you Eddie Miller" and all Dad did was look at her and shrug his shoulders. It came as no shock to them when I was 22 and joined the carnival life for myself.

Dad through it all didn't try to pave the way, but made me do things the old fashioned way, he made me earn it. The abilities I learned while I was on the road I'll treasure always, and have to Thank him
daily for all he did, and didn't do for me in my life.

Dad, one day I'll see you in that big top in the sky.

Until then, keep a place on that big bally open for me.

Eddie Miller Jr.

Ed Miller was a old style showman. Although he had been out of the business for many years, he still talked of his years on the shows with Pride, and it was mainly because of him that I spent 14 glorious years on the carnival circuit carrying on the family legacy.

I learned from Dad, he worked for Ward Hall, Whitey Sutton and a few other names in the Sideshow business. A few years ago, I was on a midway in Mineral Wells, WV, when Whitey's niece walked up to me and recognized the voice. She asked me who I was, and it was a matter of pride that I could say my father was a knife thrower and my mama was his human target.

She recognized immediately who I was from just that description and we spent my entire lunch break talking about Dad and Mom and the old days. Neither one is with us any more, but through his stories, his legacy lives on. Please include Dad on your tribute page, as I'm sure some of your readers will remember an old ballyman, sword swallower and knife thrower.  ED MILLER JR.