In
1943, at 18 years old,
Irvin joined the Navy
during WW II. He was
assigned to the Heavy Cruiser
USS San Francisco of the
South Pacific Fleet, during
the battle of Okinawa. The South
Pacific Fleet lost 13 cruisers
to Kamikaze Fighter Planes and
Typhoons. The
San Francisco survived.
While home on leave in 1945,
Irvin and his Brother
Allan Deggeller
purchased a used Roll-O-Plane
in
Lancaster Ohio. Once
out of the Navy, the brothers
booked there Roll-O-Plane with
Gooding Amusement Company.
1947, Irvin made a deal
with Mr. Gooding
to provide a new concept of a
Kid Land, separate from the
big rides. That year the 1st
Kid Land was setup on Gooding’s
with 4 Kid Rides, Benches and a
Top that Irvin had provided.
The relationship with Gooding
would last 10 years; with Irvin
adding 5 more Kid rides. In the
winter after the Gooding’s had
closed, Irvin would travel south
and book with shows as:
Penn-Premier, Strates, Eddie
Young, L J Heth, Broadway &
Bluegrass Shows.
1951, while playing the
Fremont Ohio Festival,
Irvin met Evelyn Leedy,
the daughter of Mr. & Mrs.
John Leedy, a
Businessman & Concessionaire
from the Cleveland Ohio area,
John also had 2 other daughters,
Carolyn and
Barbara, they operated
Basketballs, French Fry &
Sideshow. Ev was working a
Model Circus Sideshow for
her dad and As the story goes,
Ev was working her magic and
placed a spell on Irvin, they
were married that November in
1951 in Olmsted Ohio,
and that spell continues today,
over 53 years.
1952 the Deggeller Kid
Ride operation began wintering
in
Ruskin Florida.
Fall of 1956,
Irvin, Brother Allan Deggeller &
Father In-Law John Leedy
formed the Deggeller
Amusement Company, and
purchased the Howard
Brother’s 14 ride
show in
Ohio.
That winter, all the rides were
taken to Al Deggeller's
farm in
Shelbyville IN, Each ride
got a new coat of paint and was
re-built for there 1st
season playing Ohio fairs.
Spring of 1957, when the
show re-emerged as the
Deggeller Amusement Co, it
boasted over 25 rides,
including Irvin’s 9 Kid Rides,
Al’s Fly-O-Plane and a Bumper
Car that Irvin and John
Leedy had partnered on.
The Bumper Car was the main
booking piece.
The Fairs in Ohio took notice to
the much larger new and improved
carnival. Irvin featured his
ride help in all White
Uniforms, a tradition that
would continue into today’s
modern carnivals.
1960 Irvin booked the
West Palm Fair, in
West Palm Beach Florida.
Also a Deggeller Trademark was
created, Bob Coy
and Tom Poots
would sky dive into the
midway to generate publicity to
kick off each fair.
1961 Martin Co Fair,
Stuart FL was booked. The show
wintered that year on the Martin
Co Fairgrounds.
1962 purchased its 1st
piece of
Florida property for a
winter quarters. This was the
beginning of the real estate
investing for Irvin.
1962
Lexington Bluegrass Fair
was added to the route.
1963 The show purchased
its 1st Sky Wheel,
this was the catalyst to
becoming a Big Show, Fairs from
around the country began calling
to book the show. Fall of 1963,
Irvin was visited by Mac
McCarter & the Blackwell
Brother’s, Tom, Pete & Louis,
They convinced Irvin to route
the Deggeller Amusement Co
into the Carolina’s and play
there new fair, The Upper
State Fair in Greenville SC.
1964 The show featured over
35 rides and played
The Dade Co Youth Fair-Miami
the same time as West Palm. Dade
County grossed 15k that year..
The show also played
Greenville SC, Shelby, Anderson
&
Concord.
Irvin was one of
the founding Showmen starting
the OABA at the
Sherman House in
Chicago.
1965 the 1st
major fair’s was added to the
route, The Ionia Free Fair,
Ionia MI, then The Kentucky
State Fair-Louisville. In
addition, Irvin also purchased
an Airplane, so he could fly
ahead of the show and lay the
lot out and then return back in
the same day. The airplane
became a valuable time saving
asset. This was the beginning of
the Spectacular Magic Midway
concept.
As the show continued to grow,
now over 50 rides, Irvin
felt he needed more than just
rides, games and food to
complete his Midway, so he
started free shows with 2
elephants that Joe Frisco
trained and 2 chimps, also
creating Back Ends Shows that
balley on the midway with free
mini shows such as "Speedy
Babb’s Motor Drome", "Sonny
Pelaquin's Wall of Death", "The
Silas Green Revue", 10-1
Illusions, "Miss Sandy O’Hare
Revue", "John &
Ralph Negus's Cinema 180"
and featured such great talkers
as Bill Thompson.
"Right on the inside", this
concept kept the patrons
entertained at the fair for
hours. Meaning more revenue for
the Carnival and Fair. Also
Irvin took a semi trailer for
each fair and lettered it with
the Fairs Logo. This showmen’s
move received a lot of attention
from each and every fair, with
people reporting back that they
had seen there Fair on the side
of trailer over 1000 miles from
home.
1966 the 2nd
Sky Wheel was purchased
1970 & 1971 The Show now
totaled over 92 rides,
The
Virginia State
Fair-Richmond,
South Carolina State
Fair-Columbia and
Maryland State Fair-Timonium,
was added to the route, Irvin
negotiate his 1st
sponsorship with Coke
featuring billboard type
advertising on the back of all
Coke delivery trucks in the
area.
also the early 70’s, the show
played the
Michigan State
Fair-Detroit and
Illinois State
Fair-Springfield, and was
the 1st shows to
adapt the Parrish 5 Wire
Electrical System.
1975, The Deggeller Amusement
Co was featured on the front
page of the
Wall Street Journal,
the 1st and only
carnival to do so.
Since arriving into Martin Co in
1962, Irvin started investing
outside of the show into real
estate in the area. This
investment move would prove to
be a financial dream.
With the show now reaching its
pinnacle, Irvin started Coy
Deggeller Construction, with
Bob Coy; they
built the
Jensen Park Estates Land
Development, over 300 homes
to date plus other scaled
housing developments in Martin
Co. Also IBSCO, a Sewer
Treatment Plant, Privately held
by Irvin and Bob was built, they
provided waste treatment to
Jensen Beach Florida.
Irvin was a founding member and
major stockholder/Investor of
the American Bank, based
in Stuart Florida, which was
bought out in the 90’s by 1st
Federal Bank.
As a major supporter of the
Republican Party, Irv
& EV hosted multiple
Fund Raisers at there home for
senators, reps and governors,
and gained one on one meetings
with President Nixon and
President Bush
Irvin built his 1st
family fun center in
New Smyrna Beach Florida
with Louis Blackwell
as his partner.
1977 Calvacade of
Attractions listed
Deggeller Amusement Co the
#1 Carnival in
North America.
1978 The Deggeller
Amusement Co was sold to
Conklin Shows of
Canada.
Stuart Confections, an
Independent Food Concession
Business & Route was formed.
1984 Deggeller Mfg was
formed, building carnival rides.
(Kiddie Bumper Boats, Custom
Krazy Kars)
1989 Irvin showed his
love for golf by building 76
GolfWorld, a 9 hole Golf
Course, Driving Range, 36 hole
mini Golf, Family Fun Center in
Stuart.
90’s Irvin featured
Commercial Real Estate
Development , his locations
would feature such businesses as
OutBack SteakHouse, Honda
Territory, several Banks, gas
station party stores and New car
dealers, His parcels were the
prime in Martin Co.
2005 Irvin is Inducted
into the OABA Hall Of
Fame.
Irvin & EV enjoyed
traveling the country in there
new motor coach. operating 76
GolfWorld with nephew
Steve Coy, Stuart
Confections with partner
Todd Desgranges & Joe Blume,
Commercial Real Estate
Development and being
Ambassador’s of goodwill for
there nephews Don & Greg
Deggeller's company
Deggeller Attractions and
Jeff Deggeller's company,
Al Deggeller Enterprises.
April 8th, 2006: Irvin
Deggeller Passed Away.
Irvin is a Mason,
Shriner, Jester,
Kentucky Colonel, member of
OABA Hall of Fame, SLA,
IISA-Gibtown Club, & Past
President-Miami Club.
IRVIN V. DEGGELLER
Born February 14, 1926, in
Silverton, Oregon,
Irvin’s grandparents traveled
west across the Montana
Territory in a covered wagon.
Irvin spent the last 46 years
residing in
Stuart, Florida.
Serving in the Navy during WWII,
he served in the Pacific Region
on the USS San Francisco. Soon
after his service in the Navy,
he and brother Allen bought a
Roll-O-Plane Ride and traveled
with the Gooding Amusement
Company,
Columbus,
Ohio.
In 1951 Irvin met, and that fall
married Evelyn Leedy. They
traveled with Gooding until
1957, when he purchased a small
Ohio Show, partnering with
brother Allen and Ev’s father
John Leedy, forming Deggeller
Amusement Company. As the
company grew, so did the fairs
and celebrations. They played
many State Fairs and help to
create several County Fairs and
Celebrations. When the Carnival
was sold in 1978 it was
documented as the largest
traveling carnival in
North America.
Irvin was a past president of
the
Miami Showmen’s
Association, one of the original
founders of the Outdoor
Amusement Business Association,
member of the Showmen’s League
of America, International
Independent Showmen’s
Association, and a Kentucky
Colonel. He was a perpetual
member of Masonic Lodge 163, a
member of the Mahi Shrine and a
Jester. Irvin’s charitable
trust helped build a 6,800
square-foot addition to the
Jesus House of Hope food bank in
2000. He was also a director in
the Cocoanut Point Yacht Club of
Stuart, Florida.
Irvin was inducted into the
Outdoor Amusement Business Hall
of Fame in February, 2005.
He was a major investor of real
estate and owned much land in
Martin County, The
Florida Keys and
North Carolina. Irvin
was a major stockholder in the
start of The American Bank of
Stuart. He co-owned Coy &
Deggeller Construction Company,
Realty One of
Martin County, and IBSCO,
a water treatment facility. The
companies developed Sarita
Heights,
Stuart, Florida;
Jensen Park Estates,
Jensen Beach, Florida. He
owned Deggeller Equipment
Company, Deggeller Square,
Stuart Confections, Inc. and in
1990, opened 76 Golf World, Inc.
on Kanner Hwy. in Stuart.
He loved to travel, with his
wife Evelyn, around the world
and many journeys through
North America in their
Motorcoach. He liked to play
golf and liked boating on the
St. Lucie River.
He is survived by his wife
Evelyn, sister-in-law Barbara (Leedy)
& Jim Bullis of
Port St. Lucie, Amelia
Deggeller of
Salem, Oregon,
brother-in-law Robert Coy of
Jensen Beach, and many
Nieces and Nephews located in
Arizona,
Florida,
Nevada, Ohio,
Oregon, Virginia and
Washington.
Service will be held at
the First United Methodist
Church,
1500 S. Kanner Highway,
Stuart, Florida at
2:00 p.m. on April 19,
2006. Interment at Fern
Hill Cemetery in the family
area. Donations may be made
to: Soroptimist
International of Stuart,
Carolyn Coy Cancer Fund in
Memory of Irvin Deggeller,
Post Office Box 2246,
Stuart, Florida 34995-2246
