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Allen C. Hill 

Submitted by Editor on   5/23/2004
Last Modified

Tent 143  Allen Hill

Allan C. Hill personifies the American Dream.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, he grew up in the circus with his parents. His mother was a third-generation equestrian and aerial artist; his father one of the most respected showmen in circus. business. Among the youngest of today's circus owners, Hill has patterned his life in the. tradition of yesterday's great showmen who made the circus the most enduring and most popular of all amusement institutions.

Hill began his circus career selling peanuts, popcorn and cotton candy under the big top-a job that made the youthful vendor wise beyond his years. Upon entering school, he found it so hum-drum that he quit after the eighth grade. Thereafter, .he drifted back to the circus and the concession business.

In 1969, Hill enlisted in the U.S. Army 101st.Airborne Division. He served for 13 months in Vietnam and. was awarded a Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal. Upon his discharge, he returned to the circus. But, the years had brought a change in his outlook and attitude toward life. He was determined to make a name for himself in the business of his heritage.

In 1972, Hill joined Hoxie Bros. Circus whose owner, Hoxie Tucker, was one of the most colorful and savvy. men in the business. To promote the show; and bring its operations up-to-date, Hill developed a telemarketing system which his own company still uses today. By 1975, he was leasing dates from the Hoxie show and within three years he quadrupled its number of markets to the enrichment of himself and Hoxie Tucker.

Having proven himself an aggressive and imaginative business man, Hill became the show's manager in charge of promotion and daily operations. No other young executive in circus history had ever mastered both of these detailed and complex operations. But, Hill has never shied away from challenges. Indeed, in 1983, only 20 years after he first sold cotton candy, Hill bought the Hoxie Bros Circus.

Today, at age 40, Hill looks and acts the part of the secure and totally self-confident executive. "I'm very proud of my record. And I'm not afraid to let you know me;' he says. In this connection, he admits that he has had problems with alcohol and cocaine. Realizing that he could not solve them alone, he got professional help and conquered them. He is still active in programs concerning rehabilitation of alcohol and drug abuse. As evidence of his concern for this problem, Hill has been a supporter of the Sarasota Boxing Club located in one the city's drug infested neighborhoods. Among other things, he has given the club $10,000 to open its facilities. Hill, who runs and rows for physical fitness, often spends time at the club boxing with kids. "I do so," he says, "to keep them off the streets and away from drugs."

Such activities have become a way of life for Hill who maintains that there is no greater satisfaction in life than helping people.

Although ownership and management of his circus is a demanding job, Hill still finds time to support many other civic affairs. For example,he has given much of his time and money to an activity close to his heart - reviving the old-time circus parade staged annually in Sarasota, Florida, the home base of the Great American Circus. He is the Chairman Emeritus of a foundation established to preserve the city's circus heritage.

Hill has gained national recognition for his participation in the American Cancer Society's annual fund-raising event known as "Bid for Bachelors". For the privilege of a date with him, two women bought him for the unprecedented sum of $23,000. This placed Hill in the Guiness World Book of Records plus recognition in Glamour Magazine. He was also featured in the December 1988 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine as one of Southwest Florida's 10 most recognizable men.

Like many other successful people, Hill has found that success and national recognition do not guarantee happiness and contentment. Early on in his career, he had his fling with fast times and self-indulgement in what he calls "expensive toys". He has since learned that true contentment comes from changing one's attitudes or sense of values and recognizing the importance of love, family ties and community services.

Hill credits some of his success to those who have helped him along the way from concession boy to circus owner. his rise in the business is partly due, he says, to the worldly advice of his father. His sensitivity comes from his mother, And his strength of character comes form his own deeply-felt religious beliefs.

Away from the razzle-dazzle world of the circus, another facet of Hill's personality emerges. "Actually," he says, "I'm the guy who likes the quiet things of life. Nothing appeals to me more than a quiet house way out in the countryside. Or a stroll on the beach. Or time to read biographies or autobiographies. Or most of all, time spent with my 8 year old daughter, Heather."

Even so, the circus is never far away from Allen Hill's thoughts. "It's in my blood," he says, "and when the weather is right, when the kids and their parents fill the big top, well, that's when there is no business like circus business. On the other hand, when the show gets bogged down in rain or mud and business is not so good, that's when you wonder if it's all worth it. But as long as the good days outnumber the bad, I will - to us an old circus expression - be with it and for it."

Allen remains a major figure in the World of the Circus. Each day is a challenge.... He looks forward to each new day as a new beginning. Allen C. Hill lives the American Dream. He was born in the Circus, worked in the Circus, and now owns the Circus. Proud of his humble beginnings, whenever challenged about his position or success, he merely retorts, with a glimmer in his eye, "and how many elephants do you own?" Quite a guy, this self made showman.

Reprinted with permission from the 1989 "Souvenir Program and Magazine, Allen C. Hill's Great American Circus".

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