7 August 1968 & the flying nesbits

#OTD-ish 7 August 1968 The Flying Nesbits, a popular acrobatic troupe, practiced for their upcoming Summer in the Park performance. They may have been practicing at the 50th Place, NE traffic circle in Lincoln Heights, one of their favorite outdoor practice spaces, as large crowds watched.

In the photo above, the Flying Nesbits perform at the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for the Poor People's Campaign Solidarity Day on 19 June.

The Flying Nesbits was founded by (Cardozo HS graduate) Russell Nesbit in the 1950s. A cross-generational family act that included his spouse Margaret Magdalene Walker and their son, Michael Nesbit, in addition to others. Nesbit and Walker lived in Lincoln Heights where they were constantly performing and teaching. They also taught throughout the city, including the 12th Street YWCA and Boys and Girls Clubs.

Russell Nesbit was also a popular artist model at art schools and universities because of his muscular physique.

Your comments are welcome below. Were you, family members or friends performers with the Flying Nesbits?  Did you learn acrobatics from Russell Nesbit? Do you remember seeing them in 1968? Did you grow up in Lincoln Heights? Did you know the family? Did you see them perform on television? Or as acts with basketball teams? Do you have photographs, ephemera, t-shirts or other memorabilia related to the Flying Nesbits? Do you remember hearing that Russell Nesbit walked down the 800+ steps of the Washington Monument on his hands in 1962? Do you have art work in which you used Nesbit as a model? You may comment privately here.

Photo source: Courtesy Jet via Google Books 4 July 1968. Maurice Sorrel, photographer. Fair use. The photograph was taken during a performance on Solidarity Day on 19 June 1968.
Graeme Zielinski, "Acrobat, Coach Russell Nesbit Dies," Washington Post 28 November 2001