The Villages - August 2020 - 41

At 17, Linda decided she was ready for a new adventure.
"I wanted to do something for my country and be something
bigger," she said. "There was just something about red, white
and blue, and I loved the Navy uniform. When I told my
parents, they said, 'We raised you to make your own decisions.
If this is what you want to do, go do it.'"
In boot camp, Linda's reputation had preceded her.
"They said, 'We heard you can train elephants; let's see what
you can do with this company,'" she said. "I was the RCPO
(Recruit Chief Petty Officer), and then I went to San Diego and
they made me a Class PO (Chief Petty Officer)."
Meanwhile, the family circus went on without her, until her
dad passed away in 1991.
"He'd kept the circus going until the end," about 50 years,
she said. "I still run into entertainers who knew my father. He
was the greatest showman out there."
Upon moving to The Villages in 2011, Linda joined Clown
Alley 179 - the obvious place for her. Donning a yellow wig,
rainbow clothes and grease paint, Linda becomes Tip Z the
clown, a big-grinning, plate-spinning pro. And it feels great, she
says, to return to her performance roots.
"The circus has always been with me - all these years," she
said. "It's like my life has come full circle."

THE CIRCUS HAS
ALWAYS BEEN WITH ME
- ALL THESE YEARS...
IT'S LIKE MY LIFE HAS
COME FULL CIRCLE.
- Linda Strong

MAGAZINE

41



The Villages - August 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - August 2020

Contents
The Villages - August 2020 - Cover1
The Villages - August 2020 - Contents
The Villages - August 2020 - 1
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