| It may seem like there
are five midgets in the picture above, but the real fact of the case is
that Clifford M. Thompson, 43, the man third from the left, is eight feet,
seven inches tall -- enough to make any 6-footer look small. He was
enroute to California from his home at Waupaca, Wis., and stopped here
over the weekend to have his car repaired. More of the somewhat startling
dimensions of Thompson include the fact that he weighs 360 pounds, wears
a size 16½ shoe, a 19½ shirt, requires a 48-inch trouser
length. He is the son of normally-sized parents - his mother is five
feet nine inches tall and his father is five feet, 10 inches. Thompson
does not attribute his size to any glandular condition. "I am a descendant
of the Norwegian Vikings among whom there were many tall men," he explained.
A half dollar could be slipped through a ring worn by Thompson. Left
to right in the picture above are Earl Holdredge, D. [Duane] Smith,
Mr. Thompson, Tom Frazier, Wayne Osborn, and George Lancaster.
Ames Daily Tribune,
April 27, 1948
|