Clifford

Clifford Kalishek was born in Menominee County, Michigan, in 1904, the fourth child in the family and the youngest of Mary and Conrad Kalishek’s two sons. By 1910, he relocated with his family to Delta County, Michigan. As a teenager and young adult, Clifford became active in high-risk exhibition sports, first as a motorcycle racer and later as a performer with traveling motor and aviation shows.

Clifford began racing motorcycles as a teenager—by age 14 (and possibly earlier)—at local tracks in Michigan. In the mid-1920s, he joined Hinck’s Motor Derby and affiliated performance groups, traveling throughout the Midwest and competing in professional motorcycle racing exhibitions. He also participated in additional motor-sport attractions staged as part of these programs, including early automotive field competitions such as auto push ball and auto polo.

In 1925, Clifford transitioned into aviation entertainment when he became a parachute jumper for traveling flying circuses and exhibition companies. He assumed this role after an established parachute performer left a touring program, and Clifford volunteered to take the position under demanding and dangerous conditions. He went on to perform parachute jumps as part of combined air-and-ground exhibitions that featured wing-walking acts, aerial stunts, and parachute descents as major attractions.

Clifford later expanded his aviation work to include wing walking and aerial acrobatics, performing alongside experienced stunt pilots during the barnstorming era. Contemporary accounts and family recollections consistently emphasized his exceptional physical strength, widely regarded as unusual even among professional stunt performers, which contributed to his effectiveness in physically demanding aerial and motor-sport roles.

After his years in touring performance, Clifford returned to Gladstone, Michigan, where he worked in industrial and skilled trades to support his family. He married Georgina “Toots” (Smith) Kalishek, and together they raised nine children. Following the death of his sister Isabella Kalishek in 1955, Clifford and his wife adopted her son Daniel Russell, raising him as their own after he was at risk of being returned to institutional care because of Isabella's husband.

Clifford remained closely tied to his family and community throughout his life. He passed after suffering a heart attack while doing what he loved most, riding his motorcycle. Clifford died in 1970, shortly before his 67th birthday.