History of TCI

The history of Tall Clubs International (TCI) began as a wish of a taller-than average young lady whose knees knocked the underside of her desk. Friends remember Kae Sumner lamenting the lack of leg room in the cafeteria and on buses. They recall her uttering, "There ought to be a club for tall people."

By early 1938, Kae had had enough. An accomplished artist, she was painting dwarfs for the Disney Studio. On impulse, she approached E. V. Durling, an L.A. Times columnist, with an idea for an article about the problems of being tall. She was in luck. Next stop was Editor-in-Chief Robert White, who suggested she proceed. A two-page story with Kae's illustrations appeared in the Times Sunday magazine on March 20, 1938, under the pen name Kae Krysler. She invited tall folks to contact her and the results were rewarding. On May 1, 1938, Kae opened her home to eight tall respondents.

By evening's end, the California Tip Toppers Club (CTTC) was founded and the nine became charter members of the nation's first tall club.

Development of tall furnishings became a major goal. Members encouraged businesses in letters and through visits to lower the cost of custom-made items. One ad trumpeted their success: "Here it is Tip Toppers, you asked for it: the King Size mattress!"

As the club grew, its existence became known nationwide. In 1939, the Greater Kansas City Skyliners was founded. Letters came from across the U.S. after Life magazine published a story about the club in June 1940 and soon, clubs were springing up coast to coast. Exposure paid off again when Robert Ripley invited Kae to appear on the November 8, 1940 broadcast of Believe It or Not.

He challenged her to produce a New York tip toppers club. At the end of just three days, much to Ripley's surprise and Kae's delight, the audience on the night of the broadcast included two rows of tip toppers.

By 1945, there were 60 clubs in the United States and Canada. And in July 1947, CTTC hosted the first tall club convention in Hollywood, California. Fifteen clubs were represented, none from Florida.

The groundwork was established for the American Affiliation of Tall Clubs (AATC). The Kansas City Skyliners was selected to draft the charter and bylaws. (The name Tall Clubs International was adopted in 1966.)

In late 1949, CTTC published the first issue of its newsletter, Tall Topix. Today, it is published annually as a summary of the immediate past convention.

TCI business includes establishing incentives for clubs such as a convention travel trophy (first presented in 1950), the Best Paper Award (1962), and the Increased Membership Award (1970). Also that year, a Merit Award category was created to recognize 10 (now 12) people as outstanding members of TCI.

The 1987 convention delegates adopted the National Marfan Foundation as the group's official charity. The Publicity Award is given to the club which has made the most substantial contribution in the previous year. The Attendance Award recognizes the club with the largest number of members at a convention.

The "Man of the Year" - Frank's King Size Clothes Award (1974) - and "Woman of the Year" - Kae Sumner Einfeldt Award (1979) - recognize one male and one female who have made the most significant contribution to TCI and their own club. A scholarship award in Kae's name, presented to a tall, college- bound high school student, was established in 1986. Nominees are recommended by TCI affiliates.

Sadly, Kae Sumner Einfeldt passed away on September 27, 1996 at the age of 80. Her legacy is a network of over 65 tall clubs and more than 4,000 members in the United States and Canada. There are also approximately 55 affiliated clubs in Europe with over 8,000 members. If you would like more information about TCI or member clubs, call (888) I’M-TALL2 (468-2552) or check out the TCI internet site, http://www.tall.org.