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Collection Title
Nicholas Topping Papers (NHM02)
Collection Identifier
85332
Biographical Note

Nicholas Topping (née Toptizis) was born in 1918 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His parents owned and operated a grocery store on the south side of Milwaukee. Topping attended Bay View High School and then University of Wisconsin, Madison (at which time he anglicized his last name). After graduating, Topping was drafted into the Army during WWII where he served in counterintelligence. 
Upon his return, Topping opened a grocery and imports business called Topping and Co. This business grew to offer notary, translation, and travel services in addition to imported goods from all over the world. Topping was also involved in civil rights and peace activism, using his business as a point of organization. He is probably best known for his involvement in bring the Beatles to perform in Milwaukee in 1964, their only performance in the state of Wisconsin. 

Scope and Content Note
This collection contains materials relating to the business of Topping and Company including catalogs and samples of items for the store such as greeting cards, phonographs, calendars, and videos. The collection also represents day to day operations of the business including property documents, receipts, account books, and business correspondence.
Related Archival Materials
Topping, Nicholas Papers: https://milwaukeehistory.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/1973.Topping-3.pdf