Roland, was an American daredevil and "human fly" [2] who became famous for free climbing buildings around the country in the 1920s and 1930s.

[5] Roland traveled the country with his act and climbed buildings as far apart as Texas[6] and Montana.

[10] Roland survived one highly publicized fall in his career: "he fell from the third floor of the McAlpin Hotel in New York City.

Even a close brush with death could not keep Roland from performing, and he worked to make his shows ever more thrilling after his return.

[12] A contemporary trade magazine set up what happened: "It had long been his ambition to develop a new act that would give more thrills than his former acts, and last winter he realized it by bringing out a high trapeze and swaying pole, performed without a safety net, 110 feet above the ground.