The oldest living set of conjoined twins is also the only set of male conjoined twins alive in the 21st century.

These gentleman are Ronnie and Donnie Gaylon, born in Dayton, Ohio on October 28, 1951.

They remain conjoined, retiring from active employment together in 1991.

For nearly 40 years, Ronnie and Donnie worked as "Siamese twins" in circus sideshows, at carnivals, and with other types of traveling shows. Overall, they have reported pleasant memories of their work experiences.

Happily retired since 1991, the brothers have been offered surgical separation and have declined it. Joined at the sternum and abdomen, they state that they are happy living in this manner. The textbook Psychological Profiles of Conjoined Twinsby J. David Smith discussed Ronnie and Donnie in its pages, explaining some of the issues surrounding anger in their early teens. It was more difficult to assert individual independence as a teenager when joined physically to a counterpart.

Ronnie and Donnie live in Ohio once more, in their own house, paid for with their sideshow earnings. When they travel outside the US, which they enjoy doing, they have one passport between them. However, they purchase two airline seats. Having three additional brothers and three sisters, they invited one of their brothers to live with them in their house to help them remain more independent throughout their retirement.

The Discovery Health Channel has hosted a television program about the brothers, showing them relaxing at home and going about their daily activities. They use the two strongest of their four legs in order to walk. Between them they have one navel, one bladder, and one set of male genitalia and could not be separated surgically without the imminent death of one or the other.

Apparently, the twins have also been guests on the Jerry Springer Show.

In the twins' native Ohio, the town of Twinsburg holds a famous Twins Festival yearly. This event is called "Twins Days" and occurs during the first full weekend of each August.

A set of female conjoined twins from Ohio, Mina & Minnie Finley, also worked in show business and were billed as "The Ohio Double Babe."

Another Ohioan, my father, was supposed to be an identical twin. His identical twin died in utero and he and his doctor and dentist later dicovered that he had extra tissues attached to one lung, attached to his stomach, and manifested in the jaw as several extra molars on one side. The extra teeth were extracted, and the other tissues caused no medical problems. However, my father possessed two strains of DNA and was medically a chimera.

Interestingly, while my father never saw Ronnie and Donnie on the stage, he had seen The Ohio Double Babe when he helped set up circus tents and tended elephants when the circus train came to town in his youth.