Iron History

[Previous entry: "Iron History Apr 19-May 2, 2002"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Iron History May 17:"]

05/01/2002 Entry: "Iron History May 3-16, 2002"

Comment: There is, by the nature of the beast (I am lazy) much that is not included in this column. Couple of reasons: First, if this column runs past the one year that I have planned for it, I will need material to continue afresh. Second, much of my files are in areas that are off-target for this focus- current bodybuilding, female bodybuilding, and other topics that in large part to do fit the format. So if you notice that a person's birthday or death date is not mentioned these two reasons may be why, OR, it could be that I lack the information in the first place! So please continue to question why something was not mentioned because you may be filling in the blanks.

Probably the most rewarding aspect of presenting this column is the inter-action with others who are students of the game, names that are not publicly known outside a very small inner circle of Lewis & Clark explorers in the field, but persons who have a specific interest in a side-bar of iron activity and know far more about those aspects than I. Hopefully some of those people will share, and allow me to present some of their findings. Thus, when Michael Murphy inquired why Otto Arco's birthday was not included at the relevant time, I told him that all I had on file for Arco was 1881- no specific date. Now, thanks to Michael, we know May 1, 1881 was the date of birth.

Thanks to Mike Graham for photos and measurements of what has come to be known as the George Jowett anvil. See story following the chronology. Thanks Mike.

Please tolerate some repetition, especially where Inch is concerned. I would rather have each installment of Iron History 'self-contained' to at least the degree where when I mention Marx's dumbell, the reader is not required to use the 'search' function to go find the diameter of the bell, but can find that information within the paragraph mentioning it. This repetition helps my ailing memory, and your fingertips.

May 3, 1897 Dr. Frederick Tilney born; died May 3, 1977 on his 80th birthday. Joe Weider does not have a middle name. But Dr. Tilney decided that an 'E' for a middle initial would look nice on paper so Joseph E. Weider came into being.

Now here is an example of how confusing researching this field can be. I knew Joe had no middle name, but when MuscleMag writer Tyler Dinwoodie wrote a Star Profile on Joe for MuscleMag, Tyler wrote that Joe had told him that Joe did have a middle name and that it is Edwin.

So I called Tyler and he confirmed that Joe had told him that. So I called Joe and asked if his middle name was Edwin. He replied: "I do not have a middle name." So to emphacize the point I asked, "So, you did not tell Tyler that your middle name is Edwin?" "No, I did not," he answered.

There are abundant articles that have appeared in Joe's mags which were presented under the byline Joseph E. Weider, which adds to the confusion, of course. But Joe told me that the 'E' was a creative thought on the part of Tilney.

Anyway, I have somehow managed to misplace my entire file on Tilney. (Perhaps I should explain that much of my material is in storage, and has been for quite a while, so until things become more organized, this column will have more limitations than me posing down against Ronnie Coleman).

May 3, 1898 In the British Amateur Weightlifter & Bodybuilder Mar 1948, W.J. Lowry remembers William Prance, who unfortunately lifted in England before weightlifting in that country was well organized. "From reports still available, Prance seemed to have made his last official gesture on Saturday, 3rd May, 1898, at the Gothic (Tee-To-Tum) Gymnastic & Boxing Society Hall, St. Anne's Road, Stamford Hill. London, N. Feats accomplished were:- Two Hands Clean & Jerk with Dumb-bells 250 lbs (125 lbs each hand). His warm-up poundage was 224 lbs. FIVE TIMES FROM THE SHOULDERS. "Finally a 'Left Hand Clean & Bent Press' of 183 lbs. This beating Sandow's record of 161 lbs. performed nearly seven years earlier."

May 3, 1915 Paul Plourde was born, and by 1940 was being mentioned as someone who had a keen interest in bent pressing. Klein mentioned Paul in the Mar 1940 S&H.

May 3, 1916 Joe Nordquest one finger curl and holdout with a 70 lb dumbell. Klein later mentions four Nordquest brothers: Arthur, Adolph, Joe, John.

May 3, 1952 Len Peters competing at the German American Athletic Club in New York City won Mr. Metropolitan; Marvin Eder won the Jr. title but I cannot verify that the events happened on the same day- though such was usually the case in those days.

May 3/4, 1958 On occasion the Eastern and Western Jr. National weightlifting championships were staged on the same day, in different cities. In 1958 the easterns were held in York and in connection Tom Sansone won the Jr. Mr. America title. In the westerns in Portland, Oregon, Ray Routledge won the Jr. Mr. America. Later in Los Angeles on Jun 21, Tom Sansone won the Sr. Mr. America event, with Routledge in 8th place, and Tom won most muscular while Ray tied Sam Martin in tenth place.

May 3, 1959 Elmo Santiago won Jr. Mr. America, which was his 17th contest- at least I think it was from the contests I have been able to chronicle for him.

May 3, 1975 Dale Adrian won Mr. California, which was the state where he competed most, and the state where he became Mr. America 1975 in Culver City.

May 3, 1975 Boyer Coe won PBBA Mr. Universe. I think that this was his 18th victory in bodybuilding competition. The PBBA was the Professional Body Builder's Alliance which was started by Chris Devin.

May 4, 1890 Clevio Massimo [Sabatino]. Through the years three birth years have been presented for Clevio: 1890, 1895, 1896. He died in the spring of 1974 in Buffalo, New York, at the age of 84, so one supposes that the birth year was 1890. His obit was mentioned in Muscle Training Illustrated Jul 1975, Ironman May 1975, and those two mentions, nearly one year after his passing show the lack of an organized pipeline of information from the remaining oldtimers in the sport and those who publish the magazines. Sometimes, the oldtimers themselves are at fault in not keeping in touch with the sport's publishers; sometimes the publishers realize that the market share represented by such oldtimers is not critical to success. Sometimes, when oldtimers are contacted by publishers, the men no longer wish to participate in being remembered, particularly if photos are involved. This may be because health has left the men and they no longer look as we remember them, or sometimes no matter how much we consider that they should hold onto the iron for a lifetime- they do not share that interest and have trotted off to other activities.

Physical Culture magazine ran a 24 part series on Clevio in the 1920s but this was a fictionalized/enhanced/romanticized serial that is not helpful. It was acknowledged to be in the roman a clef manner of writing, which to me, is worse than an empty page, because at least an empty page offers no misinformation or false direction.

He stood 5'8.5" tall and may have weighed as much as 194 lbs. He was not known for his strength in the lifting of weights so much as in the lifting of people, and he was acclaimed the strongest 'understander' in the handbalancing business, particularly known for the power of his leg biceps demonstrated by lying face down and have his partner do a handstand on his ankles from which position Clevio, by the contraction of his hamstrings would leg curl until his legs (calves) were vertical and the partner was still in the handstand. With a barbell, Clevio could accompkish this feat with 227.5 lbs- a weight which neither of his partners, Lew Adroit or Dave Dave Foley approached in their bodyweights. Also, Clevio is credited with this leg curl feat for a dozen reps using a 140 pound partner.

Ray Van Cleef, who knew Clevio well and sometimes performed with him in handbalancing offers this convoluted description of a feat by Massimo: 'The apparatus used consists of a strongly constructed straight-back chair, which is attached securely to the floor. In utilizing this apparatus in his act, Massimo stands upon the seat of the chair and places his feet beneath a wide thick leather belt that is mounted across it for support. Then he sits down so that the top of the chair-backrests directly beneath his knees. Upon assuming his position he bends backward until his head rests on the floor. He then extends his arms upward and his partner grasps his hands and mounts into a hand balance. Holding his top mounter in this manner, Massimo gradually elevates his body until he rises to a standing position on the seat of the chair." [from S&H Jun 1941]

In May 1944 S&H recounts Sig Klein's memories of Massimo's stage act: "Passing by the Miles Theatre in Cleveland, I noticed some photographs on the display board of two men called Franklin Bros. The photos were only portraits. Looking closely, I noticed that one of the brother resembled Tony Massimo." Klein bought tickets, went in to see a very length bill before the Franklin Brothers cam on stage to the music of "The Isle of My Golden Dreams". Klein appraised: "Of all the 'hand-balancing' acts that I have seen, none impressed me as much as this act." The audience agreed, and please think about the meaning of the following words: "Never have I seen an athlete walk across the stage as gracefully, as nonchalantly, with so much showmanship and actually have the audience applaud it, as they did Massimo." Klein again recalled Clevio in a piece in S&H Jan 1957, and in Muscular Development Apr 1978 there is a mention of when Grimek met Massimo at Klein's Gym. And Ironman offers David Chapman's piece on Massimo in the Mar 1990 issue.

Apparently he worked with his two brothers and they billed themselves as 'The Three Giants', though his first strength partner was a man named Charles Blair circa 1912. By the time of the first World War he was stationed at Camp Gordon and could perform the manual of arms with a 135 pound man instead of a rifle

The measurements given for Clevio vary so much as to be useless in some cases: the forearm being offered as 14 and as 15.5- a situation explainable if one measure was taken straight armed, and the other goosenecked, but Harry Good offered that a forearm measure taken of Clevio with straight arm was 15.25. His wrists apparently were very Large 8.25" and 8.5" being offered.

Willoughby in Your Physique Sep 1949: "Massimo, so far as I know, never set any records in overhead barbell lifting, but he did a lot of all round training with weights to keep in top shape for his stage performance, which consisted of handbalancing, muscle posing and hand-to-hand." S&H Jun 1934 reported that Clevio could do 24 shoot-ups. A promotional poster shown in S&H Mar 1949 shows drawings of him tearing cards, bending spikes, harness lifting, and weightlifting. In Jan 1950 S&H shows a photo of a man performed a handstand on Clevio's outstretched arms, parallel in front of himself and parallel to the floor. The man doing the handstand is not performing it near Clevio's wrists, but near the elbows- nonetheless an incredible feat of arm and shoulder strength by Massimo.

Charles Atlas regarded Massimo as the most muscular man he had ever seen. Massimo had some beautiful old stage weights, one in particular was a kettlebell., which is now in the collection of Tom Lincir.

May 4, 1898 On this Wednesday Tom Pevier set a world amateur record in the two hands to shoulder and then bent press with a lift of 233 pounds- beating his previous best in the lift by 21 pounds. The event happened at 93, Lupus Street, London, S.W. and was witnessed by John Grun Marx who was in England at the time performing under the claim of 'World's Strongest Man'. Inch at this time would have been age 16, and would have been in possession of his first challenge bell for perhaps a few months, this bell, so far as I can determine would have been the 140 pound challenge bell which he was five years away from lifting off the floor (as of 1898).

If Marx at the time owned his 143 pound challenge bell with the 2.75" diameter handle he would have made easy work of Inch's 2.38" handled 140 pound bell- but Inch at the time the 29-year old Marx was in London, was living in Scarborough.

May 4, 1905 Hack defeated Tom Jenkins at wrestling

May 4, 1907 Wilbert 'Wib' Scharzberger was born. He began writing for S&H in Mar 1936 and continued thru Jul 1945, for a total of 35 articles. Is Wib still with us?

May 4, 1929 Beulah Hise and Montel Torbit wedding. Montel would later snap the ONLY family photo showing all the Hise clan in the shot. Anyway on this day Beulah, the sister of Joseph Curtis Hise, married. In later years, Joe would regret never having married, this according to what the son of another of Joe's sisters, Frances, told me.

Beulah's nickname was 'Boots', and she lived 1911-1970. One son that would come of her marriage was named James and he had several heart attacks.

There is much information about J.C. Hise that I have gathered over the years, and though the chronology is being sidestepped here for a moment, consider about JCH:

-he attended s�ances in Indiana and he believed in them
-he told Don Noel that he had visited Russia
-his brother Frank is buried in Danville, Illinois; JCH is buried in Homer, IL.
-Andy Jackson told me that JCH had visited him two or three times usually for a
fortnight.
-Chester Teegarden hitchhiked from Portola, California to Uravan, Arizona at Christmas
time in 1949, and found Joe eating in the mess hall.
-Chester had previously visited Joe in Homer, Illinois sometime around 1933, 1934, or
1935 (Teegarden could not pinpoint the time when I spoke to him Dec 29, 1985 from
5:30 to 5:50 pm)
-Hise owned property in Columbus, Ohio
-he was an expert on Shakespeare and on western USA history
- was a gun lover
-claimed to have worked for the Pinkerton Dectective Agency, but that agency was
unable to confirm his employment.
-worked as a carpenter's helper at the U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1934
-had a pet dog named Bud

we now resume regular programming�

May 4, 1931 Charles Rigoulot snatched 315.26 lbs. He was age 27.

May 4, 1946 John Grimek won Most Muscular physique in America at Turner's Hall in Philadelphia at Columbia Avenue and Broad Street.

Although the average person may equate being the most muscular man in a bodybuilding contest to being the winner of the title being contested, this has not, and should not be the case. Indeed in the early days of the AAU Mr. America contest, for example, competitors for the main title of Mr. America were not obliged to also compete in the separate category of most muscular, of to compete in the other sub-divisions such as best arms, chest, etc. Indeed, Grimek in 1940 competed for Mr. America and then won most muscular and best arms, those being the only two sub-divisions he chose to enter. The next year he did not enter any of the subdivisions, and the most muscular was won by a man who placed 5th in the Mr. America. Lud Shusterich.

So winning most muscular was not always connected to winning the main title up for grabs.

So why on May 4, 1946 is it significant that John Grimek did in fact win the title of Most Muscular Physique in America? Because that was also the main title, the only title, being contested, and it came about in this manner:

Dan Lurie, who had won the most muscular section at the AAU Mr. America in 1942 when Frank Leight won the Mr. A, and the following year Lurie again won most muscular as Jules Bacon was warded the Mr. America. Lurie also won again the most muscular at the 1944 Mr. America{Steve Stanko won Mr. A]. The photo caption in S&H in Jul 1944 saying he had won the most muscular four consecutive times, is in error. In fact Lurie did not compete in the Mr. America event four consecutive times, or four times in any sequence. (When I met Lurie in St. Louis at the Mr. America contest he looked over my Mr. America listing for him and agreed.)

Photos of Lurie had been offered for sale by the photographer Urban as early as the Mar 1941 issue of Strength & Health magazine. By Apr 1943 S&H was reporting that the most muscular man in America was rejected for military service because of a heart murmur, and the general public believed that weight training had caused this condition. Lurie's letter to S&H in the May 1943 issue pointed out the errors of this belief.

On May 5, 1945 about ten minutes apart Grimek and Lurie both guest posed in Pittsburgh at the time of the Jr. National weightlifting championships. Was it on this occasion that a thought entered Lurie's head to challenge Grimek?

But soon, Lurie, who at age 14 had been the checkers-playing champion of New York City, was making what turned out to be a very unwise move, by trying to uncrown the king of bodybuilders by offering a challenge to JCG:

"Dear John Grimek: "There has never been a world-wide competition to decide the holder of the title, 'Most Muscular Man.' Yet it has been incessantly assumed that you possess this honor. If you were considering the best physique, it is my personal opinion that you are foremost in the field, bit I am skeptical concerning your merits as Most Muscular Man."

"I am confident that if we both subject ourselves to close scrutiny, we would dispel any doubts as to who undeniably possesses the most muscular body.

"I therefore challenge you, John Grimek, for the title "Most Muscular Man in America" sometime before the end of the present year. Arrangements agreeable to you and myself regarding time, place and selection of judges can be made. Since this is my invitation it would not result in any personal expense to you. An open challenge to this effect will appear in the Oct-Nov. issue of "Your Physique" magazine.

"If you do not respond it will be evident that you have rejected this challenge that that you have assumed a defeatist attitude.

"Your opponent in good faith, Signed: Dan Lurie" letter was dated Aug 6th, 1945.

Grimek was busy with previously scheduled appearances, but responded to Lurie by saying that there are several worthy men besides himself and Lurie who should be invited to such a contest, and counters Lurie by writing:

"To say that I was mildly impressed by your letter and its contents would be prevarication, because to me, as well as many others, your supercilious actions justify your self-inflated ego and therefore one can expect almost anything where your ego is concerned."

Then John adds, "I do not think you're a very capable man to sponsor such a show. Reports bear me out on this. Your recent show, from reports I heard and those which came through the mails, said it was a flop! Not financially, mind you, but from the spectator's viewpoint." John then explains about arguments with the judges, and petty conflicts.

John also suggested that he and Lurie both post $200 to be forfeited in case of a no-show, and that the money then be put toward paying travel expenses of other competitors coming from long distances. And John listed some other conditions- such as the judges should come from various regions around America.

The following month S&H presented a letter from Frank Leight, who was willing to enter but who questioned the wisdom of naming the contest as proposed because Leight offered, "A man could be a muscular freak and still win such a contest." His meaning was that symmetry and proportion should be factored in.

By January in S&H Grimek bemoans the lack of direct response from Lurie, who had chosen to respond indirectly in the Dec 1945 issue of Your Physique. John then announces that preparations are under way for the proposed title and Lurie is certainly welcome to participate in the event which at this point most likely will be held in March or April of 1946.

In the Feb 1946 issue of S&H Ken Pendleton challenges Lurie to the same title!

As mentioned as the saga unfolded Lurie no longer used the Hoffman magazine to challenge Grimek, but switched to Weider's magazines, Your Physique and Muscle Power. Years later, when Lurie had his own magazine Muscle Training Illustrated, it was in those pages that he then challenged Joe Weider to a contest!

Anyway, on May 4, 1946 the contest was held, and the following month's edition of S&H announced the results that 3,000 spectators had witnessed at Turner's Hall. (The sports section of the following day's newspaper The Philadelphia Record reported 2,000) 27 men showed up to try for the title, but Dan Lurie was among the audience not among the competitors and he asked for permission to explain why that was so. "I ain't gonna pose unless I got fair officials".

Also on hand as spectators were Mark Berry (I'm guessing not seated next to Hoffman; actually Hoffman was the MC), Bill Good, Walter Good, Bob Jones, John Terlazzo, and John Fritshe.

The five judges were: Harry Hall, Bill Oliphant, Ottley Coulter, Charles MacMahon, and Antone Matysek.

The results:

The results: 50 points maximum
Class A: (short)
1. Richard Bachtell 48
2. Joseph Thaler 37
3. William Goldberg 30

Class B: 5'4" to 5'6.5":
1. Sam Loprinzi 49
2. Dan Bax 40
3. George Waselinko 39
4. Elmer Ward 37
5. Joseph Nadzier 30
6. Walter Johnson 26
7. Anthony Gobeo 25

Class C: 5'6.75" to 5'8.25"
1. Kimon Voyages 48
2. Jules Bacon 47
3. George Lapausky 36
4. Donald Ray 34
5. Russell Green 30
6. John Stewart 23
[3rd place Lapausky was profiled in S&H Apr 1946 and his brother Sam was mentioned. A reader has asked if George may in fact be Michael Lapausky, who competed in Hordines' contest in 1938. I have seen only a single reference to Michael, and four refs to George, and will trying to determine if they are the same person or not. Meanwhile, can anyone help with fanning the fog?]

Class D: 5'8.5" to 5'10":
1. John Grimek 49
2. Joe Shaw 35
3. Joseph Masyle 31

Class E: 5'10.25" ortaller
1. Steve Stanko 49
2. Joe Lauriano 46
3. Marshall Grenuick 42
4. Konstantine Kosiras 36
5. Fred Harmening 30
6. Henry Struczewski 30
7. Leonard Heinz 29

Somehow Lurie was convinced to compete again Sig Klein and Walter Podolak for the
pro version of this title, with these results:
1. Sig Klein 48
2. Dan Lurie 43
3. Walter Podolak 41

In the overall decision involving classes A thru E, the results were:
1. John Grimek 48
2. Steve Stanko 46
3. Sam Loprinzi 41
4. Kimon Voyages 40
5. Richard Bachtell 38

As an aside, knowing when the AAU Mr. America included bodyparts competitions can be helpful. There is a man in Illinois who was interviewed by a mid-state newspaper and this man claims to have won best arms in the Mr. America event. So I telephoned the newspaperman and the conversation went something like this:

JR: In the article about the Mr. America, and the man winning best arms, where did you get that information?

N: He told me, and I verified through an exercise magazine.

JR: Really, Which magazine?

N: I don't remember.

JR: I have a few magazines myself and have never seen that claim for this man. As a matter of fact the year in question was the very first year that the AAU Mr. America stopped having bodyparts competition, so no one, particularly this man, who by the way is also not listed among the general competitors, won best anything.

N: Well that's what he told me and the magazine backed him up�

Well, hey, there's some evidence for you! Journalism lives on! But for those who care about the facts: With the Jun 2, 1956 Mr. America in Philadelphia, all bodyparts except most muscular were eliminated. There were 34 competitors that year and I have found the names of all of them. The man claiming to have won best arms (which was not even contested) is not included in the listing.

On Jun 19, 1966 in York, Pennsylvania, the other bodyparts were re-instated in the competition, and best arms was won by Sergio Oliva who also won best back and most muscular. Ralph Kroger won best legs, Will Whitaker best chest, and abs went to Dennis Tinerino.

Also, the 1966 Mr. America, for the first time was held separately from the Senior Nationals Weightlifting championships!

May 4, 1949 Sybil Danning. Though she has been featured in Muscle Up magazine Feb 1983 and in Muscle Training Illustrated Oct 1986, she is better known perhaps for being a movie actress.

May 4, 1952 Malcolm Brenner won Jr. Mr. America in Oakland, California at the Civic Auditorium, when the 30 contestants were pruned to a final eleven. Jack Delinger guest posed.

May 4, 1975 Joe Greenstein, Chris Dickerson, Dave Draper, and Joe Bonomo were honored at a dinner staged by the WBBY and Dan Lurie.

May 5, 1932 Goerner cleaned and jerked 341.75 lbs while keeping his heels at attention. A lift worthy of a salute.

May 5, 1945 Joe Lauriano won Jr. Mr. America in Pittsburgh

May 5, 1945 Jimmy Payne won short class at Mr. Northern California, and then got the overall call over Jack Delinger and George Armstrong, who had won the medium and tall classes respectively.

May 5, 1953 Wilbur J. Smith died at age 65. S&H ran an obit in the Aug 1953 issue, mentioning him on pages 23 and 42, called him a noted lifting official from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who "�probably officiated at the setting of more world weightlifting records than any other man, attending all important contests in the United States, and representing America as an official at the 1948 Olympic Games in London".

May 5, 1956 Jr. nats in Cleveland

May 5, 1957 Carlin Venus' mother, Thelma, died

May 6, 1874 Gottfried Wuthrich Rolandow was born, and was often referred to by G.W. Rolandow, or simply Rolandow. I have seen about five variations on the spelling of his name. The New York Times obituary presented Saturday December 7, 1940, offers Gottfried Wuthrich and gives his professional name as G. W. Rolandow. After a three month illness, G.W. died at St. Luke's Hospital at age 66, though the Times says 67. He was a bachelor survived by a brother and four sisters, and thousands of strength fans.

There is a barbell in the York Hall of Fame that belonged to Rolandow, and indeed was his main barbell, hence called the Rolandow barbell, as distinguished from the Rolandow dumbell, the whereabouts of which is unknown to me or to any of my contacts. The missing dumbell weighs 209 lbs and is solid, not shot-loadable.

The Rolandow barbell which I measured on Jun 25, 2001 is 79" long, with a distance of 51.5" between the spheres, each of which has a 37.75" circumference (hence a diameter of 12.02"). The handle (bar) at the center point is 6-3/8" circumference (2.03" diameter) (and appears to be wrapped once with tape), and the other section of the handle is 8-7/8" circumference. This barbell was donated to the York Barbell Hall of Fame around 1961 by Robert I. Howard of Richmond, Virginia. So the ownership sequence for the barbell was Rolandow, Prof. Attila, Klein, Howard, York Barbell.

Gord Venables, as he was wont to do, mentioned that the barbell handle was 2.5" thick. Again, if Venables mentions measurements in his writings, double check. He wrote that the Apollon wheels axle was nearly 3" thick when it was nearly 2".

In 1896, Rolandow , Swiss by birth became an American citizen. Also that year, Warren Lincoln Travis commissioned the McLoughlin Iron works in Brooklyn to make a dumbell for him that he estimated would weigh 200 pounds, but which came hot and heavy out of its mold at 209 pounds. Solid, not shot-loadable. The bell, which I have never seen in person had, according to Ed Jubinville, the following dimensions: Length 23", sphere circumference 29", sphere diameter 9.23", handle length 5", handle circumference 4.25", handle diameter 1.35". This narrow handle with 209 lbs pressing on the palm of the hand during a bent press, felt, John Grimek told me on the phone May 9, 1991 "like a line cutting through your hand".

As said, Travis owned the dumbell first, then sold it to Rolandow for a 'double sawbuck' which is to say a total of $20 circa 1900 after WLT had carried the bell "several blocks to the nearest street car line" made two transfers, and then carried the bell two more blocks to Rolandow's office which was up two flights of stairs �all of this consuming one hour and 33 minutes after starting his trek. Webster offers the figure of $2. for the sale.

At this point Rolandow made a comment to the effect that if he was unable to lift the bell, there would be no deal! So Travis was probably as happy as Rolandow when G.W. bent pressed the bell seven reps.

Around 1924 Sig Klein met Rolandow for the first time, and later when G.W. closed his gym at the corner of Broadway and 81st Street in New York City, Klein came into possession of several of G.W. bells including the dumbell and the barbell both of which would later come to be known as the Rolandow dumbell and barbell.

On Aug 8, 1956 Rocco Signorille bought the dumbell from Klein. I am unaware where the weight is now. Rocco weighed only 135 pounds but could one hand deadlift the dumbell!

Travis considered Rolandow among the strongest all-round men among strongmen. Here is a sample of G.W's lifting ability at about 180 pounds bodyweight: 2 hands continental and jerk 310 lbs Left hand snatch 170; RH 180 Bent press 298 RH; 265 LH Could bent press from the shoulder a 135 lb bell for 18 reps (Ray Van Cleef said 137 lbs, Liederman offered 138 lbs; all sources agree on the 18 reps). When G.W. was in his sixties he was in the habit of visiting Klein's Gym every Friday, and he was still able to clean one handed, 150 lbs. G.W. was also known for other feats but we will end with this: Holding a 200 lb barbell with hands wider than his knees, he could jump forward and backward over the bar before the bell touched the floor!

May 6, 1944 Steve Stanko won Jr. Mr. America

May 6, 1978 Robby Robinson won the inaugural Night of Champions. The NOC as it's called will be holding its 24th edition on May 18th this year. (in case you are doing the math, there was no contest in 1984.)

May 6, 1985 Lori Bowen-Rice's daughter, Randi, born

May 6, 1989 Ron Love won the second IFBB Niagara Falls Pro contest.

May 7, 1896 Louis Cyr on this date is credited with the following lifts: Hand and Thigh Lift 1897.25 lbs One Hand Jerk Push 254 One Arm Jerk of 132.5 lbs for 36 reps Crucifix: RH 94 lbs, LH 88 lbs

May 7, 1954 George Paine defeated Enrico Tomas and Elmo Santiago to gain the Mr. Eastern America title at the Roosevelt Theater in New York City.

May 8, 1919 Lex Barker born; died May 11, 1973 Lex was coverman for Your Physique Mar 1949, and was cast as Tarzan in the movies.

May 8, 1934 Goerner, using only the forefinger swung 132.25 lbs

May 8, 1954 Mr. Indiana won by Ed Koeppe

May 8, 1965 Mr. Regional is won by Don Williams, and Arthur Turgeon wins Mr. Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh, while in Springfield, Massachusetts the crown of Mr.New England States went to Thelowicz English.

May 8, 1970 Joe Hise admitted to a medical care facility in Weiser, Idaho which is northwest of Boise near Interstate 84. Joe discharged himself AMA (against medical advice) on May 31, 1972. Four months later he died.

May 8, 1982 Al Beckles won the 5th Night of Champions.

May 9, 1846 Ernst Bohlig born in Germany; later designed small dumbells.

May 9, 1954 Mr. Central USA as well as best back, chest, and abs won by Vic Seipke.

May 9, 1964 Bill St. John wins Mr. South Jersey; Joe Nista becomes Mr. California; the Mr. South Carolina winner is Buddy Milligan; in Oklahoma the Sr state title is won by Ed Cook, and Jr, Mr. Oklahoma is Ellington Darden, later famous for his involvement with Nautilus; and Dick Sokolowski is named Jr. Mr. New England.

May 9, 1981 Chris Dickerson won 4th IFBB Night of Champions.

May 9, 1992 Porter Cottrell won Chicago Pro

May 9, 1993 Chris LeClaire flew from Boston to California to interview Steve Reeves for research on Chris' book.

May 9, 1995 Adrien Baillargeon died at age 76

May 10, 1857 Wilhelm Turk born; died Mar 12, 1920

May 10, 1857/1860 Dr. Windship straddle lift 1208 lbs

May 10, 1912 Goerner stacked 100 bricks (1124.5 lbs) and carried them up some stairs. These old bricks weighed 8.82 lbs apiece, plus the weight of the hod apparatus across his shoulders. Is everyone accepting this?

May 10, 1961 Maxick's death note, not a suicide note, but an awareness that death was near.

May 10, 1980 Chris Dickerson won 3rd Night of Champions.

May 11, 1873 Al Treloar was born in Allegan, Michigan; died Feb 28, 1960. His real name was Albert Toof Jennings, and his five part series in Ironman 'Recollections of an Old Timer" ran in Nov 1955, then in 1956 with the Jan, Jul, Nov issues, and finished up with the Jan 1957.

Al won Macfadden's 1903 contest to select the most perfectly developed man in the world during Macfadden's 'Physical Culture Exhibition' at the old Madison Square Garden from Dec 28 1903 to Jan 2, 1904. Al was already being booked on stage as 'The Perfect Man'. He won $500 first prize (not $1,000) because the other $500 was distributed this way: 2nd place Carl Victor $250, 3rd place Harry Blickman $150, and 4th place W.E. Clements $100.

May 11, 1905 Dr. Sargent measured Otis Lambert: bodywt 161 lbs height 5'5.5", age 38. neck 15.9, chest 41.3, waist 31.1, thigh 22, calf 14.8

May 11, 1911 Gord Venables; died May 27, 1975. Venables was one of the most voracious writers in the field. A good writer in terms of words-smithing, but not in the sense of facts. Too often he disagrees with known quantities.

His 'Incredible But True' series ran in S&H from Jun 1937 thru Feb 1950, and during most of that time he was contributing many other articles to that magazine. His column "Behind The Scenes" ran from Aug 1964 thru Nov 1971.

He contributed eight articles to Weider's Your Physique mag from Apr 1948 thru Apr 1952, and wrote for Muscle Builder and Mr. America in the early 1960s. Then in the mid 1960s switched to Muscular Development and worked there until his death in 1975.

The writer Rita Mae Brown believes that Venables (whom she calls Venable for some reason) was her father, and she paid a visit to York (after his passing) to learn more about him from the employees at York Barbell.

May 11, 1920 Goerner front squat 474.25 according to Mueller's book- this is an incredibly heavy front squat for a man not known for squatting�

May 11, 1947 Mr. Connecticut won by John Morley

May 12, 1946 Deorge or George DeMaria won Mr. New England. Surely Deorge is a misprint?

May 12, 1964 Manfred Hoeberl born in Graz, Austria. So far as I know Manfred had the largest, MUSCULAR, arms in the world- at least when I measured them at 26" pumped a few years ago. A few weeks later he was in a car accident with severe injuries resulting and never regained that massive size. I asked him point blank if he had injected anything into his arms and he said no.

May 13, 1945 The Mr. New York City contest offered some unusual placement titles: 1. Armon Ozon, winner (Joe Bonomo award), most muscular( Dan Lurie award) Shepard Roberts, best arms (Otto Arco award) Clement Aliverto best legs (Joe Weider award) best back(Bernarr Macfadden) Jack Sussman, best abs (Tony Sansone award) Billy Lee, best chest (Charles Atlas award) These awards were named after men famous for those bodyparts, I guess, but this is the only contest I have on file where this happened.

May 13, 1950 John Farbotnik won Mr. America

May 13, 1964 Ronnie Coleman born. Had been IFBB Mr. Olympia since 1998 and has defeated 30 different men (some more than once, of course) in those victories.

May 13, 1974 Tommi Thorvildsen born

May 13, 1978 Bill Richardson won Mr. Britain. Bill is bullishly strong and was one of the early, modern, batch of men who was able to lift the Inch 172 off the floor

May 14, 1904 Pierre Gasnier's daughter Pierette born

May 14, 1910 Bill Good born. Is still living and owned the Travis dumbell with which he used to perform hiplifts, one rep for every year of age well into his seventies. See next item.

May 14, 1945 Lynn Rannels born; now owns the Travis dumbell which is on display in Adamstown, Pennsylvania at a spring water company. The bell was fillable and Travis on occasion lifted it loaded to 2,150 lbs. The bell is situated at the 3-way intersection of routes #222, #568 and #272 at the eastern entrance to Adamstown. Good photo op!

May 14, 1948 George Eiferman wins Mr. America. The Jun 2002 issue of FLEX has two tributes to George: p 16 and p 214.

May 14, 1955 Ron Lacy, flexing in Louisville, became Mr. Kentucky.

May 14, 1960 Gail Crick won Jr. Mr. America

May 14, 1977 Mario Nieves won Jr. Mr. USA

May 14, 1978 Tony Pearson won Jr. Mr. USA

May 14, 1982 Conan the Barbarian was released in the USA. It has been said that Arnold's movies can be placed in chronological order, literally, by the decreasing muscularity of his physique over the years. Think about that.

May 15, 1953 Mr. America 1939 Roland Essmaker began a radio gig at KPMO in Pomona, California.

May 15, 1954 Ed Holochik won Mr. Pacific Coast (was also known as Ed Fury) and Millard Williamson placed 8th- anybody reading this know what became of Millard?

May 15, 1955 Mr. National High School, contested in Kansas City, Missouri, sent Doug Lindsay to the head of the class. Thereafter this contest would be retitled beginning in 1956 to the Teen Mr. America contest, and John Podrebarac would be the inaugural winner of that event.

May 15, 1959 Doug Hepburn presses 420 lbs while weighing 285 lbs in Vancouver.

May 15, 1971 Al Beckles won Mr. Britain. Al is in interesting character. He insists he was born in 1930; multiple other sources insist 1938, which was the year he agreed with until about 1984 when he decided to go with an older age. Independent of each other, indeed ignorant to each other's endeavor's in this regard, Dennis B. Weiss and I began checking the references regarding Al's age, and we reached a conclusion that differs from Al's current claim. So Al this year will be either 72 or 64.

Does it matter? It does when calculating who was the oldest man to win a certain contest, or when factoring age into other achievements. Not too many years ago another man, who wanted to compete in the Masters Mr. Olympia 'discovered' that he had been mistaken about his age also, and was in fact 40, which qualified him to compete.

There is another man in the sport who has aged faster than the rest of us, but who in one of his articles forgot the mixed-math mangle he had been offering, and actually revealed his real, younger, age.

I have not discovered this claiming to be older to be a common practice among the women�

May 15, 1971 Phil Pfister born 6'5" 310 lbs; is a firefighter in Charleston, West Virginia, and competes in strongman shows. This man has a future in competition, particularly in events where hand/grip strength figure in- such as the farmer's carry (aka farmer's walk). If he can remain uninjured from both his dangerous occupation and his training, there are good things in store for him in strength competition.

May 16, 1938 Chick Fisdell bent pressed the 175 lb Rolandow barbell, not dumbell,.

May 16, 1948 Michael Craver won Mr. Michigan

May 16, 1954 Stan Stanczyk's daughter Denise born.

May 16, 1963 Richard Gaspari born

May 16, 1971 Casey Viator won the Jr. Mr. America in Baytown, Texas, defeating the other dozen competitors, who included 12th place Roy Pfister. Any relation to Phil?

May 16, 1976 Dave Johns won Jr. Mr. America, then the next year the Mr. A.

May 16, 1987 Gary Strydom won the 9th Night of Champions. Gary, by the way, is the answer to the trivia question 'Who is the only African American to win a title in the World Bodybuilding Federation?' Gary is white, but was born in South Africa, so by definition�

May 16, 1988 Kay Baxter died in a foggy, early morning, car crash. Kay was inducted into the Joe Weider Bodybuilding Hall of Fame in Flex magazine in Apr 2001. Kay was very popular with the fans, if not the judges, of bodybuilding.

Inch 101: part 10 May 10, 1930 issue of Health & Strength mag reported that Inch had weighed some of the Saxons weights and found them always to be as stated, or heavier, never lighter than claimed.

May 13, 1933 issue of H&S: an interesting story by Edward Aston regarding the strength and hand size of John Marx: "John Grun Marx, the huge German, was the next strong man to pass my horizon. He also appeared at the 'Palace,' Bradford, and he also had a challenge. But not a sack this time, but something smaller. Two small dumb-bells, innocent looking things, were placed upon the stage and a cash prize offered to all who could lift them overhead. From the front of the 'house' they appeared little bigger than 56 pounders, and consequently drew a great number of competitors. John would show you how easy it was to lift them, then allow the 'tryers' to have a 'go.' They were solid bells and the handles were enormously thick. In addition to this handicap of thick bars, there was a loose sleeve of metal on each bar, so that anyone not being able to grip the bar all round, the pull would be oin one side only, and the sleeve would simply revolve and the weight remain where it was. And in addition to these, the weight of each bell was no less than 120 lb." [Roark: we now know the weights were 132 and 143 lbs]

Marx was credited with a one hand deadlift of 226 lbs on a 2.36" diameter handle. Do we find it difficult to believe that increasing the handle diameter to 2.38" (original Inch 172 size; the replicas are 2.47), but decreasing the amount of weight to 172 lbs (54 lbs less) would have stopped Marx from deadlifting the Inch bell with one hand? Marx was also credited with a one hand snatch of 154.25 lbs and that was a bar diameter of 2.75"! Inch was wise to include Marx on his list of those who never tried the 172.

"WONDERFUL HANDS: "Marx had the largest hands of any strong man I have ever seen, so it was not surprising that he found no competition in this respect."

May 13, 1933 issue of H&S: "Mr. Inch intends to run a competition at Leeds, open to registered members of the Association, and to award prizes to the best performers on his mystery bell. It should be noted that this is definitely NOT the Inch challenge dumb-bell with which I [Lowry] once saw even Edward Aston fail at the London Weight-lifting lub in pre-war days. The weight of the bell is not known by the competitors, but prizes are awarded for the best performances among the amateurs competing."

We now know that the bell weighed 140 lbs and that two hands were allowed to bring the bell to the shoulder before a one hand overhead attempt for reps.

THE GEORGE JOWETT ANVIL.

Mike Graham and Carol Finsrud run The Old Texas Barbell Company, 212 South Commerce, in Lockhart, TX. In their care at the gym, among other antiques of our sport now slumbers the Jowett anvil. I have done a fair amount of reading in the field and have never seen measurements of the anvil's dimensions. Now thanks to Mike & Carol we have answers. But from the beginning�

It has always puzzled me why Willoughby did not feature feats by George Jowett in his writings. Sometimes Willoughby became bogged in the valley of statistics and prediction, but he generally mentioned all the mountain tops- so why no Jowett?

The most spectacular feat ever ascribed to Jowett was the lifting of an anvil by its horn. The anvil was cleaned with one hand it is claimed. That anvil was said to weigh 125, 137,150, or 168 pounds. Currently, even among the grip masters such as David Horne, or Richard Sorin, we have no one who can one hand clean and press a 168 pound anvil by grabbing the horn with one hand and bringing it to the shoulder. As a matter of fact in David Horne's IRON GRIP publication, current issue, Sorin refers to the feat as a joke- not that Jowett was joking about being able to do it, but that the possibility of anyone doing it, including Jowett, is a joke.

What are we talking about? The anvil weighs 168 pounds, and as you look at it in profile, from end to end it measures 24.5", with 9.5" of that composing the horn. The anvil stands 11" tall on a base that is 12.25" long. Across the flat part of the anvil, the parallel top is 4.25" wide. See the photos at the Iron History Gallery.

Mike included some interesting segment measurements of the horn, which is, after all the part that Jowett gripped with one hand to lift it. Of the 9.5" horn, only 6.5" is curved- the other three inches nearest the body of the anvil also has a flat top with rounded sides. So from the tip of the horn to 4.5" back, the circumference of the horn is 8.50". The horn size increases of course as it nears the body of the anvil, so that two more inches inward (now 6.5" from the tip) the circumference measures 10.5". As a comparative thought, even if Jowett grabbed the horn at the tip, assuming his hand was 4" wide, then at least part of his grasp would include that 8.50" circumference which is roughly the same size as the Inch dumbell handle.

Where do photos show Jowett grasping the horn? In the photos I have seen he is grasping the end of the horn, that is, at its narrowest circumference. But, the telling factor is that he is using an overgrip- that is, as the base of the anvil faces his knee, his hand is on TOP of the horn, the least advantageous grip, because as the anvil swings away from the body and reaches, say, waist height, your hand now must pinch-grip the horn; whereas if the hand were under the horn, the weight would be cupped on top of his palm. In this photo, George is facing right as we look at the photo.

In what purports to be a sequence photo, George now has the anvil at his shoulder with the base upward, and the anvil's flat area perched in his upturned palm. And he is facing left as we view the photo!

Of course, screams of 'fixed-photo' have been uttered- some say that the photographer played magic by erasing the support holding the anvil in the first photo. And how exactly was the transition from overhand grip at mid thigh (the anvil hanging below mid-thigh) to completed clean with grip on the flat, accomplished? To say nothing of the facing of the other direction, which could be simply a flipped negative and nothing else.

But the saddening fact is comparing the anvil in the photo that Jowett is lifting to the 168 lb anvil that Mike sent photos of and which Jowett claims is the anvil that he lifted one handed. Mike sent several more photos than those that we posted. Other photos show both flat sides of the anvil and on neither side is there the appearance of the oval-shaped insignia which appears on the side of the anvil in the Jowett photo. Also, the 168 has a horn which remains level in line with the flat part, whereas the anvil in the photo has an 'upturned' horn. And, the base of the 168 is not 'four-footed' but has two flat spreads. There may be other differences but these suffice to prove that the 168 was not the anvil being lifted in the photo.

Here are some questions whose answers I seek: 1. What was the earliest publication of the Jowett anvil-lifting photos? And where? I lack some magazines � indeed many magazines- circa 1925, so anyone who knows of any early appearance of this photo, please share. 2. The lift took place circa 1925. Exact date? 3. The weight of the anvil has been reported at four different figures ranging from 125 lbs to 168 lbs. Why? Was there no documentation at the time? 4. How many times did Jowett claim to have done this lift? Just once for the photo? 5. Are there any other photos of the event or of other anvil lifts by Jowett?

When a feat of strength from the old days (75+ years ago) has still not been surpassed, and the lift is still practiced among the current batch of strongmen who are heavier and have larger hands than the man who claims to hold the record from back then, we must look carefully for reasons that the lift has not been beaten.

Is there any reason to suspect that Jowett had stronger hands than David Horne, or Richard Sorin or some other grip masters currently on the scene? Sorin has snatched a 100 lb anvil which is an amazing feat, but readily acknowledges lacking the strength needed to clean a 168 lb anvil.

Maybe someday we'll get the anvil question hammered out.

Roark Reference #7
We continue with David Chapman's series "Gallery of Ironmen" from Ironman mag:
[for part one, see Iron History Apr 19, 2002]
Jan 1993 p 150 Adolph Nordquest
Feb 1993 p 166 Joseph Nordquest
Mar 1993 p 172 Charles Vansittart [Vansart]
Apr 1993 p 112 Alexander Zass
May 1993 p 143 Prof David L. Dowd
Jun 1993 there was no June 1993 issue of Ironman
Jul 1993 p 129 Gustav Fristensky
Aug 1993 p 181 J.C. Tolson
Sep 1993 p 159 Marta Farra [Martha Kahn]
Oct 1993 p 130 Charles Rigoulot
Nov 1993 p 146 Karl Abs
Dec 1993 p 159 Arthur Gay
Jan 1994 p 198 Joe Lambert
Feb 1994 p 184 George Jowett
Mar 1994 p 184 Othello, Carlton Harris, John Terry, John Davis, Kenneth Pendleton
Apr 1994 p 159 Earle E. Liederman
May 1994 p 167 Victor Seipke
Jun 1994 p 151 Kate 'Vulcana' Roberts
Jul 1994 p 187 Henry 'Milo' Steinborn
Jun 1995 p 182 William Hillgardner column ends; resumes in 2000
Nov 2000 p 242 Charles Atlas
Dec 2000 p 244 Otto Arco
Jan 2001 p 216 Anthony Barker, Sascha, Joe Greenstein
Feb 2001 p 216 Prof. Louis Attila
Mar 2001 p 236 The Deriaz Bros: Emile, Maurice, Adrien, Octave
Apr 2001 p 236 Doug Hepburn
May 2001 p 252 Abby 'Pudgy' Stockton
Jun 2001 p 210 Batta: Aug 17, 1866 � Jun 7, 1939
Jul 2001 p 210 Melvin Wells
Aug 2001 p 216 Franz Josef Szalay
Sep 2001 p 238 Anna Abs
Oct 2001 p 238 Elvira Sansoni
Nov 2001 p 254 Ed Fury
Dec 2001 none
Jan 2002 p 238 Bob McCune
Feb 2002 p 320 Warren Lincoln Travis
Mar 2002 none
Apr 2002 p 334 Clarence Weber
May 2002 p 316 Marcel Rouet Mar 5, 1909 � Dec 3, 1982
Jun 2002 p 334 Charmion (includes photos of three rare pins)