Iron History

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09/11/2003 Entry: "Sep 12, 2003 Ironhistory.com by Joe Roark"

(comment: When I type these letters into my computer, the sense and awe of what a solid, skilled writer Charles was becomes more obvious. He had a deft delivery and a happy, flowing style, which gave and gives, joy to the reader. He remains, in my view, one of the sport's best writers.)

Letter from Charles A. Smith Feb 20, 1986

Thanks for your letter post dated February 15th which reached me yesterday. If your visit was now you'd probably enjoy the weather which hit 92 degrees yesterday and is due to ditto today. Normal temps for this time of the year are around 65 to 70 and I guess in April, if the weather here isn't its usual fickle self, should be in the high seventies, low eighties, so with a little sunbathing, you can probably return to chilly St. Joe and brag about your swift trip to Polynesia or other places where the skies are not cloudy all day.

Thanks too for the enclosed snaps of the reverend Joe Hise which will find repose in the Collection. No use my hanging on to them since my days on this earth- or for that matter on any of the distant planets is limited. I also broached the subject of the movie diplomatically- what a diplomat I am- to TT and he said it was still in the University archives. It seems they are making a copy of the movie for him and are due to call him when it is ready. As to his not firing off a missive of thanks- and without my sounding as if I am making excuses for him- he IS very busy what with his classes, grading the deathless prose of the term papers of the students- you should see some of them- that he hardly has time to pass wind, obey the call of nature as they once used to say in a quaint way- or do justice to his wife. What a Life.

Further news from the Collection is that Jan for her doctorate requirement wrote a fifty page paper on the effects Bernarr McFadden had on the women's sports movement and the influence he had on women's dress way back. It was received with not only high praise but loud hosannahs, was selected the best doctoral paper written NATIONALLY and, winning the first prize for such offerings, has been invited to Vancouver in late May to read it- rather present it personally at some esoteric sort of big bash there. They will, while there, also look up Doug Hepburn and pump his brains to a fare-thee-well - just as you are gonna do mine on your arrival. So all sorts of succulent goodies are about to pop up from the fertile fields of ferrous substance flinging.

I had a remarkable surprise the other day. I received my copy of Muscle and Fitness and Flex and lo and behold, my two articles were NOT in it.

As to the Florida connection, I just don't know what to say. My prime suspect was XXX, since the letter contains- as I read it- so many female or catty remarks. But seriously I don't know. At the time it was mailed I was in no mental condition to be bothered with such stuff having lost my wife a bare month before the missive was mailed and also having a nine year old child - Vera- to look after and a new and important position in the branch of the police department I was working for at the time.

Whoever was responsible must have been in the WHW close confidence. I knew little or nothing at the time of his sexual peccadilloes- is that the correct spelling- and even if I had, would have paid no heed since I consider these things personal and of really no importance except to the participants directly involved. I'd have little or no interest in them apart from the question, 'Was it good?'

I also wrote to Horvath, but Bart at the time was tied up hand and foot with his own mag and living somewhere in Palisised Heights or some such place in New Jersey. And, one of his kids was pretty sick too. But I'll dig around and can probably come up with who the mystery man or woman was who penned the letter.

I don't mind what people say about me so long as it is true. What pisses me off is when it ISN'T true. I am sure that at some time or the other I have ruffled the feathers of many, but no one has ever aid anything about me- that is no takes of my derring do or skullduggery have ever reached my ears apart from the XXX Missive. The way I look at it is if I've got someone unhappy at me and I've done the dirty deed, then it is true and I'll admit it- why not? Denying something that I KNOW to be true only increases the load of guilt I have to carry and I'm carrying sufficient load of that already, not to add to it.

Who is Al and Vera Christensen? Never heard of them, or else my memory is going on the blink.

Yes, we have all the Weider mags from first to the latest. It will be very obvious to you how they changed when I joined the staff, and this is no display of big headedness on my part. Recently Professor John Fair who teaches Political Sciences at Auburn University was here researching for an article he is to do on 'The Golden Age of American Weightlifting.' One of the first things he noticed was what he called 'the DRAMATIC change' in the Weider mags from the MOMENT YOU (that's me) started to work for him. He went on to remark further that the subject material of the mags expanded remarkably after I had joined, particularly with Olympic Lifting.

It was so sad to learn of XXX slow and mental rotting away. There is a rumor to the effect that he was a Parkinsonian but I don't believe this. It was just plain senility and failure of kidney function that finally topped him off. I didn't like the man, considering him a coward and a bully and a whoremunger. Hise once made a remark about him to the effect that the only women he was able to date were whores and nymphomaniacs. He certainly bounced off the bellies of scores of women according to what I have been told.

XXX used to turn up at meets with some young piece of skin who couldn't have been more than 25 tops. Very pale skin, dark hair, and green eyes and full lips but as flat chested as a country crap house door- use that one and I'll sue- with a voracious look about her and of whom it was said that she screwed XXX until he couldn't come if he was called. What happened to her I don't know, but she was most obviously sexually LIVE- in fact it fairly oozed out of her. Everybody called her "XXX's girl'. I knew her name but have forgotten or can't recall it at the moment. So of he left her in his will he can bet the screwing he got was well worth the screwing he paid for.

I am very much afraid that Siggie is in terminal straits. What a pity that such a nice guy couldn't have a more peaceful and easier ending to his wonderfully productive life. Although Sig was, in a small sense, like Weider in that he liked to rake in the loot and didn't miss a chance to do so, yet he had the common, human touch, could empathize and sympathize and had a broad streak of generosity in him in all of its aspects and in all of the ways it touches people. I certainly won't forget his kindness to me at a time when I sorely needed someone to be kind to me.

I just can't believe that Miss Heidenstam turned down a Grimek article with the remark that no one knew Grimek then.

Just recently Bob Kennedy wrote me a letter saying that he had heard Weider and I went to England in 1951 so I could take over Weider's business there. Not true. Joe wasn't about to cut me in on any of the profits or place me in a position where I could find out how much HE was making. So investigate me all you want. Have at it. It should be amusing and might even stir the consciences of some and even may lead to my election to the so called political Hall of Fame. Personally I don't think so.

Take care, and the best of everything to you and yours,
Chas.