Iron History with Joe Roark- 09/25/2003: "Sep 26, 2003 Joseph Curtis Hise"

Iron History

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09/25/2003 Entry: "Sep 26, 2003 Joseph Curtis Hise"

Joseph Curtis Hise died Sep 27, 1972 Born Aug 10, 1905

J.C. Hise was born in Scottland, Illinois (now it is called Scotland) on the eastern border of the state. He would become famous for his pioneering work in the squat used to gain mass and weight.

His childhood friends always called him Curt (not Joe, or Joseph). Charles A. Smith always considered Hise as the unsung true pioneer of weight training- at least in regard to the squat.

For those who may have these old magazines, here are some reading references for you to consider: all written by Hise unless noted.

Iron Man:
2:2 p 6 Strong men made easy
2:3 p ? Strong men made easy
2:5 p 7 Natural Lifting
2:6 p 8 Natural Lifting
3:1 p 7 Natural Lifting
3:3 p 5 Skeleton types
3:4 p 4 The Story of JCH - Rader
4:1 p 17 Lil bones, don't you cry
4:2 p 17 Lil bones, don't you cry
5:1 p 24 Great vigor
5:2 p 15 Great vigor
6:2 p 14 Chest growth and weight gain
6:3 p 10 The Hise deltoid exercise
7:1 p 10 The chest-shaping squat- co author Bruno
Jul 1948 p 26 Cartilage mass theory
Aug 1948 p 23 Cartilage mass theory
Sep/Oct 1948 p 30 Results from the JCH shrug- Kelling
May/Jun 1950 p 28 The Hise shrug
Nov 1972 p 31 Obituary- Howell
May 1978 p 32 JCH- Pioneer of powerlifting- Howell (in 1936 Hise predicted a clean and jerk someday of 500 lbs)
Nov 1986 p 44 The mysterious Hise shrug- Howell

VIGOUR:
Jan 1946 p ? Successful methods of increasing chest size
Feb 1946 p 23 Successful methods of increasing chest size
Mar 1946 p 43 Successful methods of increasing chest size

MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT:
Jun 1973 p 22 JCH- Daddy of the Squat- Howell

VIM:
Feb 1940 p 15 What every greenhorn should know
Mar 1940 p 8 What every greenhorn should know
Apr 1940 p 12 What every greenhorn should know
Jun 1940 p 12 Shapeliness simplified
Jul 1940 p 12 Shapeliness simplified
Aug 1940 p 12 Shapeliness simplified
Sep 1940 p 6 Shapeliness simplified
Oct 1940 p 12 Value of the Squat part 1
Nov 1940 p 12 Value of the Squat part 2
Dec 1940 p 10 Value of the Squat part 3
Jan 1941 p 8 Value of the Squat part 4, conclusion
May 1941 p 16 Gains, gaining, and gainers
Jun 1941 p 10 Gains, gaining, and gainers

The inscription on the back of Hise high school graduation photo reads:
[signed] Joseph Curtis Van Hise, Dec 1, 1922
Senior at Oakwood Township High School, 16 years, 3 months, and 23 days
5 ft 9-1/4 inches, 164#
[then signature twice] Joseph Curtis Hise

Don Noel, a grip strength specialist told me some interesting bits about Curt:
I cannot state if the claims were accurate but here they are:

Hise went to s�ances in Indiana and he believed in them
Hise told Don that he had visited Russia
Hise and Don worked out together in the 1950s
Hise never bench pressed- mostly shrugs and squats

Hise lived for a while in Danville, Illinois, and his sister-in-law showed me the rear apartment on Tillman Avenue.

He owned property in Columbus, Ohio. He claimed to have worked for the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Was a carpenter's helper at the U of Illinois in 1934. Had a pet dog named Bud.

I have somewhere in a box of papers some of Hise's measurements while he was in high school. If during my continuing excavation I uncover it, I will report it here later.

Here is the obituary as it appeared in the St. Joseph Record, newspaper, Sep 30, 1972:

SUCCUMBS at 67: Funeral services for Joseph C. Hise, 67, of Homer will be held at 2 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Kirby Funeral Home in Homer with Rev. William Stephenson officiating. Burial will be in GAR Cemetery.

Mr. Hise died at 6 p.m. Sept 27 at Poplar Bluff, MO., of an apparent heart attack. He was driving a truck and had pulled off along the side of the road.

Born Aug. 10, 1905 at Scottland, he was the son of Charles A. and Amy Banta Hise. He attended school in Homer and for several years was a uranium miner in Nevada and Colorado.

He leaves a sister, Mrs. Frances Gurnea of Homer, a brother, Frank, of Danville, and several nieces and nephews.

The obituary from the News Gazette newspaper adds that Curt was en route to Missouri where he had been visiting. He was never married. And family members told me he regretted not marrying.

Hise was a bib-overall wearing intellectual. Charles A. Smith was impressed with the huge depth of knowledge that Curt possessed.

I once visited Curt's sister-in-law and she sold me Curt's Jackson 1-A Olympic barbell set, his Magic Circle, and some other materials. I have since traded the 1-A to Kim Wood for some items, but Andy Jackson remembered making that set for Joe (as he called him) in the early 1950s. Only 500 to 600 sets of the 1-A were manufactured.

See you Oct 3!