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02/19/2009 Entry: "2/20/2009: May 25, 1988 letter to Joe Roark from Charles A. Smith, part two."

May 25, 1988 letter to Joe Roark from Charles A. Smith, part two.

What do I know of Jim Halliday? A little. We corresponded for a while butthen lost contact for some reason or the other. Jim seems a nice bloke and was a damned good lifter, good enough to take a bronze at an Olympic. He had a very bad time during the war, being captured by the Japs at Singapore and spending four years in Chang jail, which is situated on a point of Singapore Island by the Johore Strait. I will try and get his address for you and you can write him. I believe he lifted as a lightweight. They called him Jumping Jim Halliday because of his habit of jumping over the bar after he had completed a lift. He is a Midlands Bloke and speaks with a broad Yorkshire accent.

If I wanted to possess a set of magazines noted for the accuracy, quality of writing, etc etc. Joseph, I am amazed that you could ask such a question of me, knowing full well that MODESTY prevents me from supplying an answer.

No, I haven't written to [George] Weaver yet, but intend to do so when I am in the mood.

Re Schemansky. I can tell you several stories about him. But might I refer you to my article about him which is due out in the next issue of the mag put out by Glossbrenner and Bob Hise, the International Olympic Lifter. You will find it entertaining. Glossbrenner liked it so much and expressed himself in such terms, I thought he was about to give birth to several tins of jam.
Yes, so far as I know Joe DI Pietro is still living. A very nice little chap, an achondroplastic dwarf and I think he married a girl who was close to being likewise. Joe came under some very cruel fire from some assholes in England who, so tis said, objected to him competing and proposed that he be barred because he had a 'physical advantage that others didn't. They of course referred to his pressing ability.

What he is doing I don't know. Chuck Vinci is also still alive and is said to be operating heavy equipment. Further deponent sayeth naught.

My opinion of isometric- the good old Dynamic Tension so beloved by Atlas and that has been around so long it has whiskers as long as Methuselah's. It is just another aid, a break in the monotony of lifting. I don't dismiss it completely, believing that it does have some advantages in preserving muscle tone and strength to a certain degree. Hoffie made a lot of it. conveniently forgetting to mention in his article 'THE MOST IMPORTANT ARTICLE I HAVE EVER WRITTEN' that the big gains his lifters were making, were steroid inspired under the guidance of Doctor John Ziegler.

Did Schemansky use steroids? I don't know and so far as I know, I don't think so. I recently heard-was it from you- that Grimek used them. This I don't know for sure either. But nothing would surprise me these days- or those either.

No, I didn't get any rubber strands, but did get a set of steel strands. Which I use occasionally to break the monopoly of picking them up and putting them down again.