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04/24/2009 Entry: "4/24/2009: A 1988 letter from Charles A. Smith's letter to Joe"

Part 1 of July 22, 1988 letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark.

Daer Joe,
Thanks for yours post dated July 18 and arriving yesterday, the 21st.

So you had an answer from Ski. You might contact Herb Glossbrenner and ask him for a copy of his International Olympic Lifter, the very latest copy, due to come out this week. In it you will find an article by some obscure bloke named Smith, who deals with Ski lifting the Apollon Wheels. The article is one dealing with Ski's career and main points of his lifting life.

Don't know if SKi told you, but when he lifted the wheels at Lille, France, in October 1954, he cleaned them first attempt, then jerked them three times in succession from the shoulders- weight of wheels and axle 364 pounds. He was the FOURTH man to accomplish the feat, the first being Louis Uni, the next Rigoulot and the third John Davis. Davis couldn't use the regular grip, but had to take the bar, right hand gripping the bar, left hand wrist bent UNDER the bar, then swiveling the hand around to grip the bar when he racked it in. When he jerked it overhead, Davis then blacked out, dropped the bar and bent it, so Ski, who cleaned the bar with the customary grip, cleaned a BENT BAR.

Davis himself told me the story of cleaning and jerking the so called wheels and this is to be another article for Glossbrenner's mag in the near future. Rigoulot, I know, trained 8 months to clean trolley wheels. Anyway, if you get a copy of the mag, please feel free to quote from it.

I have heard of Wennerstrom but never met him. The others you mentioned I have never heard of- but then I've been out of the modern scene for so long now, and am drifting in and out of it like some phantom.

I hope you have seen the latest MUSCLE AND FITNESS. Jeff Everson has an article in it- the column NOW IT'S MY TURN, in which he talks about people who are ingrates and stab others in the back. I chuckled. He should know the fine points of back stabbing.

No I haven't heard from the Wanking Wunder of the Land where the Hills bear a lot of forestation. No article about me- as PROMISED- in his mag. No article BY me as PROMISED in his mag, Does this bloke ever keep a single promise he makes. One is given to thought.

Weather here is brutal. Hot. Humid. Me suffering with a lovely case of heat rash- known to all British Service men who were in places hot as PRICKLY HEAT. It comes like ten cases of hives and sleep is practically non existent. The large fan I have certainly moves the HOT air around and does nothing to cool things down. If I could afford it I'd air condition the place. But the thought of what it would cost makes me cringe. I'm presently having my house painted and the benighted heathen who is doing the job is charging me 1300 bucks and I have had to take a loan out to pay him. The saucy sod wanted me to pay him HALF before he began the work. I said no, vigoursly.
I thought Bannout was on the outs with the Wunderful Win. Seems as if they have kissed and made up. WOnder how much that cost BANNOUT.

Strossen. I have had a couple letters from him. Seems to be a very well educated bloke. What sort of work does he do and how old is he? I know he is married since hementioned a Mrs. Does he have any kids? I am told he has a PhD in Psychology. Worked at a bank a time or two. Anyway, I enjoy exchanging ideas with him.

I'm enclosing a cutting about Mr. Marvellous. Xerox it and return. True, this was written some 29 years ago, but the situation remains the same. The bloke doing the carving up job on Mr. Wonderful has had his column in the London Daily Mirror for Lo, these many many years. He must be dead by now since I recall him starting our in the late thirties with the column. A deft wielder of the knife when it came to cutting people down to size. Anyway, copy it, read it, chuckle, and return same to me. TX.