Joe Roark's IronHistoryArchives.com
The HUGE library of Iron History compiled by Joe Roark.
Welcome to Iron History with Joe Roark!
Joe Roark has been studying the iron game since 1957, and by 1970 began a systematic gathering of information on index cards. By the time his first computer was acquired, there were several hundred thousand references to be typed into it.
For a few years he published his own newsletter called MuscleSearch: The Roark Report. By 1992 he was appointed as the IFBB Men's Bodybuilding Historian, and began writing about history for FLEX in his column Factoids. For ten years he contributed to Iron Game History from the U of Texas at Austin. Recently he also began writing All Our Yesterdays for FLEX.
His passion has always been the period between 1880 and 1920, with particular emphasis on the oldtime strongmen of that era. Joe will be offering bits of history for Cyberpump once per week, and the text will be relevant to the dates of the calendar for those events of yesteryear relevant to the coming week.
In this column, readers will also be able to ask Joe questions or comment on his posts. Note: The comments are solely for interaction between Joe and the readers only -- not reader to reader.
Iron History Aug 16-Sep 5, 2002
Thursday, August 15, 2002
NEWS: ironhistory.com is now a registered domain name. TheEditor took care of that piece of business recently. So it appears that iron history will be jammed into cyberspace for some time now. This column completes two thirds of our current effort, that is, of offering the basic, incomplete chronology for iron game events. By the end of the year, many of our sport's highlights will have been mentioned, and many will not have been, but to my knowledge, there is no place else on the net that offers the chronology format that you find here. Good or bad? That's up to you. We are here if you need us.
When the column enters 2003, there will be a different format. In keeping with the trend of some of the modern bodybuilding magazines, we will be having swimsuit photos as half our content, and may include some degrading drawings, and scatter in some curse words just to show we believe in freedom of speech. Just kidding.
Actually, next year, we will be offering more lengthy profiles and histories of certain figures of the sport. More in depth treatments. But that's the future. All we are granted is the moment, so, to the business at hand:
ANSWER: Last column's question was how man different men have won an IFBB pro bodybuilding contest. The answer is 57.
NEED HELP: see Aug 30, 1980 below.
YOUR OPINION: Do you enjoy the letters of Charles A. Smith? I am undecided whether to continue them, so your feedback would be appreciated. Of course, your opinions are always welcome here about any subject we present.
HELP? You may have noticed I tend to ramble on with details, and am always in need of further contacts with the oldtimers. So if anyone reading this has a lead, please contact me via TheEditor or thru the comment button. I don't make this stuff up, so any further contacts are always helpful. I do not hound people- simply contact them and ask if they would be willing to chat about their participations in the sport; not looking for dirt, not looking for negative, looking for some uplifting stories.
I cannot recall at the moment if I told you this story but I was in contact with a very famous former bodybuilder, and when I asked if he would be willing to chat with me about his great contributions to the sport, he politely, but fluently said something like, "Oh, bodybuilding- no I have no interest in discussing that subject- it is no longer part of my life; thank you." Click.
Another time I was pursuing a lead about a son that I had heard Bob Hoffman had, and was on the phone with a woman, who had been very polite to me in a previous call, and who was being polite during this call. Then I said, "May I record our conversation so that I accurately quote you and so that I do not have to scribble notes?" She turned to her father who was in the room, said something I could not hear clearly, turned back to the phone and said, "No, I have nothing else to say to you." Click. Hey, am I a charmer, or what!
On another occasion I was chatting with a famous woman of bygone days who only wanted to discuss what a rascal her ex-husband was. No matter that he had died many years ago, that's ALL she wanted to talk about. She had a daughter so pretty that Playboy was actually interested in her. And this lady herself had a positive participation in the sport, but she was living in the past, but she would not allow me to write an update on her, even though she had begun training again in later life and was again able to squat with some significant weights.
Another man I contacted did not want to talk to me because he said I would not believe what he told me. When asked what he meant, he said, 'Okay, I workout at least seven hours every day. Do you believe that?' I asked how he defined working out- long strolls walking in the park or lifting or what. He said lifting for seven hours. I admitted that at his age of 70 or so that it was hard for me to believe that claim. Click again.
Anyway, please help with leads if you can; it helps the column provide fresh material. We have been online since January 2002 and hopefully you have noticed our slant is positive information. I have plenty of material I could use, but that is not appropriate for our purpose here. Hopefully this column can become a group effort, and yes, I will split my enormous salary with you! Boil the water, I've got the rice!
Ironhistory Aug 16-Sep 5, 2002
NEWS: Anthony Ditillo died Feb 28, 2002 in Vauxhall, New Jersey from natural causes, the morning after his son Adam had watched Anthony perform a set of shrugs with 405 lbs. Anthony was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1947, though his family prefers not to have his exact birth date announced, Anthony's only brother Tom was not into exercising at all.
Anthony trained at home when he lived with his parents, and on occasion used the Elizabeth, New Jersey, YMCA.
Adam his son, offers, ""I'm not sure of all the gyms he went to but I know since I was born he went to Gold's Gym in Cranford and Kennilworth, and when he'd train with me we went to the New York Sports Club in Springfield."
"He was a respiratory therapist. He never mentioned anything about retiring except that it was too far off."
"He trained his whole life with no layoffs until the night before the morning he died where I watched him as he shrugged 405 for a few sets of around ten. He used low rep/high poundages."
In answer to these questions, Adam offered his father's views:
Current bodybuilding: "The sport has lost its authenticity, that the magazines don't tell the truth, and that the gyms are not what they used to be".
Lifting sports: "He never believed in using suits and wraps like Powerlifters use, and that Olympic lifting is the true sport producing the strongest lifters in the world".
Adam reminds us his father "�also wrote 2 books, The Development of Physical Strength (1982), and the Development of Muscular Bulk and Power (1971). Both were reprinted in 1999".
Adam continues that his father was not a man to share when something was bothering him, he never let anyone know. "I know he had heart problems for a long time. If he was in any kind of pain or discomfort leading up to when he died he didn't show it in any way so I'm not sure of the real answer as far as bad health goes."
Please see Roark Reference #16 at the end of this column for a listing of Ditillo's Ironman articles.
Aug 16, 1863 Anton Riha born; was profiled in S&H Aug 1939 by Bob Hoffman, who credits Riha with five reps in the squat with 280- certainly not bad for a man who trained very little and was more known for his supporting strength, such as having five men hang from a 240 pound barbell on his shoulders as he twirled around- approx 1,100 lbs. It was an image of Riha that I used in Iron Game History when my column Ironclad appeared in that publication. And it was an image of Riha that appeared on the business card of Neil Diamond's bodyguard, though the man did not know it was Riha. Tom Parkinson, who was Director of Assembly Hall at that time (now deceased), and who was an expert on the history of the circus, invited me to chat with the man, as I happened to know who the business card depicted.
An aside: Iron Game History, the journal from the U of Texas in Austin, via the Todd- McLean Collection, has not been published since May 2001, so that is about 15 months, though I have been told another issue is in the works.
Aug 16, 1912 Barton Horvath. Horvath, according to Charles A. Smith, while in the employ of Joe Weider, walked into Weider's office, tossed a copy of his own new magazine called Muscle Sculpture onto to Joe's desk, and said, 'Now you've got competition!' Joe is still publishing several magazines. Barton, now living in Florida, is not. This is the birthday Barton gave me; it differs from one that was published years ago.
Aug 16, 1976 On this date a planned Pro Mr. Universe was to be staged in Johannesburg, South Africa, but I have never found anything but an upcoming announcement, no further mention of results, or magazine coverage, so it appears that this event never took place.
Aug 17, 1866 Batta born (full name Jean Baptiste Charles Estienne); died Jun 7, 1939? This French strongman was known for his grip strength. In 1881 at age 15 Batta had strength enough to tie three 44 pound weights together and snatch them with one hand. When he later competed against Apollon, Batta was able to press with one arm Apollon's four 44 pound weights. Gaudreau asserts after much study, that only Apollon 'could have duplicated all of Batta's grip tests'.
Gaudreau wrote of Apollon vs Batta in VIM mag Apr 1941. The contest took place in 1889, and was the occasion on which Apollon acquired the lighter of his two sets of railcar wheels, which Gaudreau states weighed 259 pounds, with a very thick axle. Apollon put it overhead, Batta got it to his shoulders only and thereafter, 'became Apollon's greatest admirer and friend'. Later Apollon acquired the heavier set weighing 365.2 lbs., and according to Emile Valtier, Editor of La Culture Physique, 'was able to handle it as he did the one of 118 Kgs' 259 lbs. It was Batta along with Paul Pons who, unbeknown to Apollon, increased the weight of Apollon barbell when the Rasso Trio came to witness his performance. Apollon lifted the increased weight without any indication the weight seemed heavier to him.
Batta had managed 266 lbs on the Regnier dynamometer; Apollon squeezed 336.6 lbs on his first try and then said, 'you will not catch me again with your tricks, this hurts my hands, I will not try again'. For a solid story on the history of the dynamometer, see the current issue of Iron Grip magazine from England
Aug 17, 1892 Mae West born; died Nov 22, 1980. She gathered some musclemen together, put on a nightclub act and toured around America. At first the men wore what a British magazine correctly described as having the appearance of a diaper. There are a few books available about West which mention George Eiferman, Dick DuBois, and Mickey Hargitay stories in regard to this traveling troupe.
Aug 17, 1935 Charles Poire died; born 1866. Strongman also known as 'Bibi'. In Oct 1897 was able to perform a left hand holdout with 77 pounds, at approx 200 pounds bodyweight. This according to Ironman Dec 1962; Your Physique May 1948 mentions 65 pounds. Charles died in Bichat Hospital in Paris, France at age 69.
Aug 17, 1983 Dave Matlin died; wrote for Lifting News mag Dec 1958 thru Apr 1963 and in S&H he was praised in the Apr 1967 issue, then wrote a letter of praise to Hoffman in the Dec 1968 issue. S&H mentioned his passing in the Jan 1984 issue. He wrote an explanation of the separation of weightlifting from powerlifting in the Jan 1963 issue of Lifting News.
Aug 18, 1916 Harold Ansorge; died Mar 21, 1988. Larry Aumann has been in contact with Harold's sister, who enjoys recalling the incredible strength feats of her brother. In H&S Sep 1944 John Barrs credited Ansorge (Harold not Jean) with an English style deadlift of 680 lbs. [heels together, thus requiring less favorable leverages and requiring pulling the bar maximum height, unlike the current debased, sumo silliness]
Harold bent pressed 302, and managed 335 in the gym, and began an eleven part series for Your Physique on how to demonstrate your strength correctly. The articles are oddly numbered, but in fact there were eleven of them from Aug 1944 thru Jan 1947. For Weider's Muscle Power, Harold offered similar articles in the mid to late 1940s. He weighed approximately 220 lbs at 6' in height.
Aug 18, 1933 Hermann Goerner deadlift 830. At age 42, in Leipzig, Germany, from the book, GOERNER, The Mighty, by Edgar Mueller, page 69:
"830 lb. Two-hands Dead Lift "This amazing feat was performed in Leipzig on 18th August, 1933, the weight consisting of a 441 lb. barbell and two men. Both men stood on the bar, one either end, and balanced themselves by placing their hands on Gorner's shoulders. The combined weight was then lifted by Hermann who stood erect with it and held it in the correct finishing position for several seconds."
It appears to me that if the men stood on the bar, as opposed to the plates on the bar, or the globes, they would have been standing, of course, closer to Hermann, making the lift even harder because they would have subtracted from rather than added to the 'springiness' of the bell. Those who consider Goerner as the strongest deadlifter of his day do not usually mention this lift, perhaps because it is uncertain how to judge how much the two men leaned on Goerner's shoulders, and how much effect, if any, this had in making the lift easier.
Aug 18, 1946 Boyer Coe born. Offhand, the first 'split-biceps' I can remember seeing in modern bodybuilding. Today he becomes 56 years of age. After about six dozen competitions in AAU, NABBA, IFBB,WBBG, from 1962, his last appearance was at the Master's Olympia in 1995 where he placed 10th. I first saw him compete in 1967 in Winter Haven, Florida, which was also the first occasion where I saw Bill Pearl in person.
Aug 19, 1909 or Sep 19? Walter Podolak born in Towpath, New York; died Feb 16, 1984 Was known as The Golden Superman (blond hair). He was a wrestler and won the WBBG Pro Mr. America Over 60 on Sep 13, 1975. After leaving the ring he opened a gym in Brooklyn at 617 86th Street in 1969. [What's there now?]
Aug 19, 1943 Adolph Rhein died at age 87. After a lifetime in weightlifting as a pastime, Rhein near the age of 70 opened a gym in New York City, and one in Long Beach, CA. At the time he died, the war had siphoned away many of his members, and as he lived quietly with his companion dog, apparently in his gym, when he passed, many in the iron community were unaware of his death. Ray Van Cleef who wrote the obituary for S&H eight months later (Apr 1944) had also been unaware that Adolph had died.
This obscurity is still with us- many of the old timers have died without proper mention because there is no network in place to contribute names to. Please feel free to send the information here, and we will mention the contributions of these pioneers, and will credit you as providing the information.
Aug 19, 1948 Phil Pearsall born. I have misplaced some of my notes on Phil. I can relate that in the 1973 Jr. Mr. America he was not in the top 8, perhaps 22nd, and in that same year he placed 13th at the Mr. USA, and second place at the Mr. Gateway to the South. Many of my papers are boxed up in the garage, which ever so resembles a Fed-Ex substation, but I spoke with Phil not too long ago, indeed tried to call him this morning, but with the deadline looming will let it go for now. He and his wife Martha live in Tenneesee.
Aug 19, 1975 Christopher Theophelus (Jim Londos) died at age 78
Aug 19, 1978 Ron Teufel wins AAU Mr. USA
Aug 19, 1978 Ray Mentzer wins IFBB Mr. USA
Aug 19, 1978 Charles Richards died. Peary Rader met Richards in Denver circa 1946 and then again in Richards' garage gym at 331 Fox Street in Denver. It was cold and snowy but the garage doors were open and the group of friends was working out on an exercise set- no Olympic set in evidence. Charles worked out for two or three hours at a time and Rader remembered some presses with 280 lbs:
"When I saw him do this I could hardly believe it weighed that much. He cleaned the weight with a sort of back hand curl motion. Then held the weight at the chest so long that I had decided he wasn't going to press but I was fooled.. He took a deep breath and started his press very slowly. I had never seen anyone press that much even once with such a slow start or wait so long before starting." In all, Richards got three reps in the strict press and then put the weight down, saying he was 'off form' that day!
When Rader profiled the above in Ironman 7:1 Charlie was able to squat 12 reps with 450. His workout was 405 lbs for 5 sets of 10.
On Jul 31, 1965 Charlie was present for Peary Rader Day, and then in Jan 1979 Ironman gave us the sad news that Charlie had died, "Charlie was many, many years ago considered about the strongest man in the world and had lifts to prove it. He was liked by everyone and was hugely muscular, with the most impressive neck I have ever seen. He will be missed by many."
Aug 19, 1997 Jeep Swenson [Robert Alexander Swenson] died at age 40. I spoke to Jeep once after he had curled a heavy barbell and the incident had been shown on TV. I asked if the weights were real or had they used that famous wooden-look-alike set that belongs to Gold's Gym. He acknowledged that they had planned to use the woody, but that it was locked up and they HAD TO use real iron!
Jeep later appeared in a Batman movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Aug 20, 1922 Irvin 'Zabo' Koszewski born. Generally known for his abs, and for the mistaken reputation about them that he has never lost a best abs subdivion, Zabo becomes age 80 today! Or age 78! Have seen both dates. S&H Nov 1943 showed him as an army private. Zabo won best abs almost all the time- one exception was Sep 8, 1950 in new York City, when Wally Ferrell defeated him for that subdivision.
Aug 20, 1926 one of the birthdates given for John McCallum
Aug 21, 1916 Dave Mayor. S&H says his birth weight was 4.5 lbs, but by the time Ironman mentioned him in a Nov 1977 piece, he was credited with a REVERSE curl of 175 for 3 reps! Kim Wood was once capable of reverse curling 135 for a set of at least 8 reps- how about it Kim, did you ever try for a one rep max?
Aug 21, 1916 Eddie Harrison born; profiled in S&H Jul 1937 p 25 by Miller; He wrote the article describing S&H's first photo contest (Apr 1940) and later wrote some for Physical Power magazine in 1964.
Aug 21, 1919 Bob Hoffman wins � mile canoe race
Aug 21, 1924 Joe Pitman. Profiled as America's Newest Champ in S&H Mar 1951. Five years later he wrote al etter to the editor at Lifting News magazine (Jan 1956).
Aug 21, 1968 Bob Hasse died. A writer for Lifting News, Ironman, S&H, the latter from Dec 1949 thru Jan 1964. When he died, he had been working with Walt Marcyan (who is still living).
Aug 22, 1871 Louis Vigneron was killed during his cannon act. "His cannon weighed 672 pounds and was held on his shoulder while a double charge of powder was set off. For a finish, he would place his back under the gun carriage on which the gun was mounted and raise the whole thing clear of the ground, which including his assistant, weighed over a ton." On this date, a mis-lit fuse caused a mishap and explosion resulting in Vigneron's death. More graphic details can be found on page 222 of Gaudreau's first volume of Anvils, Horseshoes, and Cannons.
Aug 22, 1885 David Webster in The Iron Game p 49 tells the story of a meeting which took place on this date in St. Petersburg with Dr. Krajewski and some fellow doctors to discuss "the strength capability and bodily measurements of this modern Hercules."-a reference to Charles Ernest, who had been performing at the Zoological Gardens as a strong man. This meeting also planted the seeds for the development of the St. Petersburgh Weigh Lifting Club.
Aug 22, 1932 Chuck Sipes; died Feb 24, 1993. Chuck would have become age 70 today.
Aug 22, 1933 Sylvia Koscina born. Starred as Iole in Hercules with Steve Reeves in 1957, and died of heart problems the day after Christmas 1994. Her name is sometimes spelled Silva.
Aug 22, 1962 Charles Rigoulot died; born Nov 3, 1903. Will have more on him Nov 3.
Aug 22, 1981 Kike Elomaa won Ms. Olympia. Is a member of the Bodybuilding Hall of Fame in Flex magazine, and is currently a popular singing star in Finland.
Aug 23, 1993 Tony Rose died; born Nov 23, 1923. Though known more recently as a writer for Hard Gainer magazine, H&S in the Feb 8, 1941 issue showed his photo with the caption "Apollon pupil, Tony Rose, as he is today at 16 years old. He is an Apollon Silver Cup and Medal Winner." [two things- I know the age and the dates do not mesh, but do not know which is incorrect. Also the Apollon mentioned is not Louis Uni]
Aug 24, 1924 Kurt Saxon accident "�he suffered an accident when his bridge and motor car support stunt collapsed on him. The car was an old taxi and the driver had been drinking. The car was driven too fast and stopped suddenly over the performer. The driver got excited, gave the ancient hack the gas and raced down the other incline." This quote is from Leo Gaudreau. Kurt's right leg was damaged, and he was black and blue from shoulder to toes. His fate was uncertain for five days, but he pulled through.
Aug 24, 1949 Peter McGough was born in Corby, Northhamptonshire, England. Though he claims that his first published article was on the up and coming future star Eugen Sandow, Peter is not quite that old. Now at the helm of Weider's Flex magazine, Peter wrote articles for MuscleMag starting in Jul 1984, Muscular Development in May 1991, Muscle & Fitness Jan 1992. His first piece in Flex was on Carolyn Cheshire in the Jan 1986 issue.
He began writing gossip/news for Flex in Nov 1991 under the heading Muscle World, but the title of that column changed with the next issue to Muscle Lowdown, then changed again in Jan 1993 to its current Hard Times.
When Jerry Kindela moved over to Men's Fitness, Peter moved into the top spot at Flex, and his introductory editorial in that capacity appeared in the Feb 1998 issue.
Peter is British, of course, and for awhile in England published The Pumping Press(a total of eight monthly issues from Mar thru Oct in 1991)which was a newsprint format full of bodybuilding news, satire and creative writing displaying the absolutely uncanny knack he has of the double entendre and of the twisted phrase. It was this publication that caused Joe Weider to summon Peter to the Hills of Woodland, California.
In the bodybuilding field there are different types of writers: factual, serious, ribald, satirical, funny, witty, and some writers specialize in one of those types. Peter is adept in several of those aspects, and is skilled at combining formats. He is, of course, my boss at Flex, and the following statement needs to be made in spite of the fact that those who do not know me well, may interpret that I am buttering up to him, and in spite of the fact that those who do not know Peter, and therefore do not know he is unbutterable, and cares only for the content, not false compliments, may well not appreciate the unspoken fact that Peter McGough is among the most skilled writers in the history of this sport (there is a good example of a run-on sentence). That was my opinion before I met him, before I worked for him, and will remain my opinion if I am released from association from Flex., unless, of course, he forgets the writing techniques I have taught him.
Peter and fellow Brit Dorian Yates are often mistaken for each other- over the telephone.
Aug 24, 1967 or Sep 24, 1967? Shelley Beattie born. Won 1990 NPC Emerald Cup. It was she who was featured in the 'The Champ' feature in Muscle & Fitness in Jan 1991 but a photo of Nikki Fuller mistakenly accompanied the text! Shelley is deaf and was featured on the cover of DEAF LIFE magazine in Jul 1991. [no photos of Nikki]. In 1994 she was featured in ads for The Better Hearing Institute. For a while she was married to John Romano.
Aug 25, 1906 Hans Streyer died age 57. Or died Jul 25th? Was known as the Bavarian Hercules and was known for one finger lifts. In Vienna in 1879 using only his middle finger he lifted a block of marble up 12"- the weight was 582 lbs.
Aug 25, 1930 Sean Connery born. In spite of assertions that he placed very high in his sole NABBA Universe appearance in 1953, he did not make the top six cut- a situation we covered in Flex under the headline "Was 007th?"
For the record, here are the placings in Class 1 (tall) at the NABBA Amateur Universe of Jul 11, 1953 at the London Palladium:
1. Bill Pearl
2. John Lees
3. Peter Farrar
4. Gaston Sagaert
5. Dennis Stallard
6. Hubert ThomasTom (Sean) Connery was among eleven other men who finished out of the top six in this class but who were apparently not in numbered positions.
I probably burned a bridge in regard to Connery. A producer on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno called to ask if I had a photo of Connery in that 1953 contest. I said only photos in magazines. She asked if I would send her the magazine and they could copy the photo for Connery's imminent appearance on the show. I said, no, my magazines do not leave. She said she would be sure to send it back. I said not necessary to send it back since it won't be leaving in the first place�
Aug 25, 1939 Chris Dickerson born. First black man to win the AAU Mr. America (1970), and the second black man to win the Mr. Olympia (1982). Great bodybuilder whose untrained two brothers (triplets) have almost as good calf development as does Chris. Genetics.
Aug 25, 1956 Vince Taylor born. Is the current Masters Olympia champion, and one of the better poser/performers in modern bodybuilding. He looks like he's having fun out there!
Aug 26, 1908 Saramarie Eells born; died. Wife of Roger Eells, publisher of VIM magazine. He later became a minister. Saramarie wrote some for VIM, and in her later years I spoke to her via telephone when she was living in Columbus, Ohio. She died 80 days after becoming 80 years of age. She is buried either in Lisbon, Ohio, or Rogers, Ohio on the Elliott lot at the base if the big Elliott granite stones flat marker (for those in that area that may have more time than I to check on this). When she passed away, she was cremated, and her ashes intermingled with Roger's and they are forever together. They had one child, a daughter, Gayla, who now lives in California.
Aug 27, 1868 John Grun Marx; died Nov 3,1912. The Luxembourg Hercules renowned for his hand strength. He may well be the most under-rated of the really top notch grip men. Often discussed at http://www.grippage.com in the grip board section, one of the members of that board plans to soon see the weights of Marx on display, get photos, and measurements, and perhaps even to attempt to lift Marx's famous pair of dumbbells which weighed 132 lbs and 143 lbs but each of which had a handle diameter of 2.75", which Marx would wrap with metal foil to make slippery. Marx would first lift the bells to demonstrate how easy it was, and then offered a prize to anyone who could duplicate what they had just witnessed.
The grip board is THE place to discuss hand strength, its current practitioners, and the history of it. Some of the strongest fingers in the world pound keyboards from around the world to participate. Drop by if interested.
Marx also deadlifted Desbonnet's 2.36" diameter handle dumbell of 226 lbs in 1897- doing this with one hand and then the other. History may show that Marx was second only to the great Apollon where thick bar lifting was concerned.
Aug 27, 1905 Andy Jackson; died Jul 3, 1999. Maker of Jackson Barbells, some of the finest weights in the sport's history. I spoke to Andy years ago and was screaming into the phone so he could hear me with his hearing loss. Then he said wait a minute I'll go to the phone that has the amplifier on it. I still had to scream (literally) and was going hoarse. Finally told him I would write to him. He made a set of kettlebells for Joe Hise, and though I later bought some of Hise's weights, there was no sign of the kettlebells.
Aug 27, 1921 Johnny Gibson born. He was featured in Entrepreneur magazine. Was known for selling refurbishing exercise equipment, and doing well in general. For the old Lifting News magazine, he wrote eight contest reports from 1955-1965.
Aug 27, 1931 birthdate of a man whose name I will not offer. Supposed strongman who does not understand strength, strength feats, or the fact that fans of both have brains and will not tolerate silly claims of super strength.
Aug 28, 1948 Wedding date for Al & Vera Christensen; divorced Mar 16, 1977
Aug 28, 1977 Arnold Schwarzenegger met Maria Shriver
Aug 28, 1982 Charles A. Smith's grandson, Stephen, born.
Aug 29, 1877 Ernest Peter Gruhn born in London; died Nov 30, 1954. When George Mackenzie wrote the obituary for Gruhn in the Jan 20, 1955 issue of H&S he mentioned that Ernest had died at St. Micheal's Hospital, Enfield, on Nov 30, 1954 and had been cremated Dec 6 at the City of London Cemetery.
Gruhn was a founding member of the British Amateur Wrestling Association, and was a champion wrestler, having won the lightweight title in 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, and 1904. George Hackenschmidt "�reckoned Ernie was the fastest and cleverest wrestler of his day".
H&S Aug 24, 1950 shows a drawing of a medal and offers "This is the Sandow Gold Medal awarded to Ernie Gruhn by Eugen Sandow himself after the Championships at the Royal Albert Hall in 1901. It was one of Ernie's most prized possessions, a memory of the days when wrestling was wrestling."
He had two sons Ernest Joseph age 44 in 1950, and Douglas, age 40 in 1950
Gruhn wrote 'The Textbook of Wrestling"
Mackenzie who had known Gruhn for fifty years was indebted to him as a tutor and a friend.
Aug 29, 1953 Dinah Anderson born. One of the prettier women in female bodybuilding (and to those who ask if I would describe a male as 'one of the more handsome men in male bodybuilding' no I would not) now back to my chauvinistic point: Dinah never trained down to the point where she looked like someone forgot to close her eyelids when she passed away- she won the Jr. Ms. USA on May 21, 1984, and on Aug 20 that year, the Mid USA Women's.
Most of the magazine coverage about her came in the early 1980s, but interest revived in 1994 when MuscleMag featured her, and two years later when ran seven photos of her. I believe she has a personal training business, or at least did when last I spoke to Steve Wennerstrom about her.
Aug 29, 1953 Mohamed Makkawy born; perhaps one of the more symmetrical bodybuilders of all time, yet at the same time carrying muscularity not usually coupled with the word symmetry. His first IFBB event was the Gold's Classic Jul 29, 1978 where he placed 7th in Los Angeles. His first win was in Stockholm at the Royal Tennis Hall where he loved being served first place at the Grand Prix in November 1982. Three days later he won the GP in Belgium, then the 1983 World Pro Cup. He placed second to Bannout in the Olympia in 1983, and competed in the IFBB several mores times. His 1999 Night of Champions effort landed him in a 25-way tie for last place. Nonetheless, Great classic lines.
Aug 29, 1960 Marriage date for Mr. & Mrs. Ben Weider
Aug 30, 1907 LeBreton performed a right hand press with 124.5 lbs. Real name was M. Francois Jean, but also went by the name Jean Francois LeBreton. He was born Apr 14, 1879, so was 28 when he managed this lift. Several weeks before this in Paris he is also credited with a one hand swing with 199.5 lbs.
The last ref I have in my files is BAWB {Brit. Am WL & BBer] Apr 1949. Can anyone supply something more recent- such as when he passed away?
Aug 30, 1969 AAU adopted the three power lifts. In America there had been Odd Lifts contests (as though one lift is more odd than another), and in England there had been Strength Sets contests, and as usual the British, who began our language, got it right, but we persist in using power instead of strength. Often curls, upright rows and some other movements were included in these contests before the official three were decided upon. After all, how would you build a shirt to make it easier to perform an upright row?
Aug 30, 1969 James Williams benched 601.25 lbs. Big Jim was 29 at the time. He was later interviewed in Powerlifting USA (not Strengthlifting USA) in the Nov 1995 issue, and was featured in MILO Jul 1993.
Aug 30, 1980 The first Miss Olympia, later called Ms. Olympia. Rachel McLish won, and there was a lady who placed 18th whose name remains a mystery- her name somehow being lost in the paperwork. Apparently her last name was Simms. Does anyone know her first name, or how she can be contacted? Please and thank you.
Aug 30, 1981 Deborah Diana won U.S. Women's championships
Aug 31, 1935 James Morris born. On Mar 11, 1967 he won the Mr. New York State Physical Excellence contest, and continued to improve to win the AAU Mr. America in 1973. I chatted briefly with him following his 10th place at the Master's Olympia in 1996. He was a very pleasant man, well spoken, did not wear clown pants, and was a gentle person. He was for a while the bodyguard for rocker Elton John, so I suspect James can leave the gentle side for a moment if he needs to!
As I stood talking with him in the lobby, probably most of the young fans of the sport had no idea who he was. As I said, he was not wearing clown pants. Here it was almost 30 years since his first contest, exercise had become ingrained into his being in a healthy way, and he had found a peace of manner that some of the younger builders were not even seeking. Happy Birthday #67, Mr. Morris.
Aug 31, 1974 Pat Neve won Mr. USA
Aug 31, 1991 Jim Manion/Debby Amello wedding. Jim is head of the NPC, the feeder organization for the IFBB.
Aug 31, 1999 John Terlazzo born in Messina, Italy. Died Apr 1, 1999 in York, PA.
[As Jan Dellinger notices, the birth and death dates I present would be a great trick! Of course John was born Aug 31, 1915 not 1999. Thanks, Jan!]Sep 1, 1879 Dudley Sargent appointed 'Director of the Gymnasium & Assistant Professor of Physical Training"
Sep 1, 1953 Chuck Sipes married Mary. Chuck, whose Indian name meets 'Meets the Sun', had three daughter from this marriage, Daphne, Kathy, and Patricia, who is called Trish.
Sep 1, 1969 Nancy Georges born. Fitness competitor who placed 2nd in the 1991 Ms. Fitness USA. Saw Nancy years ago at the Arnold Classic, when I was with my friend Bryan Frederick. I had one photo left in my camera, so would it be used as a shot of Nancy and Bryan or for Nancy and me? Some would say that because Bryan was skilled in ultimate fighting techniques (always felt safe when I was with him), that I took the shot of him with Nancy. My wife would not agree with that reason. ?
Sep 2, 1948 Ronald Walker, British weightlifter, underwent surgery on his stomach and on a lung.
Sep 3, 1945 Bill Reynolds born; died Mar 10, 1992. In 1992 in Columbus, Ohio, Bill was sitting across the lobby from me, and, as I had never met him, I was about to walk over and introduce myself. At that moment he arose, and hobbled off in the other direction. He walked with the gait of a 110 year old man, and it appeared he was not at all well, so I did not bother him. Ten days later he was found dead at his residence after not having showed up for work, which was unlike his habit.
Bill wrote extensively in the muscle world, several books co-written with famous bodybuilders. He worked for Weider for many years and was on staff at Flex when he passed away.
Sep 3, 1948 Bob Peoples deadlift of 680 lbs. Spoke to Bob once and his wife. One criticism that was aimed at Bob for his deadlifts was that he never seemed to draw his shoulders up and back, and after hearing this, I checked some photos, and it does seem to be a fair criticism. What do you think?
Sep 3, 1964 John Gleneicki born. Excellent artist known for his MUSCLEHEDZ art work. John's column debuted in Flex in Sep 1993.
Sep 4, 1951 Casey Viator. One of the most impressive physiques to crash onto the scene in the past 100 years. Staggeringly muscular, extremely strong, and a man who reappeared on the physique scene in the Master's Olympia in Atlanta for a sad 12th place finish, with less pec definition than Mrs. Michelin, but as a friend pointed out to me it seemed Casey still had the best forearms in the whole show.
In better shape Casey had won the Jr. Mr. New Orleans Jul 26, 1968, and then in 1970 the Teen Mr. America, the Mr. USA followed the next year with victories for the Jr. Mr. America and the Mr. America. He switched to the IFBB in 1979 and his only victories therein were both Grand Prixs in 1980: LaFayette, and Pittsburgh.
Sep 4, 1956 Steve Reeves/Sandra Smith divorce. She was an actress. The marriage ended before its first anniversary.
Sep 4, 1994 Bodybuilder Dennis Newman into the hospital with leukemia
Sep 5, 1938 At the North American WL championships in Toronto, Canada, John Grimek defeated 17 year old John Davis 830 lbs to 815 lbs.
Sep 5, 1952 Kurt Saxon died; born Mar 11, 1884
INCH 101, part 16
Aug 16, 1913 issue of H&S p 165 Thomas Inch announced "On and after this date my address will be: 70, Falsgrave Road, Scarborough." So, since Inch moved, how often did he see Saxon, in England, after this date? [anybody reading this know what is there now?]
Aug 29, 1908 p 212 in H&S there is an ad asserting, not surprisingly, that Inch uses his own training methods!
Aug 30, 1930 H&S an article by Inch: Fully Armed You'll Win
Sep 5, 1939 part 3, the conclusion of Inch's series, Training for Strength.
Roark Reference 16: listing of the articles by Anthony Ditillo (1947-2002)
Ironman 1968:
Jan p 30 Simplicity- key to great gains
Feb p 30 Chest & back specialization for gains in bulk
Mar p 34 Result-producing power & bulk routine
May p 26 New ideas on training down and how they work
Jul p 39 Increase your bench press power
Sep p 31 Maximum circulation for maximum development
Nov p 28 A new slant on calf developmentIronman 1969:
Jan p 32 Maximum circulation for massive arms
Apr p 26 Develop a massive lower arm
May p 25 These 3 exercises. Will give you fantastic power and size
Jun p 30 Special back building programs
Nov p 34 Great value in peak contraction trainingIronman 1970:
Jan p 31 Specialize on legs for that super physique
Mar p 32 Obtaining that finished physique
May p 24 There is power and bulk in power rack training
Jul p 32 Three result producing routines
Nov p 18 Power bodybuildingIronman 1971:
Jan p 26 Try this single rep principle for size and power
Feb p 25 My experience with weight gain
May p 26 Chest and shoulder specialization
Jul p 26 Pros and cons of power rack training
Sep p 19 Pros and cons of power rack training
Nov p 24 Effective methods of training downIronman 1972:
Mar p 26 Are you working hard enough for big gains?
Jul p 21 Decreasing bodyweight while maintaining size and strength
Nov p 17 Are you ego training?Ironman 1973:
Jan p 28 Complete upper body specialization
Jul p 30 For upper body bulk, try a pressing routine
Nov p 36 Power and bodybuilding with Steve SepaniakIronman 1974-1978:
1974: Mar p 24 Upper body specialization with Steve Sepaniak for muscle density
1975: May p 20 Don Colson- Herculean
1976:
Jan p 31 Adaptability- a possible training aid
Mar p 32 mini routines for maxi gains
May p 27 Training intensified simplified
Nov p 39 Several weight gain routines
1977: May p 20 Intensity training for better gains
1978: May p 24 An advancer routine for advanced gainsIronman 1979:
May p 34 Steve Sepaniak, Mr. Eastern America
Jul p 48 Interview with Dave Shaw, powerlifter
Sep p 30 Develop huge shoulder size and power
Nov p 45 Dave Shaw tells how he trained to win the Nationals in PowerliftingIronman 1980:
Jan p 43 A muscle mass program
May p 33 The training wisdom of Mel Hennessey
Jul p 50 Bench pressing with Mel Hennessey
Sep p 28 Power rack training revisited
Nov p 28 Power rack training revisitedIronman 1981:
Jan p 32 Develop shoulder and trap mass and power
Nov p 43 Training for strength without the use of drugsIronman 1982:
Jan p 16 Tim Belknap: Mr. America talks on strength training
May p 12 Tim Belknap: tells how he trains, how you should
Jul p 18 Tim Belknap: pre-contest training and diet
Sep p 34 Tim Belknap: bench press specialization
Nov p 32 Gaining muscular bodyweightIronman 1983:
Jan p 14 Secrets of massive muscularity
May p 24 Strict exercise performance for massive muscular size
Jul p 27 The power look- what it is and how to get it part 1
Sep p 20 The look of power part 2
Nov p 26 Problems of developing muscular bulk and powerIronman 1984:
Jan p 28 The look of power part 3
Mat p 20 Power bodybuilding, a review of its great benefits
May p 24 Training proficiency simplified: do it correctly
Jul p 23 Look of power and how to obtain it
Sep p 20 Training with the power rack
Nov p 32 Olympic movements for size and strengthIronman 1985:
Jan p 26 Olympic assistance movements for size and strength
Mar p 40 Development of muscular bulk and power
May p 18 Gaining size with the power rack
Jul p 16 Power rack and bodybuilding gainsIronman 1986:
Nov p 52 Increasing your powerlifting proficiencyAnthony Ditillo also wrote fro Powerlifting USA and for MILO.
Roark Reference #17
We continue with the correspondence I received from Charles A. Smith. Please keep in mind as you read, that these opinions and attitudes were his, and may or may not prove to be accurate when at last all truth is known.
In preparing this text, I am again struck with what skill Charles played his old typewriter keys. I am not using quotes, and have edited out some sections, but nothing is out of context:
Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark Jul 17, 1985:
In the latest S&H there was quite a spread, plus an editorial re the retirement of JCG. There was a picture of Hoffman-poor old chap- in a wheel chair, obviously not knowing where he was or who he was with. It was sad to me. The editorial was said to have been written by Hoffman but I doubt it.
In the issues of JEM and the other mags. These had, as I think I have already mentioned- with the exception of JEM- started after I had left dear old Joe. However there ARE two names I recognize among the list of authors, I also think that one of them- may have been a pen name of mine, George Smith, but I'd have to see the article to tell if it was. But for two, I know none of the others. The two I do know are Al Mayer, who at the time he wrote for Joe must have been in his late sixties or early seventies. He was an ex newspaper man and an ex wrestling promoter. Originally tied up with Jack Curley, Jack Pfeiffer mob he eventually broke away from the wrestling 'cartel' and became an independent promoter. Had a nice apartment somewhere close to 42nd Street and Broadway. The other name is Don Wan (Juan) who was actually a chap named Bill McCormack, a very good writer, and an ex employee of a wire news service
Bill helped me a great deal with my writing and it is to him that I owe any degree of expertise I reached, if ever I had any.
Where Horvath is now I don't know. He and I used to correspond but I haven't heard from him in some months. While our relationships were cordial, I never cared for him too much. It is possible he felt a bit threatened by my coming into the organization since he was with Joe first and fancied himself as a writer. But I got along well with him.
Getting back to the names you mentioned on JEM and the mast heads of other mags. I have the feeling that they were faked names. I don't know for sure about this, but this is what I think. Joe did have a couple of well known writers working for him on a part time basis- Monroe Harry Crayson, Bob Musel, and Martin Caiden. Also Frances Rushmore, wife of Howard Rushmore, owner, editor, and publisher of the NEW YORK key hole scandal mag CONFIDENTIAL. Frances was quite a pretty ash blonde in her early thirties and was the victim of a tragic accident- if you can call it that. She was having marital problems with Howard. They were in a cab together when he shot her, then shot himself.
I doubt whether the truth will ever be written about what went on behind the scenes. Too much involved here. The truth never comes out until many years later. A good example of this is Pearl Harbor. They KNEW it was gonna be attacked by the Japanese but did nothing to stop them. It was the only way America had to get into a war they knew they had to get into, sooner or later, because of the nature of Hitler's regime. Another good example is the famous editor of a certain bodybuilding and lifting group who served time in jail for selling nude pictures of himself with an erection plainly displayed�
I don't care for_at all. I and my daughter met him in- I think- 1969 at an IFBB show held in Brooklyn. He seemed to me to be an arrogant bastard and far too fast with his lip.
I don't know when I'll ever get to the article about Hise. I have one in the hands of Rader, for which I have been paid. I have two finished, one about Goerner and the other about Marvin Eder. I have one roughed out about the hypocrisy in power lifting and how I think it should be IDEALLY run, and so far that's it.
Was I ever given to feel that as an employee of Weider I was unwelcome? Does a man feel annoyed when run over by a fifty ton tank? I was subjected to numerous attempts by Hoffman to get me into a brawl with him, particularly at the 1953 Mr. America contest, snide remarks etc etc, but I never nibbled at the bait. I just showed him I wasn't in the least afraid of him. Hoffman was a BULLY and backed down to anyone who stood up to him. As I did. There were two men he NEVER messed with. John Davis and Norbert Schemansky. Norbert was a very nice fellow to get along with but translated into an extremely gritty character when he was irked. And he 'irked' easily. It was a source of a great deal of bitterness when I was elected to be secretary of the NYC Metropolitan AAU lifting Committee. Hoffman couldn't understand it IS possible for some one to have dual loyalty. But I had the complete confidence of Dietrich Wortmann, the head honcho of the AAU in NYC. That was all I needed I never did and would NEVER have let Weider's interests come above those of the lifters and the committee. But Hoffman, since he was crooked himself insofar as 'influencing' committees, couldn't understand how I could be honest where he wasn't insofar as BUSINESS was concerned.
As for who started it between Hoffman and Weider. I can only say that from the time I went to work for good old Joe I didn't see ANYTHING initiated by Joe against Hoffman. Indeed it seemed to be the other way around. Take for example that wedding picture and the several anti-Semitic remarks made by the York organization. I thought it all so childish and unnecessary. I still think so, I did, on my word of honor, all I could to stop it. It wasn't. I got fed up with having to watch my rear end when Hoffman was around- he beat up little Mark Berry in 1936 then BRAGGED about it in a 1936 edition of S&H.
When I left Weider he HAD EVERY COPY OF EVERY LIFTING MAG HE EVER PUBLISHED volume bound and I know he still has them since he once remarked to me over the phone that Ricky Wayne said I was the best writer Joe had ever had and he, Wayne, had read and possessed every one of the articles I wrote.
Hoffman himself wrote under the name of Alan Carse.
I personally wrote an article bearing the name of Steve Reeves, but since Joe at the time was paying Reeves for the use of his name, this was, so far as I was concerned, legitimate.
There is so much behind the scenes stuff but it all amounts to the same thing. Humans are humans. We shove people up on a pedestal only to find that they are just people with all the faults- and virtues- that belong to, and are part of the human make up.
Warm regards to you and yours,
Chas.Jul 25, 1985 Letter to Joe Roark from Charles A. Smith:
This is a very brief letter to give you news which you may already have received- the death of Bob Hoffman. He passed away July 18th, Thursday apparently in his sleep.
He had been complaining for some days previous, about a lot of discomfort, went to bed Thursday and apparently died some time later in his sleep- said cause kidney failure, which I imagine at his age and condition is about right. He was 86.
I will fill you in in more complete details when I see Terry on going to work tomorrow, Friday.
Best wishes to you and yours, Chas.
Jul 27, 1985 Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark
I was told that Hoffman had become senile. Some had it that he was right out of the picture, others saying he drifted in and out of a state of who he was, where he was and what he was doing. But anyway it is a sad picture. AND already the power struggle has begun. It will probably be between Terpak and Mike Dietz. Both have their sons also in the organization. What sort of will Hoffman made is also not known. His wife, rather common law wife- is that right- may figure in the will. She is around 66 or such. There is also talk- a RUMOR- that they are discontinuing S&H, but I suggest you pay this no heed until you get the real gen. It is all up in the air at the moment, and all I can hope is that there will be a meeting of the minds and the company will not fade out of the picture and leave the whole shebang to dear old Joe.
A typical working day with Weider just didn't exist. Joe was always coming up with new and 'startling' ideas. I was always telling him he was full of donkey dust. But we earned our living, Bart and I. He got both of us- particularly me- at bargain rates. I'll tell you more if and when I see you. We did whatever we felt like doing in the way of writing or getting the mag together ALL the time. Joe HAD to have his finger in whatever was going on! HE was the boss.
In my opinion ALL of Joe's muscle mags were good, and a couple of his other publications. They had a more down to earth, home spun quality, a patina if you will, of sincerity that his present mags lack. It was also my idea to use line drawings rather than pictures for exercise illustrations. I tried to get him to use lots of SPACE
In my opinion a gigantic power struggle will arise in York, with the main antagonists being Terpak and Dietz �The Money Man- as the York Boys call him. I can only hope that it will not divide and by dividing, destroy an institution which I think should continue.
But I am afraid that this is what will happen- depending of course on the contents of Hoffman's will.
I'm sorry I can't tell you the name of the editor who did time, You must remember that what he did then is absolutely without any importance now, In other words it was regarded much more seriously then than now. Take up any copy of HUSTLER and you'll see what I mean.
Who is Bill Hinbern, and why did you give him my address- don't get the wrong impression. I'M GLAD to get letters, living a reclusive life as I do. It's just that I want to be prepared for what he will ask me. I don't mind a bit.
It is pretty well correct that you had to be a York man to win the Mr. A contests. There's lots I can tell you about this too if and when I see you.
Warm regards to you and yours,
Chas.Aug 12, 1985 Letter to Joe Roark from Charles A. Smith;
Regarding Doug Hepburn:
How did Hoffman treat Hepburn? I don't know. I brought Doug to New York and spent a lot of time with him teaching him the Olympic Lifts- he had no style at all, but caught on very fast. He was with Weider and I for a month or six weeks and then suddenly disappeared one day. Then we heard he was in York. Then he returned to Vancouver and we kept in touch. But I was the one who trained him and got him into shape Olympic lifting wise, although no one mentions it now. He was the only man to beat Paul Anderson and since Anderson and Doug did a lot of writing one another, I can also assume some credit for Anderson's successes since whatever I advised Doug to do, Doug passed it on to Anderson. As you know Hepburn beat John Davis at the world's weightlifting championships in 1953 or 54. __tried to bribe Doug into throwing the match but Doug told him to stuff it.
[Roark note: Doug was not the only man to beat Anderson, but Charles thought so]
I wrote Joe a nasty letter the other day complaining about Wayne's sexist attitude when writing about women. All I can say is that, where women are concerned, Wayne must feel very insecure and afraid of them. For my part, I love'em. They can scare me all they want.
I have no shots of Hack's widow- strange you should mention her and shots- and while I could probably do so- that is write an article about them, I won't do so. I like to remember them, when their hearts were still young and their hopes still high.
And with this I bid you adieu,
Chas.[comment by Joe Roark: though Hepburn later downplayed Charles' role as a coach, when I visited Charles I saw, and took photos of, the vase that Doug presented to Charles inscribed, 'To my coach', and I am also in possession of a letter from Hepburn to Charles indicating gratitude for Charles' help.]
See you Sep 6! Please mention www.ironhistory.com to those you think may find it interesting. Thanks.
Posted by TheEditor @ 04:33 AM CST
Iron History Aug 2-Aug 16, 2002
Thursday, August 1, 2002
Personal comment: There is no illusion on my part that this effort pleases everyone. Nor is there any hope that it will. I am a realist. Some discount me because of my decade long involvement with Weider's FLEX; others find an error and extrapolate that because I got that fact wrong, then most certainly everything I present must be wrong (including the letter of correction from that person?). To the first group I say, quite frankly, that I am proud to have been a part of FLEX for a decade, and have just signed up for my eleventh year. I limit my input in FLEX to what is my (hopefully) strong area- history. To the second criticism, I say, quite honestly, I regret any errors, but have always invited corrections, and here is an offer to those in group two. Starting this morning I begin work on the column for Aug 16 thru Sep 5. You are also invited to begin work on the column. Deadline is the morning of Sep 5. You will be covering about three weeks in the history. When you have it ready, let me know thru the comment button, and you'll be given instructions where to email it. The editor may select you to replace me. So be it. I can use some hammock time.
We expect specific dates, specific references, and generalized overviews, but of course, to maintain the standard you impose if you are part of group two above, if there is a single flaw, the whole matter gets tossed.
A reminder to those of you who print this column: Perhaps you may find it beneficial to print it not on the Friday it appears, but the next Wednesday or so. That way, I can incorporate feedback and corrections into the text, as I did in the previous column when David Chapman pointed out a couple of mistakes I had written, and when Tom Ryan mentioned some typos. Hopefully this effort has thousands of eyes looking for accuracy.
Beginning this week there will be excerpts from some of the letters that Charles A. Smith, employee and master wordsmith for Weider from 1950 to 1957, wrote to me over the course of several years. In the Roark Reference section.
NEWS: As you may know (I did not until Bill Hinbern told me) Anthony Ditillo passed away at the end of February this year. He leaves two sons, Adam, and Anthony Jr., and of course their mother. Anthony was born in early September, so hopefully by next column I will have more info on him for us. He wrote for Ironman, PLUSA, and in more recent times, MILO. Our condolences to his loved ones.
Hard question? How many different men have won an IFBB Pro Bodybuilding contest? We start the data from the first Mr. Olympia and compute to the present time, so if all the men who have won an IFBB Pro Bodybuilding contest were seated in the same room, how many chairs would be needed? Multiple victories by the same man still require that man to need only one chair�
NEWS: Please notice the Iron History Extra courtesy of Tom Ryan who shared copies of his letter to Paul Anderson, and Paul's letter of reply to Tom. Years ago Tom was researching for his book, which has not been published, and in relation to that research Tom contacted Paul. The letters are presented, as was Paul's letter to me, without any comment. So, thanks Tom for sharing!
RED PENCIL HISTORY: MuscleMag Oct 2002 p 237 offers that Health and Strength began in 1896. Actually, it began in 1898, as the mag's own masthead said for several early years.
PINK PENCIL? Also in MMI Ed Corney is quoted as saying he has three children. Ironman in Feb 1968 said he had nine children. Who got it wrong?
SAD NEWS: Brooks Kubik, publisher of the popular DINOSAUR FILES had decided to end publication due to time constraints. Dino Files began in Aug 1997, and the final issue will be Aug 2002 making a total of 61 issues to constitute a complete collection. Each issue has averaged 16 to 24 pages.
Iron History asked Brooks why he began publishing the files. He replied:
"Bradley J. Steiner once wrote (in Peary Rader's Ironman), that the most important purpose of a physical culture magazine was to give the readers a healthy dose of motivation on a regular basis. I was trying to do that for those who subbed to the Files.
"Also, I wanted to have a vehicle to promote and encourage other writers, and to run reprints of some of the better old articles from IronMan, Strength & Health, etc. In many respects, the Files were an effort to pass old information to a new generation, and to preserve in print some of the better training ideas and training articles of the past. You'll note that over the five years the Files were in existence, they included articles by and about Harry B. Paschall, Charles Smith, George F. Jowett, Bob Hoffman, John Grimek, John Davis, Tony Terlazzo, Doug Hepburn, William Boone, Bob Peoples, Norb Schemansky, Peary Rader and many others too numerous to mention, so in that respect they served their purpose".
When IH asked about who read the Files, "Most of the readers who stayed through for the full run were older lifters who were looking for alternatives to the muscle comics. It's very hard to find decent reading material about weight training nowadays".
Brooks adds that "MILO is excellent. Dennis Reno's Olympic Lifting Newsletter is outstanding. I don't read any of the mainstream mags."
Will the Files ever reappear? "They always say, 'Never say never'".
Is the hammock's gentle swinging luring Brooks? "I have been itching to work on a sequel to Dinosaur Training, but have been unable to do so because of the demands of the newsletter. I hope to be able to devote some time to working on another book, so that will be my focus in coming months. I also will try to stay current with weekly posts on my website. www.brookskubik.com"
[For those interested in history, Flex has Factoids, Ironman has Gallery of Ironmen, and MMI carries occasional pieces on history, as does Muscle & Fitness. While it seems stylish to disregard the 'glossies' in some circles, doing so thwarts the efforts of those trying to offer a continuation and review of history.-Roark]
Aug 2, 1878 George Hackenschmidt born; died Feb 19, 1968 At one time, Hack was so famous that articles of clothing were named after him in Europe. He was, of course, The Russian Lion who was more famous in wrestling than in lifting, the latter a venue he all but abandoned in his early twenties.
Those who study wrestling are not surprised that Gotch defeated Hack in wrestling; those who study weightlifting are not so eager to accept that fact, but it does appear to be an 'unfixed' fact.
On Apr 4, 1898 he jerked a 153 pound barbell for 21 consecutive reps; Health & Strength magazine first presented his photo in 1901.
Hack considered at one time that Bert Assirati may have been the strongest man in the world!
Circa 1912 Hack was traveling to Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Italy, England, Algeria
He was unaware until 1958 that the Hack squat was so designated in his honor- he, having assumed hacke/hack (in German meaning heel) was the connection.
Hack's exploits were long ranging and broad based. He trained at Siebert's Gym in Alsleben, Germany, spent time at Muscle Beach in California, and lived for a while in Nice, France at his villa and farm, then moved back to London. On his 85th birthday he was able to bench 160 for several reps.
On Monday, Feb 19, 1968, at age 89, Hack died at St. Francis Hospital, East Dulwich, England. He had been living for the past 15 years at 21 Chestnut Road.
After his passing, his widow Rachel under the influence of diminishing mental awareness thought that George had left her for another woman, when he in fact had passed away. Charles A. Smith told me this.
Some references for further reading on Hack: The Chicago Bodybuilder presented an eight part series by Valentine which had been based on the 1907 work of H. Turner. Apr 1948 thru Feb 1949
Muscular Development presented two installments of Hack by Anderson & Todd in the Dec 1973 and the Jan 1974 issues.
Ironman in Jan 1962 offered H- the Strongman- by Willoughby
Health and Strength gave us three parts by Parsley in 1933; see the Sep 9 and Sep 16 and Sep 23 issues. Then in 1947 see the Mar 27 issue for a piece by Aston. In Your Physique Leo Gaudreau examined Hack vs Gotch in a double installment Jun and Aug 1944
Aug 2, 1955 Bruce Randall reached a bodyweight of 401 lbs; cf Jan 3, 1953 MD 3-65 p 25. He deliberately bulked up and sent his bodyweight soaring from 183 to 401. His waist went from 29 to 58.5", arm from 17.5 to over 23" according to Ironman May 1957, though some discrepancies seem to be in the chronology of data. Anyway, Bruce became Mr. Universe 1959 after he lost about half that poundage.
Aug 2, 1988 Craig Licker found his father trapped under a barbell across his neck. His father was 45 when he thus passed away.
Aug 3, 1953 Kurt Sandow Christensen born, son of Vera and Al Christensen, former Strength & Health authors.
Aug 3, 1973 Jay Cutler born. At the 2001 Mr. Olympia, it appeared he would upset defending champ Ronnie Coleman, but Ronnie won. This year, word is that Jay will not compete in the O.
Aug 3, 1994 Lindy Champion died during what was her 50th sky dive. Lindy was born circa 1958 and she remained one of the women in bodybuilding competition who could avoid the raised eyebrows questioning steroid usage. She remained traditionally pretty but muscular. She won, to my knowledge, only one of her eleven or so bodybuilding competitions, and that was the 1982 Ms. Ark-La-Tex. She also place second at the 1982 Ms. America short class, the 1983 Ms. Texas short class, the 1983 Texas Cup middle class, and the 1983 U.S. middle class. Her daughter Leann should be about age 15 now.
Aug 4, 1934 Try this! Under the old deadlift rules, the lifter's heels had to remain in touch with each other (sorta rules out the Sumo style). Anyway, Stan Kratkowski, 68 years ago today, performed such a deadlift with 553 lbs.
Aug 4, 1949 On this date Gabriel Bachecongi wrote to Leo Gaudreau to inform him that Khadr El Touni had recently pressed 281, snatched 270, and cleaned and jerked 335.
Aug 5, 1891 Percy Hunt or born Aug 8? Was also known as 'The Great Marvello'
Aug 5, 1901 Andre Rolet; died 1992, DPW mentions Rolet as lifting a 44 pound blockweight- handle on each end- overhead 1,300 consecutive times in a span of 2 hours, which, of course, is a pace of a rep about every 5.5 seconds! It is not explained how many cleans were involved, nor how many reps from the shoulders after each clean.
Aug 5, 1934 Edgar Mueller, who wrote Goerner The Mighty about Hermann Goerner was an historian with much to offer the fan of iron feats. Irving Clark wrote the foreword to Muller's book and offered this statement of endorsement to Muller on page 11: "If Edgar says it is so, it is so', should be the slogan over the Mueller portal. I pride myself on being a judge of precise, exact, factual people and I have never met such a walking encyclopedia on continental Strong Men and their feats, as this man. Mention a feat and he can state the date, the time, who was present; almost the state of the weather and 'the colour of the engine driver's tie'".
Hopefully that was a proper assessment because the book was published in 1951 which was eight years after '�nearly the whole of his cuttings, records, photographs, books and charts were destroyed by fire.." but Muller re-assembled "�a small but comprehensive indexd record of feats and personalities." This plus a three-decade friendship and association with Goerner "�cemented by his amazing memory." is the package endorsement that Lowry offers readers for the dozens of dates, places, lifts offered mostly from memory by Muller.
On Aug 5, 1934 Mueller recalls that Goerner performed a "Right-hand Swing with three kettleweights of equal size and shape totaling 166-1/2 lb (75-1/2 kilos." On that same day in the same city of Leipzig, Germany, Goerner performed a "Two-hands Swing with four kettleweights- two in each hand- weighing 221-3/4 lb. (100.5 kilos) without moving the feet. The kettleweights were swung from between Gorner's legs to arms length overhead." This must have necessitated a very wide foot stance for Herman- to fit four kettleweights of such size between his legs. Mueller also asserts that Arthur Saxon's hand size was larger than Goerner's, and though this is reinforced by Leo Gaudreau in Your Physique Feb 1952, Arthur's brother Kurt disagreed in Strength & Health Mar 1953 (two years after Goerner the Mighty was published, when he wrote, "We Saxons had immense hands. Herman Goerner's were even larger." Where does that leave us? Kurt spent his childhood and his professional life around Arthur, Mueller spent 30 years around Goerner, but they are at odds on this significant detail! I do not know who was correct. Numbers I have seen indicate 8.25" hand length for Goerner and 9" for Saxon, so why would Kurt have missed this obvious size difference?
Aug 5, 1936 Don Peters born. Told me he was with the group that met Arnold Schwarzenegger at the airport in Miami the day Arnold first set foot in America.Don died Mar 16, 2001.
Aug 5, 1956 Freddy Ortiz got his first set of barbells. In Mar 1963 Muscle Builder introduced Freddy as a 'Weider Miracle case'. Later claims had his arm size at 19.5 at a height of 5'5"�.Later at 5'6" his arms were claimed to be 'over' 19.5. I am not communicating belief, just passing along the claim.
Aug 5, 1962 Marilyn Monroe died; born Jun 1, 1926 (four months after Steve Reeves was born). Have you ever seen that postcard photo of MM doing benches with dumbbells?
Aug 5, 1972 Ron Thompson won Jr. Mr. USA. Later won 1972 Mr. World, and 1974 Mr. America.
Aug 6, 1921 Arthur Saxon died at 6 pm; born Apr 28, 1878. We lost the greatest bent presser the world has ever seen.
Aug 6 Betty Weider born either 1934 or 1935. As Betty Brosmer/Broesmer she was the number one pinup model of the 1950s. See Steve Sullivan's books for more on her.
Aug 6, 1941 Part of W.L. Travis' will is published in this issue of the New York Times.
Aug 7, 1906 Iva Palmer born; died Mar 21, 1988. Iva married Frank Hise, who was Joseph Curtis Hise's brother. I interviewed Iva in Danville, Illinois Nov 13, 1985 from 2 pm to 3:45 pm, and bought from her Joe's Jackson 1-A barbell set, which I traded to Kim Wood in 2001. The spin-lock collars weighed 7.5 lbs each, and the tolerance between plate hole size and bar diameter stops the heavy plates from being loaded with one hand only- when the plates are on the bar in a bench press upright, there is no space visible between the bottom of the hole and bottom of the bar.
Iva and I were sitting chatting, and she showed me where Joe had roomed for one year in Danville, then I casually asked her whatever happened to Joe's weights, and she said something like, 'Oh, they are down in the basement.' Actually they were in a crawl space and I literally dug some of the plates up out of the dirt. The bar was overhead in the garage. I also got his Magic Circle, which I gave to Randy Strossen many years ago. Speaking of Randy, he and I chatted on the phone this week, and we remain on opposite sides of the Paul Anderson backlift. Each of us thinks the other is dead wrong! Nonetheless, his MILO publication is very worthy. You can find Randy on the net at ironmind.com.
Aug 7, 1982 Lori Bowen won Mid-Central USA Women's championships. If this is a name you remember, you go back a ways in female bodybuilding knowledge. I don't think anything has been written about her in length since early 1985. As I recall she did some commercial work for Miller Lite beer. She won the heavies at 1983 USA championships, and captured the 1984 Women's World Pro. Sleek Physique (remember that mag?) featured her in its Fall 1984 issue.
Aug 7, 1991 The WBF (World Bodybuilding Federation) announces the signing of Lou Ferrigno
Aug 8, 1825 Josef Siegl was born. Later known for his finger strength. At age 68 Siegl's strength is told by Sig Klein in this way: "He had a stick that was 56 inches long, which he brought along to the editor of the magazine. At the extreme end of the stick a hood was attached."
"On this hook he attached a weight of 4-1/2 pounds."
"He would place the stick with the attached weight on a table, and grasping the stick on the extreme end and lifting it with one hand�lift it clear of the table, keeping his arm straight at the elbow, and keeping his body straight at the waist. He had his thumb outstretched on the top of the stick, and his hand did not move from its original position."
Siegl then loaded a total of 9-3/4 lbs on the stick, placed it on the floor, and lifting it in the same manner, placed it upon the table.
When Willoughby writes of Siegl, the stick is 52" long and the weight is 5.5 lbs, which he says equates to 7.25 lbs on a standard 1-inch long Weaver stick- which most certainly was a typo and should have been i-yard-long. Later when Willoughby wrote of this matter the stick was 56" long and the weight was 5.51 lbs., and it was equal to 8 lbs on a Weaver stick. Cf Ironman July 1958 p 50 to Jan 1977 p 33
Aug 8, 1863 Angus MacAskill died at age 38 or 39. Here are some revised notes from my former newsletter MuscleSearch on Angus MacAskill, The Cape Breton Giant: Seven years after Angus died in his sleep on Aug 8, 1863, his biographer James D. Gillis was born. His book was published in 1926, but a better book was published by Phyllis R. Blakeley in 1970, entitled Two Remarkable Giants.
Angus was prime beef: 7'9" tall, bodyweight in excess of 400, bi-deltoid width at a claimed 44" (but he was buried in a 30" wide casket??). Friends who have seen his coat in a museum say it is approx 30" wide, certainly not 44".
There are many discrepancies reported about Angus: He was born in Harris on the island in the Hebrides chain called Lewis. At age six, or three, the family moved to Nova Scotia, to Cape Breton. He had nine brothers and three sisters.
His weight varied from 400 to 500 lbs. His chest size was 70" or 'around 80" The palm (the PALM, not the whole hand) was 6" wide and 12" long, but the tourist office offers that his hand was 8" wide!
Here are some tales attributed to Angus, which I leave to your imaginative interpretation: 1. Angus replaced one of two horses on plow detail as his father guided the plow. Angus maintained this for two hours.
2. Angus was challenged by a bully, so Angus in a pre-fight hand shake crushed the man's hand until blood spurted.
3. Angus carried an ailing friend to the doctor. The friend weighed 190 lbs, the doctor was 25 miles away, and Angus never set the man down during the whole trip.
4. Angus during a wrestling match threw his 200 lb opponent OVER a wood pile which stood 10' high and was 12' wide.
5. A pinch grip lateral raise of a 100 lb bag of sugar using only two fingers and holding the bag straight out from the shoulder- for ten minutes!
6, Angus lifted up a 140 gallon container of wine and slowly drank from it.
7. Finally, the famous anchor lifting feat than injured him and led to his decline in health. Details vary greatly- it happened in New York City, or Boston, or New Orleans. The anchor, lying on the dock weighed between 1,200 lbs and 2,600 lbs (I told you details varied). It did or did not have a chain attached. He lifted it to his shoulder and walked either a few feet or one hundred yards. Or he lifted it overhead. All versions agree that after this he was never the same and could not stand erect easily, so it is bewildering that one author places this incident AFTER #1 above (plowing)!
By the way, have you ever wondered if such heavy anchors even existed in the time of Angus? Well, they did exist, but were not used for ships at sea but ships at dock, so at least that part of the story fits.
I will not relate the Queen Victoria encounter (which did not happen anyway). In my newsletter we went into much more detail, but these are the overviews.
Aug 8, 1894 Eugen Sandow/ Blanche Brookes wedding in England.
Aug 8 (or Aug 9) 1903 Tom Tyler born; died May 1, 1954. Real name was William Joseph Markowski, though he was also known as William Burns. He was a star in western movies starting with the Galloping Gallagher in 1924 where he had a bit part, thru the early 1950s- the final movie I have for him is Cow Country. Webster's book The Iron Game page 115 has a photo and another name, Tom Burns
Relevant here for his strength: At the 1928 Olympic trials he pressed 230 lbs and snatched 230 and C&J 300 for a 760 lb total. When S&H reported his death in the Sep 1954 issue it was mentioned that he had once C&J 340 lbs. Ironman Sep 1954 reported that he passed away at his sister's house in Detroit.
Though he was selected for the 1928 Olympic team he did not compete. He was, I believe, the first American to C&J 300 in official competition.
Aug 8, 1907 Gustav Schwarzenegger born; Arnold's father.
Aug 8, 1925 William Frank Hise wed Iva Palmer in St. Joseph, IL, It was the day after Iva turned 19 (see Aug 7, 1906 above). Frank and his brother Joe in their later years were not close, though Joe did visit, and left his Jackson 1-A barbell set at Frank's house in Danville, IL. This is the set that I traded to Kim Wood- you should have seen his eyes light up when he saw that set! The only other time I have seen Kim so wide-eyed was at the Arnold Classic Fitness show. I'm kidding, I'm kidding!
Aug 8, 1926 John McCallum born; died Sep 21, 1989 (or born Aug 20?). John was a popular and informative writer in Strength & Health beginning in Apr 1963 thru May 1965 on various subjects, then the series known as KTP (Keys to Progress) began in Jun 1965 and ended with the Nov 1972 issue. Ironmind offers a compilation of these articles in one volume, and MILO began reprinting the pieces in the Oct 1993 issue.
In Nov 1988 John began writing for MuscleMag Int'l thru Dec 1989 wherein his part 2 of The Hard Gainer's Solution is mistakenly mentioned as part 3.
McCallum was a skilled writer who taught lessons in a humorous way, and often mentioned various characters in his ongoing sagas. I spoke to him years ago and asked if he was aware that some people were saying he had passed away. As expected, he laughed and then began writing for MMI until his death.
Aug 8, 1937 The summer strength show at Hoffman's house at Lightner's Hill, PA., drew an estimated 2,000 people. Attendees came from about half of the states in the U.S. as well as from Cuba and some Canadian provinces.
The sun was so hot that the bar of the barbell was very hot to the touch. Holding a bent press contest out of doors with just the clear blue sky as a fix-point caused some confusion- Sig Klein remarked that the first time he ever tried to bent press outside, he managed only 100 pounds until he focused on a tree branch. For a lengthy report see Strength & Health Oct 1937.
Aug 8, 1949 Scott Wilson born. Scott became one of the men to win an IFBB pro contest when he won the Portland, Oregon Grand Prix on Apr 16, 1983.
Aug 8, 1956 Rocco Signorille purchased the Rolandow dumbell from Sig Klein. What happened to the Rolandow dumbell is a mystery to me. The barbell is in the York Hall of Fame. Again, if anyone knows the dumbell's whereabouts, please share that info. I know someone who would like to buy it.
Aug 9, 1904 Leo H. Gaudreau born; died Jun 1, 1990. Leo's two volume work on iron history, titled, 'Anvils, Horseshoes, and Cannons' is a wonderful text written by a man able to read and translate from French, thus enabling him to share with us many articles and facts we would have missed. Anytime you have an opportunity to read a Gaudreau piece, don't miss it.
Aug 9or 10, 1949 Ivan Padoubny died; born Sep 26, 1871. Wrestler, who, as much as it pains me, defeated Apollon, albeit Apollon was age 46 at the time and Ivan ten years younger. It was to Padoubly that Inch claimed to have left his 172 lb bell at Hengler's Circus in London, and when, upon returning with Saxon to see if anyone had lifted the bell, was told nobody had. Thereupon, according to Inch, he grabbed his bell and walked to a waiting vehicle.
Aug 9, 1969 Sharon Tate died; born Jan 24, 1943. Sharon was murdered on this date, killed while pregnant. In happier times she had starred with Dave Draper in Don't Make Waves.
Aug 9, 1987 Don Noel died; born Aug 5, 1929. Man known around Homer, Illinois (hometown of Joseph Curtis Hise) as a man with exceptionally strong hands. For the past several years an annual bass fishing tournament has been held that is named in his honor.
Aug 10, 1749 Thomas Topham died age 39. David Horne had written a fine text on Topham, which hopefully he (David not Topham) will reprint.
Aug 10, 1885 St. Petersburg Amateur Weightlifting Club founded in Russia.
Aug 10, 1905 Joseph Curtis Hise born in Scottland, Illinois; died Sep 26, 1972 at 6pm. Some maps say Scotland (one t) others have two t's. When he was born there, it had 2.
Aug 10, 1945 John Grimek sent a telegram to Dan Lurie regarding Lurie's challenge regarding "America's Most Muscular Man".
Aug 10, 1964 Nicole Bass born. Female bodybuilder who for a brief time was involved with the World Wrestling Federation.
Aug 10, 1986 Mac Batchelor died; born May 24, 1910
Aug 11, 1917 Abbye 'Pudgy' Stockton born; still living, and thus becomes 85 today! Not a finer female in the history of the sport! It thrills me to speak with her and with Les on the phone. They have great stories and wonderful outlooks on life. Les has chronicled Pudgy's lifting and physical culture career and is proud to be known as Mr. Pudgy Stockton. Pudgy is demur about this, but is deserving of it.
Pudgy used to walk down the sands of Muscle Beach beside Steve Reeves and people would actually walk up to ask if they were movie stars! Other females on the beach would comment that Pudgy looked like a man from behind (toned and had some lats) but certainly no one made that accusation when she was viewed from the front.
If you ever get a chance to chat with this wonderful couple, jump on the chance. They are warm, friendly, enjoy speaking of their history, and are full of life!
Pudgy wrote BARBELLES for Strength & Health from Jul 1944 thru May 1955 in a total of 85 installments. She used the term 'female bodybuilders' in a Dec 1944 article. She and Les helped judge the 1947 Miss Muscle Beach. They owned and ran gyms together in Los Angeles. Pudgy won Macfadden's contest Miss Physical Culture Venus in 1948.
In Women's Physique World Mar 1992 Steve Wennerstom wrote Credit Where Credit is Due and in Sep 1992 I offered Pudgy Stockton- an Original Fitness Pioneer for Women. She was inducted into the Joe Weider Hall of Fame with Flex magazine in Apr 2000. The Stocktons have one child, Laura whose photo appeared in Health & Strength Sep 2, 1954.
Aug 11, 1931 Doris Barrilleaux born. Doris placed 3rd at the 1979 Ms. Gold Coast, and was involved in the IFBB's early efforts to shape women's bodybuilding. She has been responsible for many cover photographs on leading bodybuilding magazines, wrote dozens of articles for the mags and for awhile had her own magazine S.P.A. and some calendars connected to that mag which are now collector's items.
She hooked up with Dan Lurie in the Spring of 1984 to publish a mag called Body Talk, and though I have seen references that two issues were published, I know for sure of only one issue before the mag folded. She ran a column in Muscle Training illustrated for Lurie called 'Curves and Peaks', starting in 1980, which was the year she won Ms. Gold Coast Over 35.
Aug 12, 1942 Paul Anderson's wife-to-be, Glenda Garland, is born. On Oct 9, 1956, Paul's engagement to 17 year old Gail Taylor was announced, with a planned wedding date for the spring of 1957, but this never happened. Instead Glenda and Paul were married on Sep 1, 1959.
Aug 12, 1964 Karl Norberg bench pressed 460 lbs at age 71.
Aug 12, 1973 Sergio Oliva won Mr. International at age 32. This was Sergio's 25th bodybuilding competition, and his only one in 1973.
Aug 13, 1948 John Grimek becomes the second man to win Mr. Universe. Steve Stanko was the first. Now a personal note. When I pointed this out in Ironman magazine years ago, someone very close to John contacted Balik at Ironman and asked why I would write such a thing (that Grimek was not the first Mr. Universe). The answer is, because it is true. Grimek was sitting in the audience when Stanko won the first Mr. Universe- it is no slam against John that he was not first- he would have been first, I suspect, if he had chosen to compete!
Which brings us to reality. Do you suppose that if I claimed to have won Mr. Illinois that someone might just point out that I did not? (I was robbed, I tell ya!) I never won Mr. Illinois, never competed in it, barely qualified to buy a ticket to watch it! My point is that truth is truth; it is not good sometimes and bad sometimes, it is always good. So, just as I (following years of therapy) can adjust to not being a bodybuilding champion, I expect others to adjust to the truths of whoever their idols are in this sport. If you cannot accept that your favorite participant may not be all he was touted to be, I can recommend a good therapist.
Aug 13, 1971 Los Angeles Herald story about Dave Draper being drugged.
Aug 14, 1934 Bruce White born. Gripmaster supreme from Australia, who once took measurements of the Inch 172 lb dumbell so that he could, and did, have his own replica made. If the Saxon's also had a replica made, as Thomas Inch claimed, then Bruce's replica was the second made; if not, then it was the first. Bruce developed the strength to perform chins on rafters by using a pinch-grip- a feat that is simply incredible! I understand that he still competes, and is today becoming 68 years of age!
Aug 14, 1948 Bill Hinbern born. Bill has a lengthy history in the lifting/bodybuilding world. A family man from Michigan who is grounded and very interested in the history of the sport, and who bemoans the trend it has taken in recent years.
Years ago when Eddie Robinson was shown on the cover of MMI with a woman slung over his shoulder so that her butt was facing the camera, Bill's wife asked him, when she saw MMI arrive in the mail, 'What are you going to do with that! Keep it away from the children!' or words to that effect. He agreed that perhaps that image was not how he would like to see the sport portrayed.
Bill began trading and selling magazines many years ago, and is now involved in publishing out of print classic texts about oldtime weightlifting. He offers several reprints which are professionally presented and which otherwise would not have been available to the modern masses.
Once, he acquired several photos of John Grimek, which he was offering for sale. John thought that Bill had made multiple prints, but Bill had purchased them. Nonetheless, to not diminish his relationship with The Glow, Bill boxed and sent all the photos to John. By the way I spoke to John not too long before he died and he told me that he was looking through old photos and putting some in a box labeled 'To be destroyed upon my death'- these were out of focus photos and otherwise faulty prints. Wonder what happened to that box?
Check Bill's website www.superstrengthbook.com/ or email him at bill@superstrengthbooks.com
The highest compliment to be paid is that no one has a bad word about Bill, or about his business dealings- this cannot be said of some other mag dealers. Behind the scenes, Bill has conducted years of research and letter writing and telephone calls trying to reach relatives of some of the great oldtimers- and he has reached many. Hopefully someday he will publish his own book. To clarify, the simple fact that Bill reprints some of the old texts does irritate some people. Better for you to have to pay top flight prices than to be able to get the reprint at a reasonable rate?
I am personally indebted to Bill because more than once he loaned me dozens of magazines so that I could file their contents and then send them back- The Chicago Bodybuilder, The British Amateur Weightlifter and Bodybuilder, and others. He asked for nothing in return except that I return the mags when I had finished filing them. Ah, there's always a catch!
So, Bill becomes 54 today, and I know of no one who has made more iron history books available through reprints than has Bill. Many of the very rich men in our sport should have undertaken this task, perhaps, but Bill is the man who came through for us. So please check out his website.
Aug 15, 1994 Paul Anderson died; born Oct 17, 1932 Paul may have been the greatest squatter the world has yet known. His kidneys had been a lifelong problem for him. I asked him point blank on the telephone one day if he had ever used steroids, he said he had not.
Paul is a figure that transcends decades. Although many of his most famous feats were unofficial lifts, and quite frankly not well documented, his legend grew with the passing of time.
One 'historian' told me that he had done some checking and that at one time Paul, from the chest inside a power rack, had jerked 720 pounds for three reps. I have done a little checking myself and can find no substantiation for this claim- certainly it is a claim that Paul never made to anyone else who has come forth, so Paul's image is tarnished when those who 'mean well' end up making outlandish claims such as this. Indeed the year that this lift was supposed to have happened was also the year in which Paul had failed on his third rep with nearly 300 lbs LESS than 720! Obviously 300 lbs less would literally be a warmup if one was able to lift 720. My point is that when people enter into crusades to establish false claims on the behalf of others, that the very person they intend to 'help' is harmed. Paul himself never made such a claim and should not be blamed for it.
So Paul should be remembered for his great accomplishments done in the official arena of lifting competition, and not blamed when his disciples' discretion disintegrates.
INCH 101: part 15
Aug 4, 1910 This was the date proposed for Edward Aston to contest against Max Sick- Sick had hoped to meet Inch but as H&S Mar 7, 1963 "By the end of 1910 the cards had been reshuffled and fresh hands dealt to the players. Saldo had presented Sick at the Apollo-Saldo school (then functioning near Leicester Square), the Bavarian's display positively staggering everyone who saw it; Inch, looking the facts squarely in the face (and still being his own best advisor) had resigned his middle-weight title in Aston's favour; the latter (trained now and backed by Inch) was defiantly inviting Sick to try to take the title from him".
Aug 6, 1921 The death of Arthur Saxon, the greatest bent presser who has yet lived. Shortly after Arthur's death, there appears in print for the first time Inch's claim that Arthur had never been able to lift his 172 lb dumbell.
Aug 10, 1862 Albert Henry Hengler born- connected to Hengler's Circus; died Jun 30, 1937
Aug 11, 1960 issue of H&S Inch publishes his message as President of the H&S League
Aug 12, 1933 this is an issue of H&S I am missing; anyone have it for sale?
Aug 12, 1939 Inch writes the article, Training for Strength in H&S
Aug 14, 1957 The fourth in a series by Inch in H&S titled Physical Culture Plus- the other installments ran Jun 20, 1957, Jul 4, 1957, and Jul 31, 1957
Aug 15, 1934 Historian W. J. Lowry wrote of this date "I shall visit the Long Eaton W.-L. Club, the principal of which is T, J, Fairbrother, one of Inch's famous pupils". The address was 7, Derwent Street, Long Eaton, Notts.
Roark Reference #15 In my files, I have several hundred pages of letters from Charles A. Smith, who remains one of the better writers to ever address the issue of muscle. I spent a week as Charles' houseguest in Austin, Texas in the mid 1980s and he and I would spend the days at the Todd-McLean Collection. He answered many questions for me, supplied an amazing amount of behind-the-scenes detail, and displayed a wondrous memory. He was at the time, and for the remainder of his life, in a wheelchair, but he occasionally used dumbbells while in the chair to continue exercising.
After the week in Austin, I was exhausted. Mentally. I liked Charles, I admired him, I respected him, both when I met him, and for his previous contributions to the body of work for the magazines. But Charles suffered one large regret: he had helped propel Weider's magazines to the fore in the marketplace- a fact supported by a letter Joe wrote to Charles, but Charles stepped out of the limelight just as matters muscle magnified in the American marketplace, and in my view, he always regretted doing so. He saw articles being written by people with only one third his skill and zero percentage of his knowledge, and it bothered him to be on the outside looking in. Lest I leave you with the wrong impression, I consider meeting Charles A. Smith, and chatting with him for hours, and exchanging hundreds of pages of letters. Meeting him was among the very high points in my involvement in this sport. I miss him, and hope he has found peace.
Charles A. Smith's letters to Joe Roark, excerpts: Please keep in mind that these are the words of Charles, but I have edited for typos, continuity, and discretion. Charles used an old-fashioned, manual typewriter and he used lined-paper upon which to type so some of his messages are difficult to read quickly. I once offered to buy him some blank typing paper, but he took offense and I dropped the matter. These are blurbs from his letters to me: I am not using quotes, but these are his typed words. Nothing is taken out of context, and the text is in the order which he wrote it- though to save myself from lawsuits, I have edited out sections.
June 14, 1985 letter to Joe Roark from CAS:
The first Olympic type bar, a Berg Hantel, was brought to this country by Henry Milo Steinborn. He loaned it to the York crowd and hence we finally got the York International Bar. Source: Told to Terry Todd by Steinborn himself recently, when Terry visited him in Orlando, Florida. Steinborn is now 93 years of age, scales around 180 and STILL working out with weights.
George Hackenschmidt used to wear long flannel night gowns when he went to bed, Source from my foster brother, Charles Assirati, whose wife used to make them for him. His wife, Rachel, is still living in a suburb of London, England and is over 90 years of age. She was twenty years younger than Hack, he having married her in France when she was 17 years of age.
Eugen Sandow: Another fact of his life was that, whenever he went out to eat, he not only reserved a table at which he ate, but those tables surrounding it. They remained empty so others using the establishment could watch the great man dine.
Jun 25, 1985 letter to Joe Roark from CAS
I started to work for Weider on January 1st, 1950 and left him for reasons which I'd rather not go into, but one of which was that I found out he was paying some of his other staff more than triple what he was paying me�.All told I was with him 8 years, and one glance at his mags of 1950 and what they were in 1956 will show you what my contributions were.
I have a great deal of respect for Weider and what he has accomplished not only for bodybuilding, but for himself. It should be noted that his reasons, rather his methods weren't exactly altruistic. It was Joe first and foremost. And at bargain prices.
Joe was not a bad lifter either. I believe he won a regional Canadian championship, Olympic lifting. I saw him clean, way back in 1951, 300 on an old exercise bar and bent press 170. Sig Klein also saw him do a fair one arm military press with one hundred. His bodyweight at the time couldn't have been more than one seventy five, but I am guessing.
I was the food and beverage editor of Jem, a mag that was a take off of Esquire. I wrote articles on oysters, beer, wine, steak, ice cream, and they were pretty good, so good that True and Argosy mags contacted me and wanted me to write for them. Joe said NO. I was his boy. I should have told him to get stuffed.
When I left Joe and came to Austin- my wife was pretty sick and I thought a change of climate might help- I had loads of letters from Jowett, Liedermann and other greats of the game, but my wife and elder daughter threw them away. Down the trash chute.
Incidentally, if it hadn't been for me, Bill Pearl would never have won the Mr. America contest. I was one of the judges and when the totaling up of the scores was being made by the chairman of the judges' committee, I saw he had made an error in tallying. HE WAS A CPA! He pretended he didn't know what I was talking about, but I insisted he count the column with ME again and again and again, and he at last admitted he had made an error. The reason why I kept a sharp eye on the score was that WELL before the contest took place there were a lot of rumors that it was 'fixed' for another guy to win.
As for the feud with Weider and Hoffman, I did all I could to make Joe ignore the remarks made against him by the York people. I thought it all childish and told Joe to just give them all the rope they needed, to let them say what they liked and THEN clamp down and hit them with a law suit. I often thought it was all a put up job between Hoffman and Weider to keep the mags going and up the news-stand sales. Just a thought.
Unfortunately, the York group blamed me for all the trouble, calling me Weider's hatchet man. I wasn't, in fact refused to write anything derogatory about anyone. For some reason Grimek always disliked me and behaved towards me in what I thought was a hostile manner. I have ALWAYS thought a great deal of him and so far as I am concerned, he is in a place with Sandow, Hackeschmidt of others of that ilk.. And I am also of the opinion that there never was nor there never will be- with the single exception of Sig Klein- anyone who will have his posing ability. None of the present crowd come remotely close.
Getting back to cheating exercises � There was one guy who never failed to knock cheating in his mag but who used to go around exhibiting his prowess on the bent press. Trouble was that he used ALUMINUM PLATES on his bar, giving the witnessing spectators the impression he was lifting a hell of a lot more than he was.
Jun 26, 1985 Letter to Joe Roark from CAS
My wife's name was Harriet. She died Xmas Day of breast cancer- one of the reasons my daughter went into cancer nursing. She was only 42 when she died. I have never remarried.
So getting back to when I left Weider, it must have been in late 1957. I came to Austin in February 1958. I have now lived in the US for more than half my life having arrived here from naval discharge on George Washington's birthday, 1946. I served six years in the Royal Navy COMBAT duty all the time from entry until the war ended in the Pacific. I saw service in Norway, Dunkirk, Murmansk Convoy, the Battle of Crete, the Battle of the Atlantic, was off the beaches on D Day, Omaha Beach from midnight the night of the invasion and continually for three weeks later.
Came out of it all without any physical scars but plenty of mental ones. I was decorated seven times. And here I am. While my daughter has achieved some prominence I often feel a lot of disappointment that I have done so much for the game in the US and am unknown today.
In the women's mags I wrote under the name Harriet Holmes- my wife's first name and my mother's LAST name.
When Harry Paschall died, I, not being with Joe at the time, phoned Johnny Terpak with whom I was always on pleasant terms and asked him if they would consider employing me. His reply was that he 'Would see". I never heard another thing. I was later told- another unsubstantiated piece of information that Grimek and someone else had threatened Hoffman that they'd quit if he employed me- but in all fairness I must say I find this hard to believe merely because I had never said or done anything harmful to ANYONE in the York crowd.
I see you live in Champaign County. That's the area where the unsung genius of American lifting and bodybuilding came from, Homer, Illinois, Champaign County and as if you didn't know his name- Joseph Curtis Hise.
My best wishes to you and yours, Chas.
Jul 3, 1985 Letter from Charles A. Smith to Joe Roark
As for my various pen names, There were so many that I can't recall them. Those I can remember were Carelton Squires, Harriet Holmes, Charles Smith, and of course the various 'star' bodybuilders who were- some of them- so illiterate they thought brothels were sop kitchens. These I rewrote under their own names. I also did scores under 'as told to' in which the so called author had nothing with which to do. How's that grammatically?
When I said that Joe made his first break away I didn't mean he stopped publishing them. What I meant was that he issued his first mag that WASN'T A MUSCLE MAG. That was WRESTLING MAG which was subsequently enlarged to BOXNG AND WRESTLING MAG.
If he had stuck to WRESTLING and not enlarged it it might still be going today. It was very popular and I established great rapport with the various promoters even to the extent of being invited to their annual conference in St. Louis- the conference where they decide who will be the current world champ and for how long. HONEST.
I know the name of the person who egged Joe on to reply to every snide remark that Hoffman made, but HE is still living, where I don't know, and I'd rather not give out his name.
Weider DID NOT begin the attacks on Hoffman. It was the other way around as you will see if and when you get all the mags and if and when you visit the Collection in Austin.
Getting back to the feud. Joe began to encroach on Bobby's turf and Bobby didn't like this one bit. The limelight was being taken away from him and someone who was putting out a BETTER MAG in which- at the time- no personality cult was evident. But how times have changed. Therefore the basis of Hoffman's attacks on Weider were two fold. Financial and anti-Semetic. Look back over the old issues of S&H and see the remarks made, for yourself. Hoffman didn't like having his enormous monthly take cut into by a new comer. Hoffman by the way is many times a millionaire.
I am at a loss here to understand the attitude of the Raders, It is true that they are pretty honest and do have integrity. But�they are fence sitters and prefer to let others take sides rather than they. I can understand this since it is amazing what Rader has done with a mag that no one gave a prayer to when it first came out.
Rudy Sablo. Rudy is a very old friend of mine and I have known him since 1946. Anyway, Rudy has the same sort of mentality as Dave Willoughby, a stickler for accuracy and what was, and what was stuff and nonsense.
So to set the matter straight, I first began writing for Ironman, being urged to do so by Joseph Curtis Hise, in the late 1930s- 37 or 38 I believe. I met my wife when I was in America, my ship being repaired in the Brooklyn Navy Yard after being dished up right royally in the Battle of Crete. I married her, she was a Brooklyn girl, and, since there was nothing in England for me and I had only my sister living there, AND since I was fed up to the teeth with the British social and class distinction and since I didn't want to subject my wife and oldest daughter to it, I came to NYC. The Raders had nothing to do with it and I doubt even knew of my arrival here. I did go to Alliance in 1949 with family to see if I could work there and on the mag, but things didn't work out, Joe offered me a job and since my family came above all others I took it. The RADERS had NOTHING to do with me coming to live in America. I HAVE known them a very long time- almost half a century- AND respect them. They don't ying/yang you around like Joe does. So, I got here under my OWN steam and with no help from ANYONE.
Joseph Curtis Hise is the unsung genius of American bodybuilding, and if, in my opinion, there is a single man who can rightly be called the Guru of modern lifting and bodybuilding, it is Joseph Curtis. He it was who first scorned the old ideas, the old shibboleths, and began to train for BULK and POWER and thought about shape after. As opposed to Sig Klein who always said, 'Train for Shape and strength will follow." I believe it was Hise who first saw the real, the ACTUAL potential of cheating exercises- getting the MIND as well as the body to become accustomed to moving quickly with heavy weights.
He was definitely an eccentric. I wrote to him, I believe, 1933 to 1959 when my wife died and I simply lost interest in everything. I never heard from him again. He was an UNTIRING correspondent.
It was impossible - as it is for me -for Hise to write a short letter. Every one was at least ten pages in length AND handwritten- never typed. And his knowledge was amazing. I recall in the early fifties writing to tell him that I had become interested in archery to the point where I was not only competing but also making my own bows and arrows. I sent a letter one week and a week later got back the usual lengthy letter and was amazed that he knew everything there was to be known about archery. He mentioned such great American archers as Doctor Saxon Pope and Doctor Robert Elmer, what they had done, where they had been, how Pope had shot lions in Africa with bow and arrow, of Doctor Elmer's research into the Archer's Paradox, how he had discovered a Chinese repeating bow, how you should NEVER believe a thing the Arab and Turkish archers said about their feats of archery since they always began their treatises with the words, 'In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful,' which meant they were asking for forgiveness for the pack of lies they were about to tell. How he knew all this I don't know. Certainly he had no time to research the stuff from Britannica or other sources. And at the time Pope's books as well as Elmer's were long out of print and owned by a very few. I HAVE THE FIRST EDITIONS.
But he knew. He must have written me- and I him- hundreds of letters, none of which I now have, Hise it was who first saw the potentials in the use of a cambered bar for squatting, having seen Bill Pullum's old patented cambered bar- something else that's claimed as NEW today. Pullum came out with it in the very early 1900s- 1903 if I remember correctly. I understand that Hise was a diabetic but he rarely discussed his personal life. So far as I know he was never married, and so far as I know never had a girl friend. I don't believe he ever had a woman. He certainly WASN'T homosexual. I met him once in a world's championships in Philadelphia- was it 46 or 47. About five feet nine and heavy and helping everyone with training questions. He was also a great one for heavy shoulder shrugs. All my correspondence I left or gave to my foster brother Joe Assirati when I left England. Joe is 80 now, married for fifty years and a tribute to the physical culture life- still working out.
Warm regards, Chas.
See you Aug 16th
Posted by TheEditor @ 05:51 PM CST
