CHAMPION OF THE HEART


By Peter Vuono

     Back in the 80's I did security for Walter Kowalski's wrestling shows at Brockton High School.
One evening a wrestling legend, Johnny Valiant, walked in. After asking where he could buy his cherished Parodi cigars the conversation immediately centered on Rocky Marciano." Did he live very far from here? asked the former World Tag Team Champ. I've read so many books about him; I really try to follow him."
    Yes, all those that come to our city ask about Rocky, a great champion and one of the greatest athletes of all time. However what few of these visitors know is that he had a nephew who was an unbeaten champion of the heart.
When I met Peter , he was in his freshman year at Brockton High. I was bowled over by his sincerity and his enormous capacity to befriend people. One couldn't help but love him.
    We became friends and Peter trained with me in my ramshackle  garage gym. Even today, when I went out there , his lifting belt still hangs on a cobwebbed slab of sheet rock 30 years later. Peter and I shared many interests and he became like one of the family. He babysat  for my infant daughter and went to Wrestlemania I with me in 1985. On par with his befriending everyone was his unparalleled capacity to love.
   During  Peter's senior year I had in my special Ed. class a puckish rapscallion of a student named Ray. Ray was tough in both the discipline and the learning departments. I needed an ultimate weapon in helping him to succeed. Along came Peter. I asked him to tutor Ray one to one. When Pete Marciano walked in, it might as well have been Arnold or Lou Ferrigno! Ray looked at Peter as if a deity walked in.
   Pete worked his magic and Ray looked up to his new role model and friend.  Never before had I seen a needy kid like Ray get won over so easily. When I think of Christ saying" If you did it for these, the least of my brethren...", I think of Peter and the many wonderful students like him who devoted their time to my kids.
   Peter was a bigger than life person whose capacity to love and lift spirits was second to none. When I think about the last line of Brian's Song where Jack Warden says of Brian Piccolo," I don't think about how he died but how he lived", this is how I look  back at him. I can only think of the way he made me smile.
   Yes, we do have a great champion athlete  from Brockton in the name of Rocky Marciano; but Rocky had an equal who was a champion of the heart. His name is Peter.

"Remembrance is the only paradise from which we cannot be driven from"- Bruce Lee

THE SON OF ARAGORN

By Peter Vuono

     Some readers may remember my short story in Feb. of 2014 which was entitled GO TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS. This short tale told of the immense heroics of Brockton High School Science teacher, John Bergonzi disarming an assailant with a knife single-handed.  I believe in guardian angels and  the 6'5" Bergonzi who teaches at the Brockton Champion Charter School surely must be one who is moonlighting as a teacher.
     Once again, on November 18, 2015, Bergonzi's might and muscle were again put to the test.
John and his lovely wife Angie; also a teacher, were traveling Northbound from Cape Cod on a very well traveled highway, Route 495. Bergonzi observed that the car in front of him swerved completely to the right, off the road and hugged a guard rail at great length.
     When the guard rail ended, the car lost control, continued to swerve to the right and toppled in a 180 degree rollover! Bergonzi's brawn and bravery once again kicked in and he raced to the car as Angie called 911.. The driver was bloodied and unconscious and the driver's door would only open about 12 inches. John had nothing to break the window with and would have to squeeze his 6'5" 220 pound body in the opening.
    Although, I digress, I couldn't help but think of giant Olympian/ wrestler, Ken Patera who once braced his back up against a brick wall and with his feet pushed back a pick up truck which was in full throttle. John must have been thinking along those lines as he braced his back on the metal support between the front and back door. Then like a human jaw of life, Bergonzi proceeded to leg press the crushed door open freeing the passenger!!.
     As it turns out, the poor victim had incurred a heart attack and was raced away in an ambulance as his savior / Samaritan stood exhausted, bloodied and covered with mud. We all know that this guardian of the galaxy will receive an eternal reward in the hereafter but it is disconcerting to know that few knew of his heroics as once again, super teacher, John Bergonzi has gone to the head in class.


" I am Aragorn, the son of Arathorn; and if by life or death, I can save you, I will"

J.R.R. Tolkien

AND THE DARKNESS GRASPED IT NOT

By Peter Vuono
   
     My son and I often talk to one another with movie references. One of my favorites is from the movie Sand Lot where Babe Ruth tells a kid"Heroes get remembered". This is certainly true  in America. We all need heroes such as Captain Chesley Sullenberger who safely flew his disabled aircraft  into the Hudson saving the lives of all on board. Or the Subway superman, Wesley Autry who, in 2007 threw his body on top of a man having a seizure saving  the man's life. Or Lenny Skutnik who dove into the icy Potomac to save a drowning woman in 1982.
    Here in Brockton, Ma. the home  of Rocky we have many unsung heroes. Two men from the Brockton High School Science Dept. come to mind. In 2011, 6'5" John Bergonzi single handedly  disarmed an assailant of a knife who was committing mayhem  or possibly  worse on another student. Later that year, Bergonzi's colleague, chemist/ coach, Phil Previte lured a fully armed student out of the cafeteria in the event he fired his weapon near students.  After looking at today's headlines it is easy to see that Sharon native Ezra Schwartz belongs in the category of hero.
    The 18 year old youth graduated from one of Boston's most prestigious private schools. Rather than harbor his gifts  to himself, he took this passion to Israel to help the people there live better lives only to be cut down by the fire power of evil. After reading about this intrepid student, I realized how history often repeats itself and how closely Ezra's life paralled that of another martyred hero, David Berger.
    Dave Berger was a native of Cleveland Ohio. Like Ezra Schwartz, he was an intelligent passionate and gifted young man. He received  a Bachelor's Degree in psychology and  Master's Degree in Business Admin from Tulane. He later received a Doctorate of Law from  Columbia. Dave was well balanced in academics and athletics. Lilke former US Olympic Gold Medal winner, Ike Berger, David excelled in Olympic lifting and won the NCAA championships while he attended Tulane. His dad once said,"He may not be the greatest weightlifter, but he will be the smartest".
   He went on to win the 1969 Maccabiah Games in Israel and came up with a dream to both open a law practice in Israel and make the Israeli olympic team. His dreams became reality and he was off to Munich in 1972.
After competition, on Sept 5, 1972, terrorists captured 11 Israeli athletes with David being one of them. Coach Moshe Weinberg was killed instantly but David's death was prolonged as he was shot in the shoulder and died from smoke inhalation from the fire set in the terrorist helicopter.  He and 10 other team mates perished that day. David was 28.
   So when I read the morning paper I marveled as to how these two men were so similar in their dreams and in their fate. They were two, young, gifted and passionate men who set out upon a dream but not just for themselves but for their two countries, America and Israel. Evil may have taken their lives but the shining star of their legacy lives on forever. "Heroes get remembered".

"In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness grasped it not"- John 1: 1-5

THE LIBERATIONIST

Peter Vuono

     Have you ever wondered why when people see an escape artist perform, they identify so closely with the performer? It's simple; every one of us caries a burden of our own. At some period of our lives, we are all plagued with a calamity which may stem from illness, disease, injury, emotions , family problems or just being prejudiced against for merely wanting to be ourselves. Yes, we are all burdened , some far worse than others, at least once in our lives and every time an escape artist extricates himself from a restraint, it sparks a small ray of hope within our hearts that maybe we too can go home and do likewise with all our burdens.
     In 1991 my wife and I went to the Canton, Ma fair to see a magical legend. Norman Bigelow started by allowing himself to be shackled to the stage floor by a non-gimmicked pair of Smith and Wesson handcuffs. A metal open pipe was put under his face and it ran for about 20 feet from him. The pipe was filled with gunpowder and ignited. Bigelow had 10 seconds to open the cuffs with a wire pick(not a key) before the powder blew up in his face. The crowd gasped. Without a second to rest, he continued to liberate himself from cuffs, ropes and a strait jacket as "warm-ups" to a true exercise in courage and horror.
     Many have said that Houdini was the greatest but this author can assure you that Houdini did not and would not have attempted the ultimate instrument of torture known as the "Doors of Death". Two seven foot doors were rolled out which were hinged together. Bigelow was cuffed, strapped and chained to one door. At the end of exactly 3 minutes and 4 seconds, the second door which was laden from top to bottom with 8 inch knives would snap shut on the other door as it was connected with several strong springs.
    As the clock approached  two minutes and thirty seconds, the audience was talking. They were worried that there was NO fail safe to this escape; no way out. It did not seem that this middle aged man from Fitchburg would make it until the final 4 seconds when he slid from beneath the restraints. As the doors slammed shut, the audience gasped and was then speechless. The silence was followed by a loud and prolonged standing ovation.
   The "Doors of Death' would give the authors of "Saw" nightmares and Bigelow went on to thrill more audiences in so many more ways. He caught the attention of the great Copperfield who hired Norman to devise an escape for him. David's famous escape from a falling elevator was planned and constructed by Bigelow.
   Sadly, on August 16, 2015, Norman succumbed to something that even one so gifted as he could not escape from- leukemia. I'll never forget the time he invited me to his Fitchburg home. We spent hours talking escapes and training with handcuffs. There was never anyone in the field more knowledgeable or more generous in sharing  that knowledge.
   Norman was my hero. Yes, I was in awe of his talent but also because he was so kind, generous and gracious with it. These are the things we tend to remember forever even  beyond his great gift.
   And for Norman's many audiences, they will remember the thrills, the struggles and finally the liberation. More importantly, however, they will remember that just like the great Bigelow , perhaps they too can liberate themselves from that which burdens them.
   Harry and Bessie Houdini's favorite song was "Annabelle Believe" It is the word "Believe" that most interests me. It is hoped that all those who experienced the self liberation of Norman Bigelow will look at their own burdens   and continue to believe.


"Given a reason, a man can walk through walls"--Harry Houdini

A RIVER RUNS FREELY

By Peter Vuono

DEDICATED TO ALL THOSE WHO THIRST FOR FREEDOM

     The Chinese people have a very special and unique way of naming their children. For example, Jackie Chan's real name is Chan Kong Sang( or From Hong Kong) commemorating his place of birth. Bruce Lee's real name is Lee Jun-Fan which means "return again". He was born in SanFrancisco and it was his mom's desire that he would one day return which he did. On July 3, 1946, a child was born to a couple in the Communist occupied province of Canton China. It was their hope and dream that the baby would some day run freely like the mighty Yangtze River which is Asia's largest. Therefore, they gave the baby boy the  name of Yang Sze which had been the French derivative since 1800.
    Young Yang Sze grew up learning  the martial art of Tai Chi. He also had a penchant for bodybuilding which few martial artists of the day enjoyed. However this did not satiate his innate desire for the God given right to freedom. One day, while still in his youth, he risked life and limb and dove into the South China Sea.
He swam the 3 miles from the mainland to Hong Kong risking both drowning and being shot on sight by a notorious Communist coastguard. He made it safely to the British owned territory and immediately went to work teaching the little known skill of bodybuilding.
   Yang Sze won the "Mr. Hong Kong" tournament and as a result was hired by the famed Shaw Brothers to make movies in 1970. Approximately 20 movies later he made a Winston Cigarette commercial with Bruce Lee and the two became friends.
   Lee hired him for a supporting role in Enter the Dragon in 1973. His character would be given the name"Bolo" in the movie and he attained so much popularity among Chinese movie goers with the role that he adopted it with the surname Yeung. Hence, one of the most impressive figures in Chinese cinema- Bolo Yeung- was born.
   He would go on to make no fewer than 109 movies with additional stunt work and directing. Many of his roles were terrifying and memorable. He would spar with Brandon Lee in Brandon's ONLY Hong Kong made film-" Legacy of Rage". He would stalk the queen of American martial arts- Cynthia Rothrock, in  "Tiger Claws". However, the movie that made him famous would be the same one that made JeanClaude Van Damme a mega-star. Here he played Van Damme's nemesis "Chong Li" in the Golan-Globus production of"Bloodsport".
   Years later. Yeung was a surprise guest at VanDamme's 50th birthday party which can be seen on YouTube. Thanks to "Bloodsport" Yeung was able to migrate to America and as a result, a second dream came true. His three children - Daniel, Denny and Debbra were ALL born free in the USA.
   Bolo Yeung's physique and career are both inspiring and impressive. However it is his bravery to risk everything in order to quench his burning desire for freedom that most impresses this author. It is hoped that all those who are currently oppressed or kept in bondage either mentally or physically will one day follow Yeung's path so that they may too, like the mighty Yangtze River, run freely.

GOD IS FIRST, CHERYL IS SECOND, WE ARE THIRD

By Peter Vuono

Dedicated to the Memory of Cheryl Lopez- 1963-2015 and to
her husband Ramon and daughter Alicia


   I attended the funeral of an old friend, Cheryl Lopez yesterday. All funerals are sad but I made myself listen intently to the eulogy of he priest, her strong and eloquent uncle and her intrepid and devoted daughter. My eyes welled to capacity as a family friend read one of my favorite passages from the bible where Jesus commended his good and faithful servants whom he called into his kingdom.
   Amongst the eulogies, I could not help but think of how similar Cheryl's life was to another brave victim of cancer, Brian Piccolo. That is why the title of this story may seem familiar to you because it's a reworking of Gale Sayers' book, I Am Third. In a matter of seconds my mind fell back to the 60's and to the present in awe of how these two brave and wonderful people were so similar.
   Both were born in MA. Both were from very athletic families; Piccolo played for the Chicago Bears as a running back and full back and Cheryl's brother is an Olympic lifting champ and world strongest man.  Both have had family members who have been quite ill. Cheryl's siblings also struggled with cancer. Brian Piccolo's brother was so ill that his family was forced to move to Florida. Both are Italian who had Italian parents on both sides of the family. Both were married until their deaths and had girls as their children. Both struggled with cancer and battled it fearlessly.
  Piccolo played for many games while sick. Only in one fateful game in 1969 did the pain become so severe that he was forced to ask to be benched. When I saw Cheryl at her brother's birthday party in Feb. she was a tower of strength; exuberant, strong, upbeat and friendly. She refused to let anyone know of her pain and struggle. Both Brian and Cheryl were gifted with enormous inner strength. The kind that I've been praying for my whole life but was never able to attain. However they were not just a kindred spirit becasue of their similar lives but also because of their intense devotion.
  Cheryl, like Brian Piccolo was a devoted wife and mother. She had and frequently displayed her devotion and love for her family. She was devoted to her job and her community and was of  the kind of human fabric that gave her town and country the kind of great reputation that it once had.
  So when I think of Cheryl, I will always miss her. But as time goes by her memory will mirror the last line in Brian Piccolos's biography, Brian's Song. I will not think about how she died. I will smile and think about how she lived.

GOD WILL TALK IF YOU LISTEN

by Peter Vuono

(Please excuse me getting away from my usual articles about strength and valor but today's blog is about a superior kind of strength)

     My wife and I listen often to Dr. Charles Stanley, an evangelist out of Atlanta. He once said that God will speak to us if we merely be still and listen. Today, through a defenseless little animal, he spoke.
    Since 1959, when I first saw Steve Reeves, I wanted to be strong. When an article written by a pro wrestler convinced me that weights were the answer, that is all I did. My first powerlifting meet was in 1973 and my next will be very soon. I was injured MANY times with everything from a ruptured bicep tendon to a broken back and heart attack and yet, I refused to stop. Yet I can tell you that I was never once satiated. No matter what trophy I won, how many boards I broke, a Black Belt or ripped in half phone books, I was always left empty.
   Today, after the mandatory yard work and work out, I sat silently with my son's girlfriend Joelle's little puppy sitting in my lap sleeping. I prayed over him and blessed him. I asked Saint Francis, the patron saint of animals to protect him and God spoke.
   I realized that this little puppy was innocent, weak, meek, loving and didn't have a mean bone in his tiny body. I thought of the sermon on the mount that Jesus made and how he wanted ALL of us to strive for these virtues even if we fail to obtain them. I then realized that the outer strength that I've worked for , for 45 years was not nearly as important as the inner strength I really needed that ONLY comes from God and his divine teachings. All of this sent to me from God through one of his blessed, defenseless creatures.
   Sure, I'll continue to train but the thrust of my perspective has gone in another direction. The meek shall inherit the earth and perhaps in my case, it will be the inner strength that I always needed and sought after in the wrong direction.A strength I've yet to attain.
    If we all took the example of the least of God's creatures just think  how different the world will be. HE's talking to you. Don't wait to listen as I did.

"He who conquers others is strong, he who conquers himself is mighty"- Shaolin saying

WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST

By Peter Vuono

     According to the National Coalition Against Violent Athletes 20% of all college football recruits of the top 25 Division 1 teams have criminal records. We are hearing more and more about pro athletes who beat their girlfriends and fiancees. Most recently, the Dallas Cowboys signed a defensive lineman who had  been accused of beating his girlfriend. Very little attention is given to those athletes who conduct themselves differently. Here is a tale of two athletes who chose to put women and children first.
    I remember back in the 80's with great anticipation of seeing Scott"Bam Bam" Bigelow. The Asbury Park NJ native was 6' and weighed 390 lbs. and could perform aerial maneuvers that only a few smaller pro wrestlers could handle. He entered Larry Sharpe's Monster Factory(possibly the first wrestling school), with a Black Belt. Bigelow's talent was phenomenal and he would have a very successful career with the WWE, the WCW and the ECW. Bigelow was way ahead of his time with tattoos. His shaven head was adorned with a fire ball tattoo which covered his entire scalp. He also wore a bodysuit covered with flames. This was a very strange and prophetic omen of an act of bravery which would cause Bam Bam's life to suffer many a calamity.
   In July of 2000, a fire broke out in a home near Bigelow's house in Pennsylvania. Bigelow knew that there were three children trapped inside and the fire dept had not yet arrived. The instinct of the warrior kicked in and Bigelow smashed the door down. He rescued the three children but at a terrible price. Forty percent of his body was burned! Bigelow spent 10 days in the hospital recuperating. Once released, however, he was never really able to rise from the ashes. His marriage and career waned. He acquired heart disease and became acquainted to anti-depressants . On January 19, 2007, Bigelow succumbed to heart disease. He was only 45 and would become one of the 117 pro wrestlers all under the age of 60 who have died since 1985.
    Cleveland native Perry Satullo entered the US Army to become an Army Airborne Ranger. Upon his honorable discharge, young Satullo wanted nothing more than to be a pro wrestler. He traveled to Malden Ma and trained under the auspices and guidance of Walter Killer Kowalski  and debuted in 1988. Like Bam Bam, he excelled in this craft and changed his name to Perry Saturn. He wrestled for the WCW, ECW, WWE , TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Few men or women had his type of success.
   One evening while driving his girlfriend to work, Saturn observed two men raping a woman. He immediately sprang from the car and fought the two men off so as they allowed the woman to escape. What Perry didn't know, however, was that one of the men was armed. Saturn was shot in the back of the neck and in the back of the shoulder. When he was transported to the hospital, he thought that the pain stemmed from him taking two good punches.
   Like Bam Bam Bigelow, however, Saturn's heroism came with a price. To deaden the pain, he was drawn into drug addiction and for two and a half years, was homeless! Many chat lines and websites thought that he was deceased because for years no one could locate him whether they be friend or family.Then, in approximately 2009, like the ancient Lazarus, Perry Saturn emerged, drug free and no longer homeless just as if an Angel of the Lord had ministered to him.
  Bam Bam Bigelow and Perry Saturn will always be remembered by wrestling fans for the thrills and bigger than life exploits of the ring. More importantly, however, when they are both before their Maker and are asked, "Who did yo serve?", they can proudly say, "Lord, we put women and children first"!

"No greater love is there than when a man lay down his life for his friend"- Jesus
   

FOR DUTY AND HUMANITY

 By Peter Vuono

   This short tale is dedicated to the memory of veteran Billy McCann(1947-1971) who selflessly paid the ultimate sacrifice and to every man and woman who served in the armed forces.

"No greater love is there than when a man lay down his life for his friends"- Jesus


FOR DUTY AND HUMANITY

     As my son and I watched "American Sniper", I wondered how many Hollywood actors had really walked the walk as an American veteran. I fear that there have been precious few since the days of Jimmy Stewart who flew  many combat missions in WWII. This tale is one of a true Hollywood hero who paid the ultimate price, My favorite place in 1960 was the Wollaston, Ma theater in Quincy. I spent  EVERY Saturday afternoon there going to the movies and it was there, I believe , that my personality was formulated. Steve Reeves made me want to be strong and my penchant for comedy came from three men that I had never seen before 1960. I found out that they were called the 3 Stooges and my life would later change for the better because of them. I'd use their lines in both the classroom and in my magic act. I would later make thousands of kids laugh thanks to them.
     The Stooges worked for Columbia Pictures and had many stock actors play in their short, 20 minute features. One such actor was Thomas Richard Potts who would later change his name to Richard Fiske .Fiske, who was born in Shelton Washington was only in his 20's. He was tall(6'3"), athletic and very handsome. He would be the perfect foil to hire for the Stooges. Fiske made 13 shorts with the Stooges and gained so much popularity with his skills and good looks that he made dozens of serials shortly  after his hiring in 1938.
     Among the 13 shorts he made with the Stooges was "Boobs in Arms" where he played a drill instructor failing to make the Stooges conform to Army regulations. An important short, however was "You Nazty Spy", Fiske acted in this short which was the first  film ever(Jan 1940) to parody Adolph Hitler, a full 9 months before Charly Chaplin's "Great Dictator". Acting in a parody, however was not enough for Fiske and he, at age 28 joined the Army.
    He moved his way up the ranks and became a first Lieutenant before being shipped abroad. Fiske was not the type of officer to sit back and observe the war. He demanded to fight in the front lines along side his men and was killed in action while fighting in the Battle of Normandie(La Croix-Avranchin) in 1942.
   Fiske was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, The Bronze Star and several other awards. His remains would not return to Hollywood. He is interred in the Brittany American Cemetery in Normandie.
   Action stars will come and go and continue to make  millions for studios but without the real credentials there will always be something missing.
   As long as we Americans continue to breathe free from tyranny and terrorism, the "Duty and Humanity" of Richard Fiske and all veterans will not be forgotten nor will it go in vain.