MIKE KATZ-  A Hero's Kindness is Never Forgotten

By Peter Vuono

   I'm always looking for quotable quotes for my twitter account and I stumbled across an excellent quote by Maya Angelou which said," I've learned that people will forget the things you say, people will forget the things you do but people will not forget how you made them feel." Suddenly, when I read this, my mind sailed all the way back to 1975 when I had the serendipitous occasion to meet one of my many strength heroes, teacher, NFL player and bodybuilding great- Mike Katz.A brief back story is warranted here.
   Mike Katz was born in New Haven in 1944. He grew up diminutive in size, wearing glasses and Jewish. Because  of this he was bullied and his dad thought it may help Mike's self image to dabble in football and weight training. Mike did so and played high school football and also for South Connecticut State. He became so good that the New York Jets drafted him in 1966. In 1968, Mike was illegally clipped by an opponent severely injuring his knee. He played in many games with extreme pain and eventually asked for his release just one year before the Jets won the Super Bowl.
It did not, however, end here; rather it was the beginning of a legend.
  Working out primarily in his North Branford garage gym, Mike grew to a height of 6'1" and a weight of  a solid 245lbs. After having won all the regional contests the Hamden HS Health and Phys. Ed. teacher won the IFBB Mr.America in 1969 and the 1972 Mr. Universe contests.
  Mike's quest for the Universe title in the 1975 Mr. Universe was depicted in the movie "Pumping Iron" He came in a disappointing 4th but what was more important was the sincere humility which he showed in the face of losing. He showed no anger and was wondering about his family. He showed great joy in the 1st place finish by his team mate Ken Waller. I had wondered if this humble character was real and indeed it was.
  When I approached Mike in Waterville Maine after a  powerlifting contest, I was indeed star-struck and wouldn't stop talking. Mike sensed this and humbly smiled and nodded as if to say,"It's OK, I realize how excited you are.". He told me that he was going to a contest in Italy and even though it was nice to go to places like California to train, it was nicer to be home. I never forgot the moment.. His kindness and humility stayed with me ever since just as Maya Angelou had said.
  Mike went on to teach for 33 years and with his son, Mike Jr. he operated about half a dozen Planet Fitness gyms. In 2002, he was interviewed by the New Haven register. In the interview he mentioned that"In my dying breath, I'll still be teaching". How true this is when his kindness is something I remember so much more than his personal gains.

   THE MAGICAL GARDEN

By Peter Vuono


     Journalist Andy Rooney once said that "Teachers have thousands of people who will remember them for the rest of their lives". This is certainly true of my friend and former English teacher Joe Sullivan. I was in Joe's class in 1969 when I was in the 10th grade. It was an amazing time in American history and Joe did more than keep up with the changing times. He inspired, encouraged and enhanced our creativity. He, during the poetry unit, allowed us to bring in pop tunes so that we could analyze the style the artist used. He never raised his voice or got angry- he didn't have to.
    Today, unfortunate English teachers are forced to placate students with perfidious tomes written by gangbangers  in an attempt to capture their attention. I was fortunate enough to to be given classics by Joe which I have never forgotten. When I think of Sydney Carton saying,"It is a far,, far better thing that I have ever done", how true it applies to the readings I was lucky enough to have been given.
   Joe and I lived in the same city. It still has many good people but it has slowly suffered a metamorphosis of degradation. This all ceases when one exits the back door of Joe's home into his personal garden.  When I first saw it, I thought that I had stepped into the Garden of Eden, Narnia or even the Shire of Bilbo Baggins. There was a field that went on as far as the eye could see totally obfuscating the darkness that surrounded it. There was row upon row of trees, fruits and vegetables of every kind. It showed me that although the world is getting worse that some things could still shine through the darkness.
   So when I left the mortuary and thought about Joe's magic garden, I remembered that there was another that he left behind- his classroom. He inspired, encouraged and helped me so much to "self actualize"  as Bruce Lee called it which is merely making myself as good as I  could possibly be.
   I had enough confidence to continue to write and although I'm the furthest thing from Checkov I self actualized and got many articles published and continued to write, all because of Joe's classroom.
   Someone once said that ,"If you can bring one moment of happiness into the life of a child, you are a coworker with God". That being said, it is obvious that Joe is going, to"A far, far better rest  than he's ever known".

TO BE KIND

By Peter Vuono

     Like most people, I have a twitter account and am now up to about 800 Tweets.
I try to use inspirational quotes ranging from fictional characters to Mark Twain, Lao Tzu, Buddha and the Bible. However, I think my favorite is from Bruce Lee who said,"A person can never forget someone who is kind to them". This is where my sister-in-law's husband Randy comes in who was recently taken by cancer.
     I remember a family wedding where Randy was dancing with my 10 year old daughter Amy. Randy intended to make this moment in time fun and memorable for Amy; so he picked her up off her feet while they danced. Neither Amy nor I ever forgot it and it was well over 20 years ago.
    Fast forward another 20 plus years to a family pool party. My son Mike does everything within his power to bolster self confidence. He's a world record holder in weightlifting, a teacher and a Black Belt. However one moment with Uncle Randy 7 years ago carried as much weight to enhancing  Mike's self esteem as  did all the other accomplishments.Uncle Randy hadn't seen Mike in quite some time. When he saw him, he was in awe and exclaimed,"Mike you look great; just like Arnold Schwarzenegger!" Yesterday,10/14/18, at about fifteen minutes after Randy passed, THAT compliment was the first thing Mike mentioned  about his beloved uncle. In China, any man who is older and beloved to a younger man, is often called "Uncle". That is how Mike viewed Randy.
   Mother Teresa once said,"There are three things in life that are important: the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind and the third is to be kind." Randy enjoyed many games such as cards, sports and especially golf. I never really knew how good he was at those games but there is ONE game that he really excelled at- the game of life.

Anti-bullying pulpit- with magic!

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS WITH MAGIC- THE TENKAI NECK PENETRATION

ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

By Peter Vuono

     All throughout history it seems, people have been fascinated with giants. It didn't seem to matter whether the giant's agenda was nefarious as in the case of Goliath or heroic as in the Irish legend of Finn McCool. The public couldn't get enough enjoyment in reading about and following the exploits of these larger than life entities.
     This author fully remembers the immense(no pun intended) popularity of Andre Rousimoff who was without a doubt one of the most popular wrestling stars of all time. I vividly remember him wrestling in venues ranging from the Boston Garden to a little defunct hall in Brockton, Ma. The crowd reaction was always the same; people couldn't get enough of their hero.
     I suppose it's because many of us project ourselves into the personalities and exploits of  the real life manifestations of the exciting tales we read as youngsters. Is it any wonder why Andre played a supporting role in the Princess Bride or that wrestler Kurgan was unforgettable in the movie "300"?
    Giants act a a venue or medium for us normal folk to escape(even though for a short time) into a personage of great power. This perhaps, is what intrigued me so much about my friend Steve Sanderson.
    In the early 80's I noticed Steve sitting with another titan of strength, Ted Arcidi, at a HS gym in Amesbury, Ma. Steve weighed a solid 325lbs. and had thighs (at about 36 inches in circumference) which rivaled the femur of an apatosaurus. Naturally, I had to talk to Steve who was very accommodating. We became friends and in 1983 I witnessed him doing a deep knee bend(squat) with 920lbs. on his back at the Boston YMCA! In the small fraternity that is powerlifting, Steve became a bonafide legend. However, Steve had giant qualities of the heart that went way beyond his physical strength. To this author, it is these traits that make him so remarkable.
   Steve never boasted and was always humble. He kept his ability somewhat secret and mostly gave accolades to others. I don't ever recall him using the pronoun "I" very often. I haven't seen him since 2009 but I know that if I needed him; he'd be there.
    There was one conversation, however, that I had with Steve, that I'll never forget. We had a mutual friend that we both loved pass on to the other side in April of 09. Shortly after the funeral, I called Steve wanting to talk to someone and trying to make sense of the passing of my friend, Joe.
    Steve very calmly and succinctly reminded me about Joe's eulogy. The priest mentioned that a baby cries when he comes into the world perhaps because he was in such a happy and secure place piror to birth However once he/she is accustomed to the new world, the new environment is a place of happiness and contentment. Steve was intimating that I should not worry about Joe as once he's accustomed to the new world, he too, would find peace.
   Physicist Sir Issac Newton once said,"If I can see further it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants". On that day in April my vision was made clearer thanks to the shoulders and friendship of a giant named Steve.

STRENGTH ON THE OUTSIDE COMES ONLY
AFTER STRENGTH ON THE INSIDE

By Peter Vuono

     After being inspired in the late 1950's by George Reeves and Steve Reeves, all I ever wanted to be was strong like my beloved dinosaurs! After receiving a vinyl covered weight set, I trained for hours daily and for decades (50 years in all) and I made only moderate success. I was a state champ in 77 and a North American deadlift champ in 90. For decades, in my classroom, I had a poster on the wall that read,"Strength on the Outside Comes Only After Strength on the Inside".  Olympian Jesse Owens  once said," Awards become corroded and friends gather no rust". Boy, was Jesse right. I never paid attention to the true meaning of the poster and I paid a big price for trying to obtain strength.
    I broke my back, have a severely arthritic knee and shoulder, two bicep ruptures and a quadruple bypass. I'm still in the gym feeding my muscle dysmorphic self; and for what? This is where my pal, teacher Phil Fortin comes in.
    Phil and I taught together at Brockton High. He always had the uncanny ability to make me laugh EVERY time I encountered him.Comedian Victor Borge once said that,"Laughter is the closest distance between two people" and this is what endeared me to Phil. He was like this with EVERYONE!
   As life went by, Phil encountered huge difficulties. He suffered through two hip replacements, a triple bypass and he also BEAT prostate AND colon cancer!!! His last malady was that he successfully had a brain tumor removed!!  I went to visit Phil in rehab upon his return.His positiveness and jocularity remained in spite of the fact that he had every apparatus including a trachial tube inserted into his tired body. He again made me laugh as if we were back in 1980! Here was a guy exhibiting the kind of strength that I never had  in spite of the fact that he had never lifted a weight in his life!!!
  Phil was always a great coach and teacher and here he taught me a lesson that shines so brightly like a beacon in a dark moonless night. Phil taught me that just maybe, I should have paid a little more attention to what that poster collecting dust in my classroom had said; that "Strength on the Outside comes only After Strength on the Inside".