Joe Wieder - 1919 to 2013 ~ Dead at 93. An Era has come to an end.
Remembered for his physique, his creation of the Mr./Ms. Olympia contests and most famously for unleashing the ex-governor of California (Arnold Schwarzenegger ) on the world...Joe was mostly about caring and giving. He worked tirelessly with Arnie to help him achieve his dreams of being the greatest body builder in the world.
As a skinny kid from the tough part of Montreal, he literally developed into a self-made man. Creating homemade weight sets from scrap metal and working out like a madman to develop his body. Turning his love for physical development into a business and eventually into creating competitions for the world to see. He was responsible for bringing Arnold to America and allowing him to unfold into the 7-time Mr. Olympia...including a run of consecutive years from 1970 to 1975. I remember first hearing about Arnold during these final years of high school.
I remember as a kid buying comic books or Mad Magazine and always seeing a full page add in the back for Joe Wieder's system to keep from being bullied or having sand kicked in your face. Usually a picture of some skinny guy on the beach with his girl and a buff dude actually kicking sand in his face. These are hard to see but if you ever saw them in a magazine they are enough.
He also had the How To Develop A He-Man Personality...whatever that was back then. You could send away $9.95 or whatever it was and your worries would be over when that package arrived. Of course that never happened. But I can still see those ads today.
Joe and Arnold remained friends for life and Arnold is still the executive editor for Muscle & Fitness as well as Flex & Shape publications. Joe was instrumental in the worldwide promotion of fitness and health as well as creating interest in bodybuilding. Sort of the Godfather of bodybuilding.
Many of his memorabilia items have been donated to the University of Texas in Austin which opened the Joe and Betty Weider Museum of Physical Culture in 2011.
He is survived by his wife Betty.
Pump up in peace, Joe.
