RIP Alison Brundage

zig563 · January 18, 2015, 07:58:27 PM

God willing and you could be a centurion Alison. 30+ years for that. Many more women make it than men and people are living longer and longer....though your comment about anything you do could be your last is so true. Nice pics and looking good.

zig563 · January 18, 2015, 07:58:27 PM

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alison brundage · January 19, 2015, 01:23:50 PM

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God willing and you could be a centurion Alison. 30+ years for that. Many more women make it than men and people are living longer and longer....though your comment about anything you do could be your last is so true. Nice pics and looking good.

My grandmother was born just at the end of the Civil war. She saw the invention of the light bulb, the automobile, airplane, jets, rockets and lived to see a man walk on the moon. She was tough. Even though she had the opportunity to use a washing machine, she washed all her clothes by hand til she was in her 90's. She ironed them with an iron she heated on her stove. ( who irons sheets these days?) She died at 106 years old. I was old enough to remember her stories.
Grandma in 1893. Life was different then:
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ALISON

alison brundage · January 22, 2015, 08:30:03 PM

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My very first contest. 6 month's training My last contest. 1983. Four years of lifting and competition

ALISON

alison brundage · January 23, 2015, 02:13:07 PM

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alison brundage · January 24, 2015, 01:33:16 PM

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Larry Scott in the middle. That was a photo of my lifetime !

Alison

OdoHerr · January 24, 2015, 02:49:27 PM

And what kind of lifetime !
And what an outstanding physique !

Thank you for all the pics you are posting here, Alison,
I remember this time when, with the exception of the WPW pics (on paper), there were so few pics of you.

OdoHerr

lyle918 · January 24, 2015, 05:00:27 PM

THOSE WERE THE DAYS! How many of those 'pioneers' lived out a normal life and enjoyed their experiences in the 'dark ages' of women's bodybuilding! Am glad Saradas has a section where they revisit some of those pioneers...they do a good job but should go back further and reintroduce them.

afigreg · January 26, 2015, 05:35:53 AM

Thank you for the picture(s) Alison.

Larry Scott was a very lucky man, and so was the other man, to have had a picture taken with you.

Grego

alison brundage · January 26, 2015, 03:28:04 PM

Thanks guys. What with the gzillions of bodybuilders of all categories out there these days that make it, I am honored to be even noticed. Your comments mean a lot to me. ( I will die a happy woman....smile)

There was no interest ( outside of the WPW guys) in me in my era. I had very few professional photos taken outside of the ones the WPW guys took on only two occasions when I came to the USA mainland from Hawaii to to national contests and the Gold's Classic. Most of my pictures were taken by my friend and my trainer Steve Dussia. He was a amateur photographer with his own darkroom. He trained with me ( competed with me once in a National Doubles contest). He was my encourager and teacher. He made me my own personal gym out of pipes found on the street. We had such fun ! What an adventure the whole thing was for me !!! Once I hit the mainland for some Nationals I was totally out of my element. I never trained in a gym like Golds. To see Golds in Venice and all the out of season women walking around there ....well, rather than encourage me, it sort of burst my bubble. I became aware that a new era was dawning and steroids were the key to success. That was the curtain call for me. I went back to surfing and being "normal".....loosely speaking ( laughing) You are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginYou are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginYou are not allowed to view links. Register or Login ( selfie Steve took on a timer with a tripod)

These are a set of posing practice shots Steve (my trainer ) would take. Helped me to see body-form and how to adjust for the best visual presentation. He was very good at this and a great teacher. I would NEVER have gotten as far as I did so quickly without this man.

Anyway.....soo good to have you guys be so kind to me. I truly appreciate you all. It's my pleasure to share my experiences and as well my life now as a natural muscular woman who had a brief time under the lights. ( I'd love to hear from some of the other gals from my era. I'd love to know how their lives went and what they are up to now.......) BTW I'm on bodybuilding diet right now to attempt to lean down. I'll be 70 in a few weeks and I sure don't want to be out of shape for that ! (laughing). So it's 3 cans of tuna a day for three days...off one...then back on the cycle. Old school weight loss.

ALISON
Oh...one last thing.
WPW. Steve Wennerstrom and Bill Jentz were as well such an encouragement to me. They were bubbling with enthusiasm. They were a couple of young fellows (muscle lusters with a camera ) like a kid in a candy shop around muscluar women. They had a vision and that was to supply the fans with a product they desired. Fans wanted more than Muscle and Fitness and Flex were producing. Whan an empire they created over time.....they out Odo Herr'd OdoHerr !! I stilll stay in touch with Bill Jentz. He's happily retired still cranking out photo product of female frames.

I remember driving with them in a car and talking about where bodybuilding was going. One of them said: "If you look like this now...imagine what womens' bodybuilding will be in 10 years !" That was back in 1981 or so. Ok I said...you wait...Bev Frances will one day wear a posing suit and be on the stage and blow you all away. We all laughed....then pondered it. AND......eventually it happened !!!!!
Now look. Iris Kyle .....absolutely astounding. Time flies. ( wonder what FBB will be in another 10 years...hummm )

asianfitnessfan · February 02, 2015, 05:13:58 AM

I really enjoy reading your perspectives, Alison. Hope you keep posting here and enjoying life.

alison brundage · February 04, 2015, 11:10:42 PM

Another Story
I lived and trained in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. In the course of doing many contests there I had the opportunity to meet Tommy Kono. Tommy Kono had a health food store in Honolulu and continued to be behind the scenes in the weightlifting arena there.
Tommy Kono
Kono was a gold medalist at both the 1952 Summer Olympics and 1956 Summer Olympics, and a silver medalist at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Kono won the World Weightlifting Championships 6 consecutive times from 1953 to 1959, and set a total of 21 world records. Kono is also a 3 time Pan American Games champion in 1955, 1959, and 1963.

In 1976, Kono was head coach of the United States' Olympic weightlifting team in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Kono was also a successful Bodybuilder, winning the Iron Man Mr. World title in 1954.

In the 1970s Kono moved to Hawaii, where he has lived ever since. On his home visits he holds workshops in weightlifting.

In 1993 Kono was elected to the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.[2] Kono is also an inductee to the Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen (A.O.B.S.) Hall of Fame

What a set of credentials he had !!!!

Here's several snap shots taken after a contest there. In the pics are Tommy Kono (lower right) and Larry Scott along with some Hawaii contest promoters and contestants.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login That's Tommy Kono with the round glasses there. Larry Scott upper left. Bill Nelson lower left middle. Imagine how exciting this was for me ! I devoured ironman Magazines. These were all time heros I got to rub elbows with. Great memories.
Alison
Julie McNew was guest poser along with Larry Scott for that contest when the shots were taken. I think that's her in the background in that lower right photo.

mooveeguy · February 05, 2015, 02:56:48 AM

Alison, given that the Aloha State was home for you for many years, did you ever happen to hear of Harold Sakata in the local news? I forgot what his name was when he was a grappler but he was a formidable and fierce wrestler best known for playing the valet with a lethal bowler in Goldfinger.

alison brundage · February 05, 2015, 02:22:44 PM

nope didn't know the fella......He lived on the island of Hawaii I lived on the island of Oahu.
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Alison

mooveeguy · February 05, 2015, 05:33:42 PM

What would you say your bodyfat level was in that last pic and that one of you and Larry Scott?

NinjaStar · February 05, 2015, 06:44:08 PM

Please don't take this the wrong way Alison, but when I read your posts, it's like listening to my grandma tell stories. It makes me all warm and fuzzy.