I know that several investigators read this site — or at least, they did at one point. I’m interested in finding out all I can about an old-time Cleveland strong man who passed away in 1998. If you can help me out, please contact me, or drop a note in the comments.
Thanks.
Do you mean this guy: http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/blog/labels/Nail%20Bending.html?
More:
http://www.geocities.com/micheledanielle/calvary.html
http://www.powerathletesmag.com/archives/Girevik/Fourth/interviewcecchine.htm
http://bulk.resource.org/gpo.gov/record/1998/1998_E00683.pdf
BTW, I’m not an investigator. Just a programmer with a spare moment, and google.
i hope there is a book coming out of this research.
I know all that about him, Patrick. I’m looking to track down remaining family and to find out additional historical information. I’ve been in touch with Case Western U and the Western Reserve Historical Society; I have the publishers of Strength and Health Magazine looking through old issues for mentions.
So, yeah, done the Google thing and more. Thanks, though.
If there was a book coming out of this research, you could certainly count on nishi to misunderstand it.
If this is a book, I love it! Gets me thinking about that Coen Brothers movie, “Barton Fink.”
Good luck!
Google Groups sometimes has older, somewhat weirder (google “kryptonite to stupid” if you want an early 90s take on someone’s porn obsession) results.
In this case, Dennis Kuchinich talks about Stanley Radwan on the Floor of Congress.
—————————————————-
IN MEMORY OF STANLEY RADWAN
______
HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, April 28, 1998
Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of
Stanley Radwan, a native of Poland and a famed strongman. Mr. Radwan’s
life was filled with amazing accomplishments, both physical and mental.
He embodied the spirit of a hardworking individual.
Born in Poland in 1908, Radwan was a distinct child from his birth,
showing off his strength for childhood friends during his youth. He
joined several Polish fraternal organizations and clubs, taking great
pride in his Polish heritage. His national pride inspired him to join
the Polish navy and learn many languages before World War II.
Unfortunately, Radwan was captured by the Nazis and became a prisoner
of war at the Bergen-Belsen camp. He became legendary in the camp as he
escaped briefly by pushing a brick wall over with his bare hands.
Radwan immigrated to the United States after the war and established
himself in Northeastern Ohio.
Mr. Radwan, also known as the “Polish Strongman” and the “King of
Iron and Steel,” wrestled professionally for over twenty years and was
never defeated. He amazed his audience with feats of strength including straightening horseshoes, pulling cars with his teeth, and ripping quarters in half. Radwan even demonstrated these talents on the television show “You Asked For It.” Radwan also served his new
country in many capacities, most notably as a bodyguard for Cleveland
officials and a worker in the Cuyahoga County Auditor’s Office. He was
noted for his clean attendance record and his hard work at the office.
Radwan never lost touch with his Polish heritage, hosting a polish-
language radio show and working with Polish organizations. He is
survived by two sons, a daughter, and seven grandchildren.
My fellow colleagues, join me in saluting the life of a true
“strongman” in all facets of the word: Stanley Radwan.
____________________
Maybe a call to the Cuyahoga County Auditors office would help with US-based relatives. Since Stanley was born in Poland in 1908, that could make his ancestors tough to track down.
.
Please, I beg you. Tell me that this is not where pr0n intersects with Oliver Willis. There isn’t enough alcohol to bleach something like that out of your brain, and I don’t have the constitution to take up smack.
I thought Oliver Willis’ tagline was “Like Liquid Nails to Stupid”.
Have you tried contacting Bill Hinbern at http://www.superstrengthbooks.com/? He collect stuff on those old timers.
Jeff G. : I gotta tell ya, man, after reading through the threads on the site you linked I’m never complaining about the integrity and intelligence of the worst barking moonbat troll on this site.
OK, that’s a lie but *yeesh.* Some of them sound like the relatives of a certain stay at home and blog out of my basement guy known for not just stepping over the line but launching himself off the cliff with all of the critical thinking skills of a dutch oven.
I worry about your ability not to end up crawling into a Cuervo bottle with a lifetime supply of Atavan.
Maybe somebody here:
POLISH ARMY VETERANS ASSN. OF AMERICA,INC
17 IRVING PLACE
NEW YORK, NY 10003-0000
Might have known him or know someone who knew him. Apparently he was a co-plaintiff in a case with a bunch of people from this association back in the 70s. That’s from the Cuyahoga County civil court records. A lot of probate records are seachable online, too, but you have to know which jurisdiction to look in.
Is this the Stanley Radwan?
SSDI:
Name: Stanley J. Radwan
SSN: 078-24-8379
Last Residence: 44129 Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States of America
Born: 15 May 1908
Died: 6 Apr 1998
State (Year) SSN issued: New York (Before 1951 )
I think you said he was at Bergen-Belsen. There’s an entry for Stanislaw Radwan, wife Zofia and son Tadeusz arriving on the S.S. Polienski on May 14, 1947 … relocating to Cleveland June 17 1948. I’ll send you the film.
It’s a lot of stupid chest-thumping since at least 2000. I AM THE GREATEST!
YOUR HOOKS ARE INFESTED WITH CARNIES! IF YOU ARE GOOD AND LIKE YOUR METHOD OF WRASSELS YOU ARE NOT AWESOME! CARNIES! PAY ME ALL YOUR MONIES INSTEAD
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE
AND THAT INCLUDES NO CARNIES OR OCTUPUSES!
I WILL SNAP YOU LIKE A WOODEN NICKEL! WHICH IS A CARNIE THING!
I just don’t get the beef with the Radwan connection. People were seriously proposing that the connection was imaginary, or even that Radwan himself was imaginary, or a conartist, with no wrassels for real. Which is pretty stupid, given that Radwan lived and breathed and was on “you asked for it”, but Jeff’s friend lived in the same area, would have gone to the same church, friends’ mom remember it well, and that would have been the go-to-guy for learning wrassels.
Assuming there were only duplicitous stolen carnie hooks, or borrowed hooks, or called moves hooks when he should have called them yanks or trips, or they were hooks but he called them “snapples” what’s the diff? He learned to make guys cry uncle, and that seems to be the point.
For all my fail at wrestling history, I don’t see why they have to call Jeff’s friend a crook, just to say their snapples are better.
Please, I beg you. Tell me that this is not where pr0n intersects with Oliver Willis
Worse. Google Groups is also where Oliver Willis talks about his writing which includes fictional hardcore porn. Your best bet is to go to an internet-equipped Cat III government lab with full Hazmat remediation protocols if you’re going to do a search.
At least it’s fictional.
Right?
Oh, Jesus BS. Provide the links. If you do, I promise to do a parody. Stuff like that gets me reinterested in pumping out new material.
Oh, and thanks for the tips and help. Yes, Diana, that is he. And Thanks SarahW, for the rootsweb tip. Also, thank you Kevin, for that contact idea, as well as Jim in KC. Still having to fight off a few assholes over on that thread (including our friend Side Show Blob, Breaker of Twig Peoples), but for the most part the thread has tried to veer back on course.
Josh Barnett was debating Eddie Bravo on a thread at mma underground today, and in it he chastised Bravo for making fun of catch and for taking shots at, among others Tony Cecchine.
I tell you, people. The politics in that venue is worth than in our usual area of the webverse — doubly so because a lot of the people you find yourself arguing with can’t put two sentences together in a coherent fashion.
SarahW has the cooliest snapples in her head I think.
As an update, this might be a newer address, with phone number:
Polish Army Veterans Association Of America, Inc
119 E 15th St Fl 4, New York, NY 10003-2101, United States
Phone: (212) 358-0306
I’m having a hard time imagining O-dub writing pr0n. That’s a defense mechanism, I think.
For all my fail at wrestling history, I don’t see why they have to call Jeff’s friend a crook, just to say their snapples are better.
They are the rasslin’ version of our friend nishi, they can’t be mad leet unless you are teh suxxorz. Self-esteem is apparently a zero-sum game in their world.
I am noticing that when happyfeet is not here, people start turning into him.
BRING IT ON!!!
/no, not really.
Donde esta happyfeets?
Sleaze! by O Dubs Caveat Lector
Oliver’s Misc. Writings Ibid
Beware the Cannibal?
I’ve not been following things in the comments of this blog although I read it regularly. Is this some kind of Andy Kaufman/pro wrestling thing? What the hell is going on?
Is it possible he was Hooded Justice?
David 2000.
Are you a hick? Because I’m from Hollywood, baby.
Jeff, is that “strong man,” or “strongman?” Because I found guy by that name who was the Generalissimo Maximo of a certain Central American country until he was deposed by the cartels after a mix-up with a hundred keys of coke and a division of army irregulars back in the 70’s.
As long as he’s called a “catch wrestler,” it doesn’t much matter to me, Craig. Fuck the war on drugs. This is the war on Catch Wrestling Lineage Doubters!
Question: anybody here from Cleveland, or have access to university libraries and can get copies of some material from the Plain Dealer and Ohio Magazine?
If so, please let me know.
My father was a good friend of Stanley Radwan!! In fact, in 1986 My father and mother went from New York to visit with Mr Radwan. My father was always afraid to shake his hand. When they all were at a restaurant in Cleveland,he has torn a quarter in half for my Mother! My Mother then wanted Mr Radwan to just bend another quarter,but she did no have one. My Mother only had a nickel in which Mr Radwan has bent in a third. We still have the coins.My father had informed me while a POW two SS men approached him and said; “So you’re this Polish strongman that we hear about,the one who can bend steel! Then Bend This!!!” they shouted pointing a luger. He has effortlessly broke off the barrel of the luger. I would have loved to see the look on their faces. In fact, the waiter witnessed Mr Radwan bend the nickel in a third. He said “I would’nt have believed it unless I seen it with my own eyes”.
This man was my father, I have two older brothers, we were born in 46, 47, and 49. My parents were divorced when I was just born, and he kind of dropped out of our lives…My son is 25 and is trying to get Polish citizenship and needs any infor you have about stanley Radwan…please write back
You might want to put this in Radwan’s story.
On winter on Clevelands east side where he lived at neighbor noticed that a snow plow truck pushed his car off the street and over the curb on the grass.
So Radwan came out and lifted this car with a V-8 engine back onto the street. Thats really strong.
While in a Nazi camp a gard pointed a luger at him. He grabbed it and bent the gun barrel at a 90 degree angle.Thats a fact.
JB III
Stanley Radwan is my family, je?li Chcesz wiedzie? wi?cej napisz na mail
andy says odezwij si? na vladkaban@wp.pl
poszukuj? wszelkich informacji o Stanis?awie Radwanie
pozdrawiam