Chapter 14 Lovers &/or Friends with 9 Mr Universes – Mr Americas
written 10-13-22
Some were famous, some not. Some known mostly to body builders, one is a household word. Let’s start with the unknown Vern Weaver. I was startled to read he COMMITTED SUICIDE!
Above is Franco Columbu, in Sardinia, below Vern Weaver
Vern Weaver the 1963 AAU Mr. America
Forty contestants entered the 1963 AAU Mr. America contest held at the Zembo Mosque in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
In second place was the legendary African American Harold Poole, who walked off stage when his placing was announced. However, Poole had the consolation of winning the Most Muscular award.
Weaver won the tall man’s division at the 1964 NABBA Amateur Mr. Universe. His final physique competition was at the 1966 NABBA Professional Mr. Universe contest where he placed second in the tall man class.
Little is recorded regarding Vern Weaver from 1966 onward. It is known he took his life in 1993, at age 56
My Account:
It was an image of me as ‘Miss Body Beautiful USA’ 1965, in ‘Strength & Health’ magazine, that brought Vern Weaver to my door.
He wrote me a letter saying I was ‘the most beautiful woman he had ever seen’!
I answered him. I was 20 years old; ambitious to become a ‘somebody’ & he was Mr. America. He wrote from NY on his way to CA, he invited me to a show that was disastrous which altered the course of my life.
Yes, I was married, yes, we made love so I was ‘cheating’ but believe me, Stanley Everts deserved to be cheated on. He had forced me to marry him, tricked me into getting pregnant, & tried to strangle me to death twice. He deserved his 55 years in Purgatory.
All I can remember ‘doing’ with Vern is getting him a modeling job & he appeared in a sportswear catalog. He looked really strange, with all those muscles, next to skinny undeveloped male models. They looked astonished at him.
And at this show he took me to I met Bill Pearl & Mr Southern California, Bill McCardle with his photographer. The photographer said he’d put me on the cover of Strength & Health if I would pose with the champ – I agreed, the rest is ‘history.’
I have the account elsewhere, plus on my Kellie Everts bio website, let me skip the grim details here & move to
Harold Poole {below}
His Story on Wikipedia:
Harold Poole (December 25, 1943 – August 7, 2014) was
an AAU, IFBB and WBBG professional bodybuilder.
Biographyedit
Born in Louisville, Kentucky Poole’s athleticism was apparent very early on. He was quarterback on his football team at Shortridge High School in Indianapolis, placed fourth in the state high school wrestling championships, ran 440 yards in 50 seconds and put the 12 pound shot 55 feet.
In 1960, Poole entered the AAU Mr. America and, at the age of 16, took 18th place. His final AAU teen opportunity came in June 1963, where he won most muscular, but was the runner-up to Vern Weaver. Three months later, Poole switched to the IFBB and, at age 19, he won the Mr. Universe. In 1964, he became the first African-American to be named IFBB Mr. America. Starting in 1965, Poole became the only man to compete in the first three Mr. Olympia contests finishing runner-up to Larry Scott in the first two Olympias.
He retired from bodybuilding competition following the 1982 IFBB Night Of Champions, where he placed outside the top 10. He lived in Florida, where he continued to train with weights and practice martial arts until the end of 2010, when he moved to New York City. He was inducted to the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2004 and the WBBG Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, Poole was voted the Greatest Teenage Bodybuilder of All-Time.
Harold Poole died in New York City on August 7, 2014.[1]
Competition and award history
He was the IFBB Mr Universe 1963 – Mr USA IFBB 1971 – 1964 Mr America – Many other big trophies in top contests
My Account:
It all started with another woman. She was wild about him, although she was in love with another man!
This is not going to be a pretty story.
This lady hounded me to make love to Harold Poole until I gave in, & later regretted it. I was not big on sex then, it goes in stages with me, sometimes yes, sometimes no. For then it was no. It was prior to 1976, maybe “74 or “75. I had just gotten back from CA in 1972 & settling in to NYC, just wanted to be left alone, but she wouldn’t leave it be.
I know it was just because she wanted to experience him again through me – she’d bedded him & he didn’t want any more, but most men will try another woman, especially if she’s good looking. Let’s call this friend Angelina.
I want to make this short as it’s unpleasant thinking about it – I know that’s the case with many men, but that’s human nature it is not angelic, it is animal nature or below that.
So, anyway, he took me to his den. He was living with a young lady – I met her later. But he had a wing separate from his regular digs where he housed a bed as well as mega loads of weight equipment. There on that bed we made love about 10 times. It was a lot of work on both our parts, believe me, I did my share, lol.
Angelina gloated in the details – she was living through me. Yes, Harold was handsome & sexy, his body was a turn on, he had what it takes. I thought he was Mexican, I only found out later he was black by reading he was the ‘first black Mr. America.’
I read he endured wicked discrimination when they gave the title first to Vern Weaver, he was only second – everyone was shocked. The promoters were mega-racists & this was a great hardship to break through, but of course, eventually they did.
But let me say this & it hurts. All these guy were sensitive to their own travails, but not to those of women. They did not for one second think about how women were treated in the body building contests or elsewhere. Harold, like a typical handsome, sexy young man, got what he wanted & moved on. We met 3 times, then he lost interest. I went to his club & he was putting the make on a new female – he resented my intrusion.
I called again & he ignored me – it hurt.
But here is the worst part. I went into a strange depression after being involved with him, I couldn’t work or function, I didn’t know what to do. I thought was this rejection after an infatuation, just that?
I called my mentor, Rev Verna, in CA, begging for help. She saw the situation right away, & whatever bad I said about her, she came through at times with Supernatural healings. She said to me a tidbit I never heard of,
“He put a cloak of darkness on you.”
WHAT? Is Harold Poole some sort of demon? She said some of those magic words – from God – don’t recall what – & the spell was broken, a quasi-exorcism I suppose.
Within that second I was cured, Harold Poole disappeared from my mind, & I learned a valuable lesson. Demons can appear as angels of light. Some of the most handsome men are the most evil, & you can’t tell by looks or making love. It is deep inside, in the heart. Good bye Harold Poole, wherever you are, I hope its peace & you met your maker. If not, it has nothing to do with me.
Mickey Hargitay – Mr Universe
See Chapter 4!
Franco Columbu – Mr Universe, Mr Olympia & many other important titles
He’ll go down in my history as the one I cuckolded Arnold with, & boy, did I pay for that. Here he is on Wikipedia:
Francesco Maria Columbu[3] (August 7, 1941 – August 30, 2019) was an Italian bodybuilder, powerlifter, actor, author, producer, and a licensed chiropractor.
Originally a boxer, Columbu won the Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981, and competed in the inaugural edition of the World’s Strongest Man in 1977, where he placed fifth.[4] He also had an acting career and authored numerous books on bodybuilding and nutrition. Columbu was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame in 2001, and received the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.[5]
Columbu moved to Germany at a young age for work,[3] and met Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1965 at a bodybuilding competition in Stuttgart, Germany.[7][8] Columbu formed a lifelong friendship with Schwarzenegger,[9] and was Schwarzenegger’s best man for his marriage to Maria Shriver in 1986 and godfather to their daughter Christina.[10][11][12] Columbu and Schwarzenegger remained very close friends until Columbu’s death, with Schwarzenegger stating in 2016 “He was my favourite training partner four decades ago and he is my favourite training partner today.”[13]
With Schwarzenegger, Columbu moved to California in the late 1960s to train and work with Joe Weider.[6] Weider provided them with a place to live and an $80 (equivalent to $590 in 2021) per week stipend.[14] The stipend was not enough to live on, so to support their bodybuilding careers, they began a bricklaying company named European Brick Works in 1969.[12]
At 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) and a competition weight of around 185 pounds (84 kg), Columbu won the IFBB Mr. Europe and Mr. Universe titles in 1970, and the 1971 IFBB Mr. World. He won the lightweight class of the 1974 and 1975 IFBB Mr. Olympias, before winning the overall competition for the first time in 1976.[15]
Columbu participated in the inaugural edition of the World’s Strongest Man in 1977. He placed fifth, behind four men who outweighed him by around 100 pounds (45 kg).[16] During the event, he dislocated his left knee while carrying a refrigerator on his back.[6] The injury kept him out of competition for a few years, and he received a reported $1 million (equivalent to $4.5 million in 2021) in compensation.[17] Columbu returned to win the 1981 Mr. Olympia then retired from competition.[15]
Known for his strength, Columbu’s clean and jerk record was 400 pounds (181 kg), his bench press record was 525 pounds (238 kg), his squat record was 655 pounds (297 kg), and his deadlift record was 750 pounds (340 kg).[1][6] He was named in The Guinness Book of Records in 1978 for bursting a hot water bottle by blowing into it, which he achieved in 55 seconds.[5]
My Account
I’ve told this story so many times I’m weary of it, usually in the accounts of Arnold & myself.
In 1972 I went to the body building men’s & women’s contest at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, knowing Franco & Arnold would be there.
I was interested in Franco – he was my type at the time – & brought along a magazine with him on the cover, for him to autograph.
I saw the two of them sitting together, went behind them & showed Franco his magazine. Sometime snapped an image of Arnold popping eyes at my cleavage, there it was later in magazines.
Anyway, Arnold was a boob man I guess & he convinced me to go backstage – way back there, with him & as he had this magnetic will power I couldn’t resist, I followed him.
While we were starting to ‘make love’ a big black guy came by, Arnold had his back to him, front to me so didn’t see it. Then comes Franco, pissed saying,
“Kellie, I thought you were MY girl”
That stopped Arnold in his tracks. I exclaimed,
“I can be BOTH your girl”
and Arnold bellowed
“NO!”
So that ended that.
The next day I’m in the room with Franco, making love. I didn’t think about it – but these two were like twins & shared the room & Arnold WALKS IN!
From then on, Arnold, for this & a few things I DID NOT DO, had a vendetta against me of sorts, playing tricks & also blocking my promotion as the original female body builder. I know he & Joe Weider were partners in trying to steal my thunder & hand it over to Lisa Lyon or other women as the originators or the ones who deserved all the accolades. Eventually I won the recognition as Progenitor in the eyes of all, but it was a struggle.
So I had this date with Franco & later, he came to see me as my sister’s place where we had pictures taken. I was mad at him for something & did not go to make love again. Arnold had invited him to some fancy dinner & he went there instead of to me – so I held a grudge.
And that was the end of us except we saw each other again at a show in 1980, where Arnold pointed to him & said,
“There’s Franco,”
and he was with his wife – Arnold still resented my choosing him.
Jeez, what hurtful memories I have in body building.
However, Franco came to me again, this time when DEAD! I have a deep ministry to Purgatory – he was there & came to me for help. I helped. He is still there. When he ascends, I will be informed through a dream. Amen.
I was friends – not lovers – with 4 other Mr. Universe / Mr Americas – Reg Lewis, Denis Tinerino, Boyer Coe & Chris Dickerson. {To be continued}
