Bill Golumbick R.I.P.

[Big Pat]

Sorry to report that Mr. Bill Golumbick has died. A friend who trained at Parkway Fitness (Valley Barbell Club) stated that Bill had fractured his hip approximately six weeks ago and his health deteriorated rapidly afterward. For those in the San Diego area who wish to attend his funeral it is Tuesday 10/14/08 @ 10AM at El Cajon Mortuary.

I was familiar with Mr. Golumbick's gym when it was Valley Barbell Club at the Gillespie field location. Never met Bill but it was interesting to see Scott Wilson who was training there at that time. Not many "real" gyms left in San Diego!

May Bill rest in peace.

Big Pat

PS. If someone familiar with the image posting procedure on this site post a image of Mr. Golumbick I would appreciate it.

[johnny1]

Sorry to report that Mr. Bill Golumbick has died. A friend who trained at Parkway Fitness (Valley Barbell Club) stated that Bill had fractured his hip approximately six weeks ago and his health deteriorated rapidly afterward. For those in the San Diego area who wish to attend his funeral it is Tuesday 10/14/08 @ 10AM at El Cajon Mortuary.

I was familiar with Mr. Golumbick's gym when it was Valley Barbell Club at the Gillespie field location. Never met Bill but it was interesting to see Scott Wilson who was training there at that time. Not many "real" gyms left in San Diego!

May Bill rest in peace.

Big Pat

PS. If someone familiar with the image posting procedure on this site post a image of Mr. Golumbick I would appreciate it.

Hey Big Pat!!... ive never heard of Bill before mate, he looked like a very solid BB for the times, (1950s) but as reqested here you are 2 of Bill Golumbick any information form those days about Bill you can share?

[Big Pat]

Johnny1, thank you for posting the images of Mr. Golumbick.

I have a little info on Bill. To the best of my recollection he started at Mr. Stern's (Leo) gym in North Park (San Diego). After he stopped competing in 1963, he opened Valley Barbell Club in Spring Valley CA, a few miles from Geo. Redpath's gym. Bill later move the Club (always a non-profit corp) to El Cajon. This is were he picked up a few members when Ralph Kroger sold his gym and were Scott Wilson latter trained. After they redeveloped the old army barracks that the gym was in, he moved to the current location in La Mesa and named it Parkway Fitness.

The unique thing about Mr. Golumbick in the 60's and 70's was that he made most all of his equipment, including all the bars, benches and dumbbells. At one time he made a scott curling bench with a three speed transmission. Mr. Golumbick was an engineer that worked for one of the large aerospace companies in the San Diego area. He also latter taught welding classes through an adult ed. program. He  had the first "key club" gym in San Diego, 24 hour access 365 days a year. He ran a tight ship with his gym and that got on the nerves of a more than a few, but it was his gym for over 45 years. The gym has recently filed for bankruptcy and many members have pledged finances to help reorganize and keep it open. It was stated at a meeting of the membership that all the equipment would be donated to the new organization if they find a suitable location. Mr. Golumbick was a very unique and special man and has a fine legacy here in San Diego.

I have never met Bill, but I have been hearing things about him for many years. Many have been training at his gym since the beginning (1964) and I am sure they could really speak of the man and his expertise. I wish him peace and a safe journey home.

San Diego has had it share of real gyms run by many titled physique competitors. It has been interesting to see and have been a part of.

Big Pat

[johnny1]

Yeah its amazing that the old-time blokes like Bill, Joe Gold and 1 or 2 others could make the most out of the equipment they had to use back in those days, which from what i understand alot of times was old railway steel, bars, axles, scrap pipes etc...and interestedly enough guys like Arnold himself has said some of the best machines/gym gear hes used was the stuff Mr Gold made with a blow torch and a head full of ideas!!!!..thanks for the info mate!

[onlyme]

Yeah its amazing that the old-time blokes like Bill, Joe Gold and 1 or 2 others could make the most out of the equipment they had to use back in those days, which from what i understand alot of times was old railway steel, bars, axles, scrap pipes etc...and interestedly enough guys like Arnold himself has said some of the best machines/gym gear hes used was the stuff Mr Gold made with a blow torch and a head full of ideas!!!!..thanks for the info mate!

Yes Joe some of his equipment we used at the Original World Gym.  I mentioned before one day seeing Kal Skyzlak(?) with this little note pad and pencil.  he was drawing some of the equipment and wanted to make some of his own.  When Joe came in he would hid the note pad and pencil.  he was funny

[JohnnyVegas]

Sorry to report that Mr. Bill Golumbick has died. A friend who trained at Parkway Fitness (Valley Barbell Club) stated that Bill had fractured his hip approximately six weeks ago and his health deteriorated rapidly afterward. For those in the San Diego area who wish to attend his funeral it is Tuesday 10/14/08 @ 10AM at El Cajon Mortuary.

I was familiar with Mr. Golumbick's gym when it was Valley Barbell Club at the Gillespie field location. Never met Bill but it was interesting to see Scott Wilson who was training there at that time. Not many "real" gyms left in San Diego!

May Bill rest in peace.

Big Pat

PS. If someone familiar with the image posting procedure on this site post a image of Mr. Golumbick I would appreciate it.

Valley Barbell-you  must be an old timer, they haven't used that name in over 20 years.

Knny187 knows this guy, and worked out at Parkway Fitness. His gym was like walking into a time warp, but the equipment was the best maintained equipment out of any gym I have ever been to.

Loved the old proto type Nautilus machines he has.

I didn't know the gym filed BK, but that is not surprising by the way he ran it-you just cannot have a gym where there is no one around to answer the door, phone and questions-and his personality was not suited to customer service. Probably the only thing that kept him going was the well maintained equipment.

[JohnnyVegas]

Yeah its amazing that the old-time blokes like Bill, Joe Gold and 1 or 2 others could make the most out of the equipment they had to use back in those days, which from what i understand alot of times was old railway steel, bars, axles, scrap pipes etc...and interestedly enough guys like Arnold himself has said some of the best machines/gym gear hes used was the stuff Mr Gold made with a blow torch and a head full of ideas!!!!..thanks for the info mate!

The best gym equipment custom made-anywhere-is at the Santa Monice BBing Center, this guy George owns it-and he made everything in there. All painted orange. Cool place, but small. On Olympic at 18th street next to the 10 freeway 

[knny187]

Man, this sucks.

Well, since now Bill has passed away, I hold no grudges. 

The equipment in that gym was the best.  I would pay any amount of money for his tricep machine he made by the front entrance.  He also hand made a forearm machine/wrist roller that was incredible by the front door.  I would pay dearly for that machine if I could get my hands on it.  I also loved his donkey calf machine, truly, one of a kind.

Yes, I knew Bill, but our relationship wouldn't be considered 'chummy'. 

Damn....I would love to get some of those pieces.

[johnny1]

Man, this sucks.

Well, since now Bill has passed away, I hold no grudges. 

The equipment in that gym was the best.  I would pay any amount of money for his tricep machine he made by the front entrance.  He also hand made a forearm machine/wrist roller that was incredible by the front door.  I would pay dearly for that machine if I could get my hands on it.  I also loved his donkey calf machine, truly, one of a kind.

Yes, I knew Bill, but our relationship wouldn't be considered 'chummy'. 

Damn....I would love to get some of those pieces.

Did you workout @ bill's in recent times or from the 70s,80s?..those hand made wrist roller/forearm pieces are awesome, when i started out in the Late 1980s the "gym" i went to was a massive 5 car garage rolled into one, all the gear in there was handmade, the dumbells were crude loose plates welded togeather,the Hack squat and leg press used to shake and wobble like hell, the lat pull down had a huge round plate connected to the wire where you would throw metal plates on then u had to balance yrself legs out straight and pull the weight down and the best of the lot ..well i seemed to think so was that wrist/forearm roller...the owner came from england (his house joined to the "gym") and was a decent BB in the 60s and early 70s, id sit around after working out listening to his tales of having meet and trained with Sergio and Arnold @ the Duncan back in the 60s..crude as that gym was i still think it was one of the best gyms Ive ever trained at...no wimps, no music,no woman,no big screen t.vs, no aerobic classes etc...just hardout... straight in, straight out!

[knny187]

Did you workout @ bill's in recent times or from the 70s,80s?..those hand made wrist roller/forearm pieces are awesome, when i started out in the Late 1980s the "gym" i went to was a massive 5 car garage rolled into one, all the gear in there was handmade, the dumbells were crude loose plates welded togeather,the Hack squat and leg press used to shake and wobble like hell, the lat pull down had a huge round plate connected to the wire where you would throw metal plates on then u had to balance yrself legs out straight and pull the weight down and the best of the lot ..well i seemed to think so was that wrist/forearm roller...the owner came from england (his house joined to the "gym") and was a decent BB in the 60s and early 70s, id sit around after working out listening to his tales of having meet and trained with Sergio and Arnold @ the Duncan back in the 60s..crude as that gym was i still think it was one of the best gyms Ive ever trained at...no wimps, no music,no woman,no big screen t.vs, no aerobic classes etc...just hardout... straight in, straight out!

I was there for almost 2 years....97' & 98'.  I've only seen the pictures of the old gym.  He had a bunch done up & had them all over the walls.  That wrist roller was a one of a kind & hand made.  Who ever made it (Bill or this other guy) made it heavier by design than what would really be necessary.  Then again, every piece that Bill made was really heavy steel.  I just felt Bill was a little loose in the head though.  He has all od these rules which were really absurd.  I can understand about having respect for the equipment & not dropping it or etc, but he had rules for what cable machines were to do what exercise.  I remember specifically he had one cable pull down for "back only" & one cable pull down for "triceps only".  The back pull down had your back to the mirror & the tricep pulldown had no mirror to be found.  Also, the weight stack on the tricep press down was to light.  So I remember getting into an arguement with him one day about it after he told me I was using the wrong cable.  I can be very brass at times & told him 'who was the dumbass that set these up this way?"  Of course I knew it was him, but wanted to see the expression on his face when I did that.  Bill was a very small guy & pretty timid.  He mumbled something, & walked away.  If I'm not mistaken, I think I went as far as saying "stop interupting me during my set" because he was VERY notorious for doing that to people.  Seriously, if you're lying down doing dumbbell presses, no body needs a little man with white hair bending over & asking you questions.  He was really bizarre that way.  I would get back at him in other ways.  For example, one day he was working out on the cable crossover doing rear flyes.  He was jerking the weight as he had an extra 10 pounds heavier than his 20 pounds he usually uses.  I stood there, turned, & started laughing saying "what the hell is that".  I figured if he wanted to throw me out, by all means fine.  He did eventually & it's only becuase of how annoying he became, I would become even worse.

[johnny1]

Gee mate he sounds like the bloke who owned that first gym Ive been on about.. ...very strict, don't do this, don,t do that...got on my nerves abit..but i showed him respect because i  knew he was 100 times more knowlegible than myself and i was real keen to learn..George who owned that gym would of been about 60 yrs old back in 1988 and i was 14.. ...so i guess i just shut my mouth and didn,t answer him back cause he was like a very, very old man to me back then, but some of those storys about Sergio and Arnold back in their day.. ...he showed me photos of him with Arnold and others with Sergio standing there at different gyms with those stinking looking sweet tops and pants with holes in back then ...I'm going to be in his home town again next month and hopefully hes still alive and kicking.