Champion, Columnist, and Physical Culturist: Arthur F. Gay's Writings and the Making of Rochester's Health and Strength Community

The interwar period was a boon for strength writers. Bernarr Macfadden’s Physical Culture, Bob Hoffman’s Strength & Health, and George Jowett’s The Body Builder all published articles on strength, wellness, and occasional dietary advice to readers across the United States. The publications fought not only for supremacy of market share, but also for writers to fill their pages. Legendary strength figures such as Ottley Coulter and Earle Liederman routinely found a home in these magazines for their sage advice, knowledge of the strength community’s history, and a bit of self-promotion. Because of their writings, several of these writer/strength athletes are widely known today courtesy of historical studies by Jan Todd, John Fair and other scholars. However, one man—and his equally impressive and gifted wife—has yet to receive scholarly attention. This paper aims to add Arthur F. Gay and his wife, Emily, to the prominent list of interwar strength writers. In doing so I also examine how their writings influenced the health and strength community of their hometown Rochester, New York.