Bruce N Conner

Vocation

American athlete and physical therapist, a weight lifter who won a championship title. Conner was born on Montana ranch built by his father; his grandfather, who served as unofficial "judge" for the community, became Montana's first speaker of the house. The family lost the ranch during the Great Depression after Bruce's father died at age 41. They moved to Los Angeles, and Bruce turned to sports and physical fitness. After graduating from UCLA, he won a Pacific Coast weight-lifting championship in 1938 for his weight class. He won another regional award for his high-jump. On weekends he went to what became known as "Muscle Beach" in the Los Angeles area. Along with Pudgy Stockton, a female weightlifter, and her husband Les, Conner formed a trio nicknamed "The Three Aces." Their athletic antics landed them on the cover of "Look" magazine. In 1947 he established a physical therapy center where he plied his trade as a registered physical therapy. He coached Olympics medalists and other athletes as well. He and his wife, married since the 1950s had four children. In 1968 he retired from business and returned to his roots in Montana where he continued to work out, maintain his physical fitness and began to write short stories based on his life.