Strong Memories of Gypsy Boots

Re “Gypsy Boots, 89; Colorful Promoter of Healthy Food and Lifestyles,” obituary, Aug. 10: I had the pleasure of meeting Gypsy Boots a few times at a gym I belonged to back in the ‘70s. One thing I’ll never forget about him is that he was the naturally strongest human I’ve ever known. He had this neat circus trick where would pull a big 10-penny nail out of his gym bag and pass it around, challenging anybody including all the local muscle heads to try to bend it. Nobody ever could. Then Gypsy would take the nail back and bend it like a horseshoe. And if it was your lucky day he might even give it to you.

He always claimed he could rip a telephone book in half with just one hand, but I never saw him do it. Nobody ever really figured out his age either. Maybe he really was closing in on 1,000.

So long, Gypsy Boots.

Steve Knight

Rosemead