DAILY NEWS PEOPLE : THEO HASAPES.At 76, Theo Hasapes leads an uplifting life. Six years ago, he created the Sampson Seventies Strong Men Club, a vaudeville club in which men have to be at least 70 and perform stunts. Hasapes' specialty is lifting a 101-pound dumbbell Dumbbell An investment strategy, used mainly for bonds, where holdings are heavily concentrated in both very short and long term maturities. Notes: This is also known as a barbell, charting on a timeline gives the appearance of a barbell or dumbbell. over his head in three seconds, resting it on his forehead and then playing his harmonica harmonica. 1 The simplest of the musical instruments employing free reeds, known also as the mouth organ or French harp. It was probably invented in 1829 by Friedrich Buschmann of Berlin, who called his instrument the Mundäoline. . The group performs at senior-citizen centers, rest and convalescent con·va·les·cent adj. Relating to convalescence. n. A person who is recovering from an illness, an injury, or a surgical operation. convalescent 1. pertaining to or characterized by convalescence. 2. homes. ``I wanted to be a role model for seniors,'' Hasapes said, to motivate people to work out. ``Some people just sit there and wait to die, (I) have to pump them up. God gave me this gift of lift - the least I can do is try to help people.'' AGE: 76. RESIDENCE: Woodland Hills. BORN AND RAISED IN: Alliance, Ohio. He came to Los Angeles in 1948. OCCUPATION: Retired from teaching students at Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles. MARITAL STATUS: Widower. CHILDREN: Two daughters, Cathy Luxenberg and Helen Hasapes. PETS: A beagle beagle, breed of dog beagle, breed of small, compact hound developed over centuries in England and introduced into the United States in the 1870s. It stands between 10 and 15 in. (25.4–38.1 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 20 and 40 lb (9. named Daffney. BIGGEST DILEMMA: ``I don't have the luxury of youth. If I want to lift weights, I have to lift healthier today than I did the day before. This puts me further away from the Grim Reaper. If you don't live right, you lose your strength. I have a compulsion to live.'' MOST DIFFICULT DAILY TASK: ``Scouting around for men 70 and over who are strong enough to join my shows. It is not easy - everyone breaks down.'' FAVORITE DAILY TASK: ``When the TV or (newspapers) call me up for my exhibitions, it gives me a chance to get before the public and get people fired up. (This) gives me personal satisfaction and self-esteem that is what is life all about. I want to keep people motivated. The minute you let down, you are through.'' BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: ``My wife passed away when she was 25, and she left me with two little babies. She had a tumor in her stomach. I promised her I would take care of my two daughters. I kept (that promise).'' GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: ``My two daughters. I could have sent them to their relatives in Greece. They said I should, but I didn't.'' He is also very proud of his grandchildren, Greg, 2-1/2, and Linda, 4-1/2. GOALS FOR THE FUTURE: ``To continue to (attempt to) set world records (for lifting weights) and play my harmonica.'' WHO RELIES ON YOU THE MOST AND WHO DO YOU RELY ON: ``The members of my club rely on me to keep them in shape. I rely on my daughter Helen; she acts as my manager.'' ROLE MODELS: ``I am a practicing Christian. Jesus Christ is my role model. Next is Sampson, who was the strongest man who ever lived; then my father, he was a circus strongman; and then Joe Weider, the father of modern body building, is my present-day role model.'' HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?: ``Absence of sickness and the incurable diseases, to live happily and self-sufficient and to die peacefully in my sleep.'' DO YOU HAVE ANY GUILTY PLEASURES: ``I go down to Venice Beach and watch the beautiful girls go by.'' FAVORITE VALLEY HANGOUTS: ``Racquetball World, Jerry's Famous Deli Wikipedia is not the place for advertisement or self-advertising. Jerry's Famous Deli is a Los Angeles-based delicatessen famous for its huge menu, which boasts over 700 deli and traditional food items. and Noah's Bagels in Woodland Hills. I also go to all the Italian restaurants on Ventura Boulevard and order my spaghetti and meatballs Noun 1. spaghetti and meatballs - spaghetti with meatballs in a tomato sauce dish - a particular item of prepared food; "she prepared a special dish for dinner" .'' FAVORITE FOODS: ``Spaghetti and meatballs, moussaka mous·sa·ka n. A Greek dish consisting of layers of ground lamb or beef and sliced eggplant topped with a cheese sauce and baked. [Serbo-Croatian, from Turkish mussakka , olives, feta fet·a n. A white semisoft cheese usually made of goat's or ewe's milk and often preserved in brine. [Modern Greek (turi) pheta, (cheese) slice, from Italian fetta, slice cheese, bagels with cream cheese, potato pancakes, retsina ret·si·na n. A Greek white or rosé wine flavored with pine resin. [Modern Greek, probably from Italian resina, resin, from Latin r (a Greek wine), and I am crazy about pepperoni.'' FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: ``Going to retirement homes - this is my spiritual dedication - and having my daughter book me for shows to play the harmonica.'' HOBBIES: ``Writing and doing research on health, strength, nutrition and longevity.'' WHAT MAGAZINES DO YOU READ?: Angels on Earth, Muscle and Fitness, Flex and the Journal of Longevity Research.'' WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?: ``The Bible - it has all the vitamins you need for a happy, healthy spiritual life - and `Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart & Rekindle the Spirit' by Jack Canfield and Mark V. Hansen.'' LAST MOVIE YOU SAW: ``Independence Day.'' FAVORITE TV SHOWS: `` `Touched by an Angel.' You can get hooked on that show. Biographies on A&E, `The World's Strongest Man' shows and `The Tonight Show' with Jay Leno.'' WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?: ``Greek bouzouki bouzouki Long-necked lute used in Greek popular music. Developed from a Turkish instrument early in the 20th century, it has a pear-shaped body and a fretted fingerboard. music. I like Hebrew folk songs. I even like Gilbert and Sullivan 1. William Schwenk Gilbert erson> and Sir Arthur Sullivan erson>, who collaborated on a number of light operas. See Gilbert. Noun 1. Gilbert and Sullivan - the music of Gilbert and Sullivan; "he could sing all of Gilbert and Sullivan" .'' WHAT WOULD BE A PERFECT DAY FOR YOU?: ``I would want to go to the gym for a perfect workout, to break my previous record on one of my lifts: bench-press 210 pounds or swing 105 pounds over my head. That means I must be living healthfully health·ful adj. 1. Conducive to good health; salutary. 2. Healthy. See Usage Note at healthy. health . That is a good sign that I am going to be around a day or two.'' WHERE DO YOU GO TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL?: ``I go to Venice Beach and reminisce rem·i·nisce intr.v. rem·i·nisced, rem·i·nisc·ing, rem·i·nisc·es To recollect and tell of past experiences or events. [Back-formation from reminiscence. , I can see (all the strong) people in my field.'' YOUR IDEA OF A PERFECT VACATION: ``Limone, Italy, a town in Italy, where they identified a longevity gene. I want to arm-wrestle these guys my age, I want to see if they can outlift me. That would be a big dream for me.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Harmonica-playing weightlifter Theo Hasapes performs at the Canoga Care Center in Canoga Park. Phil McCarten/Daily News |
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