Kenneth Pendleton (1914-1971) was photographed memorably by Al Urban. He was one of the first African-American bodybuilders to make a name for himself, appearing on the scene about 1935. Mr. Pendleton has been described as "born a cripple" and being only 5'1" (155cm) tall, yet he won out over the famous Dan Lurie to win the "Most Muscular" division of the 1941 Mr. New York contest. After fighting in World War II, he dropped out of the bodybuilding scene.
Instagram has another photo, but it has been censored. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmc6XhboqmY/
ReplyDeleteThanks! Too bad it's covered.
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