John D. Fair

John D. Fair, Ph.D. focuses on the study of physical culture with emphasis on weightlifting. He stays current in his field with yearly visits as a professor & research scholar at the Stark Center at the University of Texas and working in his own extensive personal archives. He also enjoys part-time teaching in the School of Kinesiology at Auburn University in Auburn, AL. A native of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, he was educated at Juniata College (B.A., 1965), Wake Forest University (M.A., 1966) and Duke University (Ph.D., 1970). He has also held teaching appointments in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maine, and Georgia. His initial area of academic specialization included British and Irish History, but over the years he has pursued interests in Southern History and the History of Physical Culture and Sports. Dr. Fair has retired from both Auburn University at Montgomery (1997) and Georgia College & State University (2012). As an undergraduate John played intercollegiate tennis and started serious weight training. Since his first meet in 1964, he has competed in over 75 sanctioned weightlifting and powerlifting meets, some of which were in the master’s division. He was a member of the United States National Weightlifting Committee (1972-76) and served as the Southeast US Powerlifting Chairman (1973-76), a judge at the 1973 Mr. America Contest, and a volunteer in the weightlifting venue at the 1996 Olympics. Since 2002 he has been an official for the strongman competition at the annual Arnold Sports Festival in Ohio. John’s academic background includes authorship of seven books, including British Interparty Conferences, (Oxford, 1980); Harold Temperley (Delaware, 1992); Muscletown USA (Penn State, 1999); The Tifts of Georgia (Mercer, 2010); Mr. America (Texas, 2015); Muscles in the Movies (Missouri, 2020); and two volumes of The AUM Story (Montgomery, 1981 & 1989). He has also published hundreds of scholarly articles, book reviews and encyclopaedia articles, including 24 Encyclopaedia Britannica entries. His upcoming book will tell the story of “Tommy Kono: The Indomitable Spirit of America’s Greatest Weightlifter.” Academic honors include Alumni Professor of History, 1995-98 (AUM); Fellow, Royal Historical Society (London), 1996-Present; Professor Emeritus of History (Auburn University), 1997-Present; and the Excellence in Research and Publication Award, 2004-5, 2006-7, and 2010-11 (Georgia College). Gina Kolata’s book, Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Health and Exercise (2003), tells more about John’s involvement in physical culture.