WESTERN PHOTOGRAPHY GUILD
Box 2801
Denver, Colo. 80201

SERIES 62: BILL PUGLIESE

To almost everyone who knows him Bill Pugliese seems like fortune's favorite child. He's good-looking, intelligent, beautifully built, witty, popular with both sexes, a good conversationalist -- in short, a fine product of a happy middle-class American home.

The exception is Bill. He has doubts, and he's hard to convince. Perhaps the reason is that Bill sets standards for himself that are too high. In any event, though he might not admit it, his own opinion of himself is the most important one to him, and he's his own severest critic.

Perhaps therein lies some of his charm. Wherever he goes, Bill is noticed. His strong features and rugged handsomeness cause heads to turn, but Bill seems always unaware of the attention he is attracting. Far from showing conceit in his manner, he usually gives at least a hint of self-deprecation.

Bill Pugliese by Don Whitman / Western Photography Guild

Bill first came to our attention when he entered the Jr. Mr. Colorado Contest at the age of 16 -- not without much trepidation, and only after repeated urging from his workout partners. He didn't win the contest; it's difficult for a 16-year-old to compete with the added maturity of 18- and 19-year-olds. But Bill's basically fine physique and the elegance of his posing evoked much applause.

A few days after the contest we asked if he would be interested in posing for our cameras, and characteristically his reply was that it would be a waste of our time and film. At length we convinced him of his potential as a model, and he admitted he would like to see how he looked in professional photos. On his very first trip to our Hidden Valley near Franktown we found him to be one of the most apt models we had ever photographed, responsive and serious, with a fine natural ability to feel each pose as a whole rather than a collection of body parts.

His posing combines the eagerness of a friendly puppy with the quiet refinement of mood and movement of a young patrician.

Bill could have the blood of Italian or French princes in his veins. He's descended from those two nationalities, although his family name for several generations has been given the anglicized pronunciation of Pug-lease'-ee. His given name is William Samuel, but he has always been called either Bill or Billy, and he prefers the former.

Bill was born 19 years ago on November 7th in the flourishing Denver suburb of Lakewood, and has lived there ever since. He was the first child, and has a brother two years younger who thus far has shown none of the athletic bent of Bill, who began playing ball soon after he was able to toddle. Bill liked sports so much that his mother often found it difficult to get him home for meals. He became a Little Leaguer as soon as he was eligible.

His childhood was normal, with Bill getting along well in the excellent Jefferson county schools, which have received national recognition from the late Edward R. Murrow and others. He early displayed an ability to get along well with others, both his peers and teachers. Although not aggressive, Bill achieved a reputation for quiet competence, and his services were much in demand, including selection as co-chairman of his high school junior prom. He worked on his high school yearbook, and was elected to the National Honor Society and pep club.

In high school Bill was an all-round participant in team sports, including football, basketball and baseball. He also excelled in gymnastics and wrestling, particularly after he began using weights in what may be the best-equipped high school weight room in the country, with, among other equipment, some 30 Olympic sets. When summer vacation came, he got a membership at Holiday Health Studio in Denver, and began serious workouts. He decided to enter the contest chiefly at the steady urging of Jack Weiner, a workout companion and one of Denver's most avid bodybuilders although now in his fifties.

Once his mind was made up, Bill worked hard preparing for the contest. He enjoyed the competition and new friends he made at the event, taking his defeat at the hands of older and more experienced entrants philosophically. The following year, when he was 17, Bill just missed a trophy in a contest marked by an unusual influx of rugged competitors, and the year after he decided to pass it up because a summer job with long hours left him little time for the gym. At 19 he became the youngest judge ever on the five-man panel for both junior and senior contests. Unlike some super-competitive bodybuilders, Bill can view with equanimity the physical accomplishments of others, and apparently is completely free of jealousy, as happy with the physical achievements of others as with his own.

Now a sophomore college student in a rugged engineering course, Bill is hitting the books hard, wrestling varsity and working out at the health studio whenever he finds time. He's not entirely convinced that he wants to become an engineer, and may change his major to business or psychology.

In his spare time Bill enjoys a few beers and talk with the fellows, dinner and listening to jazz on the stereo with a girl, a movie about every other month and reading in bed before he goes to sleep. He drives a light blue near-new Chevy, which he keeps clean and fine-tuned. His dress is usually tastefully casual, and he has a yen for Bermuda shorts, even in winter around the house. He hasn't found time for snow skiing yet, but has done a lot of water skiing. In summer he likes to spend as much time as possible on the water or in it. He's a fast, powerful swimmer and versatile on the diving board. In diving he's been helped by his participation in gymnastics, including trampoline, tumbling and long horse. He's especially good on twisting dives, and these have added to his muscular structure, particularly side and abdominal.

On meeting Bill, you'd be impressed first by his overall bearing and general look of good health that is so apparent it almost gives off vibrations. Then you'd notice his gleaming skin, reddish tan in summer and light olive in winter, clear, straightforward brown eyes and a rich, thick head of brown hair with the natural sheen supposedly the heritage of an ancestral diet of olive oil. He has bold facial features with a generous mouth and even teeth.

With his clothes off, Bill has about the broadest set of shoulders you'll find outside anyone's imagination. His muscularity is deep and dense, not at all superficial, and yet flowing and shapely, free from the blockiness of those who have pressed too far. His skin is virtually flawless and the growing hirsute areas are symmetrical and even in texture. Princely is the only word for his bearing, including the fine posture and controlled movements of a born athlete along with a touch of coltish spirit.

At 5'9" and 181 pounds, Bill has the following measurements: neck 16, chest normal 46, chest expanded 48 ½, biceps 16 ½, forearm 13 ½,waist 30, hips 36 ½,thigh 23 and calf 15 ½. He's a magnificent physical specimen, and altogether as likable and admirable a 19 year-old as you could hope to find.

Model Profile: Bill Pugliese

SERIES 62: BILL PUGLIESE