Ray Stern

Ray Thunder Stern, born Walter Bookbinder on January 12, 1933, and died on March 6, 2007, was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and entrepreneur. At age 13 he joined the Merchant Marines using the name Paul Davis and discovered bodybuilding, a sport he loved so much that he carried a pair of 50 pound dumbbells in his duffel bag for workouts. In 1950 he began wrestling at age 17 in New York City working for Rudy Dusek, and promoters nicknamed him Thunder because of his penchant for aerial moves. He opened the first co-ed gym in the United States, in San Francisco, California, as well as the first with a nursery, worked in real estate and rental properties, and founded Stern Air in Addison, Texas, with a fleet of Lear Jets and Falcons.