Frank Bare was a "game changer."
Nearly five decades ago, from the dining-room table of his Tucson home, Bare developed a successful plan for promoting the sport of gymnastics in the U.S.
"Every once in a while, a game changer comes along. In the history of gymnastics in the U.S., that person was Frank Bare," wrote Olympic-gold-medal-winning gymnasts Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci in a tribute on the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame website. "With great leadership skills and fearless determination, Frank put the U.S. gymnastics program on the global map for the first time. Frank solved every challenge with guts, charisma and finesse. Even as he dealt with his deteriorating condition, Frank continued to inspire us with his dignity and grace. We all continue to benefit from Frank's vision for what gymnastics could and should be."
Bare, 80, died Feb. 25 of heart failure. In a cruel twist that the former athlete took in stride, he was diagnosed 20 years ago with inclusion-body myositis, a muscle-wasting disease that severely disabled the one-time championship gymnast.
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"Frank moved people in a quiet way," said his wife of almost 17 years, Linda Bare. "No one saw his physical disabilities. They only saw Frank, with his positive attitude, and (as) a man who fought a hard fight."
An inner-city kid from St. Louis, Bare received his early gymnastics training at the YMCA and an American Turner center, a fitness movement started in Germany in 1811.
He won an athletic scholarship from the University of Illinois, where he walked away with numerous national medals for gymnastics and became the 1952 NCAA pommel-horse champion.
Bare was training for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team when "he came flying off the high bar and dislocated his elbow, and that was the end of that," said his first wife, Vera Bare.
After completing a four-year stint in the Army as part of his ROTC commitment and returning to the University of Illinois to earn a master's degree in physical education, Bare moved his wife and children - Becky, Cydney and Frank - to Tucson in 1960, hoping the dry climate would ease young Frank's asthma symptoms.
Bare was working as an insurance underwriter in 1963 when he was tapped to head the fledgling U.S. Gymnastics Federation (USGF), now USA Gymnastics. At the time, barely 7,000 gymnasts were competing in the U.S., and the only major international events for gymnasts were the Olympic Games and the Pan American Games, according to USA Gymnastics.
Under Bare's leadership, the USGF hosted its first World Cup in 1969, gained membership into the International Gymnastics Federation and took over as the official governing body for gymnastics in the U.S. Bare's efforts elevated the reputations of American gymnasts on the international scene, and he introduced U.S. fans to world-class gymnasts from other countries. In the early 1970s, he organized U.S. tours that featured gymnasts from Russia, Romania and China. All the tours included stops in Tucson. He put together the first American Cup in Madison Square Garden in 1976 and, three years later, brought the World Championships to the Western Hemisphere for the first time when he staged the competition in Fort Worth, Texas.
Bare is considered "one of the most influential men in gymnastics in the United States," according to USA Gymnastics.
Bare left the USGF in 1980, but he remained involved in the promotion of gymnastics as chairman of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Russ Russo was the attorney for the USGF when it was based in Tucson. He'd known Bare for 55 years.
"Until the day he died he was very much involved. He was a great organizer. Frank could get things accomplished that other people were amazed at," Russo said.
Bare was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1999 for a lifetime of achievements.
The series
This feature chronicles the lives of recently deceased Tucsonans. Some were well-known across the community. Others had an impact on a smaller sphere of friends, family and acquaintances. Many of these people led interesting - and sometimes extraordinary - lives with little or no fanfare. Now you'll hear their stories.
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To suggest someone for Life Stories, contact reporter Kimberly Matas at kmatas@azstarnet.com or at 573-4191.