Robert L. Rice*

Born in 1929, Robert Rice grew up on a farm near Farmington, Utah. His parents had little formal education. Frail and thin as a youngster, Rice felt inferior to other boys his age.

After graduating from high school, Rice was inspired by a picture of the ancient Greek mythological Titan, Atlas, holding up the world. He began lifting weights to build his muscles and self-confidence. He also began reading books about successful people, such as Henry Ford, J. C. Penney, and F. W. Woolworth. After winning several body-building contests, he rented a second-floor gymnasium above a grocery store in Salt Lake City.

Rice built his business gradually, selecting high-traffic locations in growing areas for expansion. Investing in clean, modern facilities and more sophisticated equipment, he transformed the public perception of gyms from "sweat boxes" to spas. He also targeted his advertising to a new and untapped market of young, professional men and women. By the 1970s, European Health Spas, Inc. had grown to more than 150 locations with more than 500,000 members.

Rice was universally regarded as one of the leading pioneers of the physical fitness industry. In 1972, President Richard Nixon appoint him to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, where he served for four years. In 1974, Rice sold European Health Spas but returned later to the business and served as chairman of Spa Fitness Centers, Inc. He wrote a syndicated newspaper column in the early in 1970s and compiled many of his columns in his book titled Wake Up and Live.

"Success is not just measured in dollars," he once said. "If you get caught up in what materialism will bring, you end up on the wrong track, and eventually greed will get hold of you and do you more harm than good. Believe in yourself and prepare for life's ambition. Success takes hard work, realistic goals, discipline, and acceptance of past mistakes."