Fitness icon Gaudino leaves legacy of movement, morality
Paul Gaudino, of the “Paul Gaudino Family Fitness Show” and holder of a Guinness World Record, has died. He was 87.
The Butler fitness icon put an emphasis on accessible exercise and, according to his oldest daughter, Debbie Gaudino, leaves a legacy as a moral and generous man.
“He touched a lot of people ... he was so one-of-a-kind,” she said Tuesday. “I can’t tell you how many people have heard of my dad.”
What started in a small local studio in April 1971 grew into a television show airing 44 years on local stations. Gaudino’s show was declared the longest-running fitness television show by Guinness World Records, and he continued training exercises, even in retirement, into 2015.
“His biggest goal was to get people moving and exercising and having them feel better about themselves,” Debbie said. “He taught that it’s not just about exercise; it’s about movement.”
Gaudino was born and raised in Butler, graduating from Butler High School in 1953. According to Debbie, he worked as a shoemaker for most of his early life before spending two years in the U.S. Army.
In 1959, during his last year stationed in Germany, Gaudino married his wife, Barbara. The two moved back to Butler, where Gaudino began taking fitness classes at the YMCA.
“Not many people know this, but he used to be a bodybuilder and weightlifter,” Debbie said. “We used to have a hundred trophies at home. The only reason he got out of it was because of steroids coming on the scene. He realized he didn’t have a hope of competing and refused to use them, so he transitioned to fitness.”
Gaudino offered to teach a class at the YMCA after being unhappy with how classes were taught, his daughter said.
“There would be a guy sitting at the front of the class smoking a cigarette, telling you what to do. So he told (the Y) he’d like to teach, and they gave him Monday nights at 9 p.m., the worst slot,” she said.
By word of mouth, Gaudino’s classes grew in popularity.
“The room was packed to the rafters,” Debbie said.
With the success of his classes, Gaudino set a goal to be like Jack LaLanne, a famous TV fitness instructor in the 1960s. The difference with Gaudino’s show would be his focus on family.
“My mom was so supportive. For a shoemaker to say ‘I’d like to have my own TV show’ was crazy,” Debbie said.
Gaudino and his wife used the St. Fidelis Seminary’s TV studio in Herman for their first episodes of the show. Small businesses began vying for a plug on the show, and it just kept going, Debbie said.
“He’d tape five episodes back-to-back, just change his outfits,” she said. “He even had one day a week where he’d do a wheelchair exercise.”
The show eventually had its own studio in Butler and aired on Pittsburgh and local stations. After more than 40 years, Gaudino retired at age 80 and moved to St. Petersburg, Fla. Gaudino never stopped exercising or sharing fitness with the world.
“He did it on YouTube and Facebook. He was the Energizer bunny. I don’t think he retired. He moved to Florida and just kept going. He loved ballroom dancing while he was there. He never really stopped,” she said.
Debbie said she has fond memories of being on the show with her dad, starting at just 10 years old, from exercising to reading advertisements.
Those memories are shared with a lot of locals.
“I’m astounded by how many local Butlerites he had on his show. It’s really heartwarming,” she said.
She added that her father had a heart for others, especially veterans. His Freedom Towel, modeled after the Pittsburgh Terrible Towel, benefited local veterans groups with its proceeds.
“He was very patriotic,” she said. “He was always proud of his service.”
When it came to how Gaudino would be remembered, Debbie said her father would want to know he instilled health and wellness into people’s lives.
“Only as I got older I realized how lucky I was because he was such a moral person with a deep sense of right and wrong. He lived a clean life and that transpired into health and exercise,” she said. “I think he wants to feel he made a difference in people’s health. He always said you should move what parts of your body you can for as long as you can. Even now I hear his voice in the back of my head, ‘Park a little bit farther away and walk.’ He made exercise a part of your life, not a punishment.”
