07/31/2026
July 31, 1976 – July 31, 2026
50th Anniversary of the first Black Belt testing of
Tae Park Institute
I was a member of the first testing and officially referred to as an “Original Students” of TPI, a title I dislike. Several in the test had practiced prior and were not considered original students. An original student had to have begun as a white belt in TPI and only original students were allowed to teach. Ronnie Parker and I were also the first black belts from the Hillsdale College class. At the first class following the test I was told to teach forms to all the color belts. A black belt class was added to the curriculum so a double workout for me. That began my teaching journey which lasted until my retirement March17, 2025 when an MRI of my hips said no more. Both hips were replaced in the summer/fall of 2025. Hard way to retire after continuously teaching multiple classes daily 4-5 days per week year-round. I am the last original student to retire from teaching. Prior to TKD I had spent 17 years wrestling which is story for another time. Now is finally my time to enjoy quiet times and new adventures. Last week I booked a flight to Las Vegas to visit the Grand Canyon. My first vacation in decades.
My journey took me from Michigan where I started to Oklahoma where I now live. Traveling for tests, tournaments and seminars as an instructor, judge or participant (before master certification) took me to Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, Kansas, Alaska, Texas, Korea, Spain, and Canada.
Teaching philosophy:
There is no teacher, only student. There is no student, only teacher.
My fondest moments were times with my students. Weddings, births, funerals, trips, dinners and everything in between meant more to me than any rank or award. Being referred to as a surrogate parent; being asked to be a god father; or having a child named after me are my rewards for teaching. Watching children in class grow up and years later return with their children for me to teach has been an honor and a reminder of how long I had been teaching.
GGM Lee, Won-Kuk founder of Chung Do Kwan stated:
“Tae Kwon Do changes your life”
It certainly did mine.