Ed Parker's Language Analogy

If you ever attended one of his seminars you probably heard him call Kenpo a "Language of Motion".
I have posted two parts of a series on my thoughts about that in my website at www.kenpotv.com, for those of you who are subscribers.
If you are not, it's $29/yr for access to monthly articles and hundred of items in the archives.
https://kenpotv.com/levels-page-pmp/

Ed Parker writes about speed

https://blackbeltmag.com/arts/western-european-arts/kenpo-legend-ed-parker-on-the-secrets-of-speed

Bob Amacker, Tai Chi Chuan.

Bob Amacker is not a theorist, he is a tai chi fighter. You will find this interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUwDv_VVJZ4&fbclid=IwAR09A6hms97Lacvutue0r7iG1fUeJMyvLXdKQUvS54LME6noBy12S9RVphA

What I'm (Re) Reading

And re-listening to.

I almost didn't read the last 100 pages, since I knew what was coming. What a great story.

I bought this years ago and started to listen again. I love this Professor's lecture style. It's loaded with great info, if you're interested in linguistics and the development of language. I thought his comments lend themselves well to Ed Parker's analogies of language and the alphabet of motion. In fact, I started a two-part article on my thoughts on this on my website at www.kenpotv.com.

My Second Mom

                                               
Carole Wolken was my judo instructor when I was 11 years old. She was recently diagnosed with liver cancer and passed away in her sleep on Dec.11, 2019.
     I'd re-connected with her years ago when I lived in Florida and she was in-state for a vacation. When she came to Florida we would see each other and during one visit she gave me her black belt. She felt it would not mean much to her kids but that I would appreciate it. I have it in a display case in my office. It was the belt she wore when I first met her and it had burned itself into my memory.
     In 2018, when I accepted the 10th degree, it was Carole who presented the new belt to me. That's what this photo is of. Shawn Knight and his wife, Rebecca, put on the event there in Tucson, where Carole was living at the time. Shawn walked her to the stage for the presentation. That's him behind her.
     I was in Tucson the first weekend of December this year and Carole, with her husband Steve, had planned to meet. That was when she told me she had cancer and that if she did not feel up to it, she hoped I would understand. I got to town and she told me she had gone into hospice care. She passed a few days later.
     I have a lot of great memories of her and am blessed to have had her there with us for my promotion, and to have her watch me teach. She told me I'd made her proud. Carole was like a mother to me over the years. I'd lost my own mom years ago.
     Carole and my mom were the two people I credit with getting me into the arts. Mom got me in, Carole kept me there. The school she taught at, Shindo Kan, in Chicago, instilled so much in me that I am grateful for.
     I was informed of her passing my her nephew, David Kikoen, in Chicago. David is my counterpart in that it was Carole who also got him into the arts and he too has reached Senior Master rank in his art. David Zorich is the son of the owner of the dojo we went to and David is also an accomplished Judoka. We have Carole to give credit to, at least in part, for what we have achieved.
     Introducing her to the Kenpo community at the Tucson event was a pleasure and privilege. She inspired people and put a smile on their faces.
     Miss you, "Mom".

Carole's belt

 

The dojo

                                     

Blaise Joseph Zorich, who taught us all.

                                                     

Books stocked

I have copies of the new Runaway Blues and Whisper From The Alamo. $14 /ea. You can get them from me via PayPal or check or buy on Lulu.com or Amazon.

Tucson camp

The annual event in Tucson was another great one. Shawn and Rebrcca Knight, along with Andrew Pilch, did a fine job.

Below is the handout Mr. Bob White used in his class. You may find it useful.

Here is a link to photos from the weekend. Even if you don't have Facebook, you might be able to see it. https://www.facebook.com/AIK.Knight/photos/a.2262353067198715/2262357267198295/?type=3&theater

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

New book released

Nov. 4 -
Phil Buck and I have released Runaway Blues, the sequel to Whisper From The Alamo.
Our Facebook page on both books.
https://www.facebook.com/whisperfromthealamo/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARDwUniTJs4EWlyF-IXmnWCWB-c7mCzBLV_96gRaFoY-Duta4fROFWDN374Ih2EeW2HjaP1Gu4BjGHkX
Where to buy.
Kindle, soft cover shortly.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZS37K39/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk?fbclid=IwAR2gArNnbG1K5EQxhLsCudjSEspbZYq7PVJZk79__x_TUY6sAe9wL3BtXoc

The things I see

Blast from the past

I found these while I was looking through some boxes. The top one is a decal, the bottom is a sticker. The stickers are from the late 70s, decals you can still get.

Rest in Peace, my friend

I was told my black belt, Pete Galvano, in Florida passed away Sunday morning. He was a young man, under 50, but had a lot of health issues the last few years. That's Pete in the middle.

Pete came to me in the early 1990s when I opened my studio in Ft. Myers, FL. He was a PGA golf pro, teaching and competing. He loved Kenpo and earned his third degree black belt. That's Danny Sullivan on Pete's right, another Ft. Myers black belt from the same class. Pete would eventually open a studio in Foley, Alabama and relocate it to Pensacola, FL. Danny would open a studio in Covington, Lousiana, near New Orleans. That would have them seeing each other often and it allowed me to teach at both studios.

Pete always had a smile on his face. He was forever optimistic. Even when things were tough, he'd smile and work it through. I've known him for years and he was consistent. We kept in touch, he would call asking for advice and I'd keep up with what he was doing. He'd gone through a tough divorce and moved away from Ft. Myers. He re-married, a lovely lady named Karrie, who took care of Pete as his health declined. Pete started having issue several years ago and no doctor had an answer. He was diagnosed, re-diagnosed (and likely, mis-diagnosed), even going to the Mayo Clinic for answers. Nothing seemed to help much. Yet, he was always saying he was getting through it. His kidneys failed, he was on dialysis and even that presented problems.

Pete had an instance where he was taken by ambulance to the hospital and they were sure he was going to die. He didn't, but he had contacted me and essentially said his goodbyes. He told me how much he appreciated what I had done for him through the years.

His physical condition dictated that he close his studio. He was able to teach a little, holding classes on the beach when he could. He was fighting the decline.

I had been in touch with him about a week before he passed. Danny Sullivan called me on Oct 5, 2019 to tell that Pete had gone.
The funeral was just a few days after he passed and I was unable to attend due to distance and time. Two of his classmates from my Ft. Myers studio, Genie Byrd and Danny Sullivan were there to represent us.
I'll miss him. 

IKKA newsletter, Winter 1985

The Original Chinese Karate Federation

The CKF had been in existence for five years before this newsletter was printed. There is no date on the issue, just Vol. 5, No. 3.

Hibben Knife

I'm planning to sell this Gil Hibben "Star Trek - Nemesis" knife. There were not many made, ten I think. I have all the paperwork to go with it, the drawings and specs, etc. Contact me if interested. lee@leewedlake.com or through Facebook.

Next Seminar - Tucson, Arizona

I will be teaching in Tucson, Arizona on Dec. 7 and 8 at Shawn and Rebecca Knight's American Institute of Kenpo. Here is the link to the event and registration.
https://www.americaninstituteofkenpo.com/camps-tournaments?fbclid=IwAR32RpFWrGVCC_7-TkUbETlXi78haH3NMEiRK-28ifB4XZfvx-5HMmuCwNY

Well, duh.

We put these chains up after the sun goes down. If you want to get up close for a photo, you can during regular visiting hours.
I took this picture and not five minutes later, a man crossed the barrier. I got him back on the right side and he thought it was funny. I remarked that the chains were there for a reason and he said "Yeah, right." Not so funny when you end up in handcuffs since it's called Criminal Trespass. He had complied with my command, so no arrest. But, duh.

What I'm Reading

Seen at The Alamo

Some of you have seen my "T-shirt seen at The Alamo" posts on Facebook. I post some of what I see people wearing, most of which are a laugh. However, being a Ranger on the 4-midnight shift, I see a lot of other things I don't post and I'd like to tell you about one.
Last night between 11 and midnight, I was up front, in front of the Alamo church. I saw a man and his wife, he was about my age. He stood before the Travis letter, took off his hat, knelt and bowed his head in prayer. When he was done, he stood at attention and saluted and walked off with his wife. I thanked him and he said "they" deserved it.
Not 30 minutes later a group of four, about 30 yrs old or so, who obviously had been drinking, stood on the same spot. One of the ladies started dancing. A jerky dance you'd see in a club. I approached them and said it was considered disrespectful to do such a thing on the grounds where so many had died. I did not tell her to stop. I was asking her to think.
One of the men said "He's serious", as if I was kidding.
Her answer was that she had ancestors who died there on both sides of the battle. I asked why she would do that, dance where they died.
Her answer - "Freedom".
I just shook my head. Another Ranger said "Freedom requires responsibility."
I wonder what her relatives would say about her actions. Would they agree with it as a type of celebration of their lives or would her dancing in that manner have been frowned on?
I think she knew she was wrong and, like so many do when they are caught in the wrong, she made up an excuse as to why she did it.
They left and even wished us a good evening.
I just don't see how her actions would be justified. You'd have had to seen how she danced and they context of the rest of their actions to conclude it was not a tribute to them, it was just thoughtless.
I don't see myself dancing at the place where a relative died. Our culture does not do that and I don't think hers does either. She said she was a local. I think she'd know better.

I've Been Thinking

I have had people on my mind for some time now. Maybe it's because I'm in my 60s and we start feeling more mortal when others we've known and loved have passed. Pass on this if you want. I feel a need to mention their names and maybe what part they played in my life.
Michael John Sanders - I consider Mike my first real Kenpo teacher. He lost his life in a motorcycle accident in the late 70s at the age of 37. Like a brother to me.
                                                       

Ed Parker - fatal heart attack at age 59. I was his student for 11 years. Like a dad to me.

Robert Ray (Michael William Wallace) - a student of mine for 20 years. A "Brother from another mother" as he said. Killed in a stupid accident, run over crossing the street.
                                             
Francis Rene - a fellow Huk lineage student. What a great guy, always smiling, made you laugh. Pancreatic cancer got him. He visited a priest, rabbi and a Taoist monk before he died, saying he wanted all his bases covered.

Francis in center

SiBok Tom Kelly - one of the seniors in our system. I met him at the Internationals. One heck of a man.
                                       
                                                  .
Frank Triolo - the Best Man at my wedding. Airline captain, lawyer, accountant, musician, black belt in two systems. Always had my back. Pancreatic got him, too.
                                              
Rick Stone - passed at 90, 4 time cancer survivor. WW II veteran, served in the British SAS. Friend and advisor. Got his black at 73 - oldest person to make it in the system.
Frank Trejo - what a character. He was a huge influence on my Kenpo. I met him at Pasadena in 1977 and when I started under Mr. Parker directly in 1979, Frank was there to help me. We became good friends. His last years were rough, with diabetes, amputation, and sight loss.
                                          
John McSweeney - I met him in Chicago and re-introduced him to Ed Parker. I moved to Florida and he and his wife moved there, not far from my studio. He used to stop in to talk. As Frank Triolo said of him, "What's not to like about an Irish storyteller?"

McSweeney in camo

Rich Kozik - I met him when he was 16 and he'd later tell me I was a substitute for for his late father. I knew him all his adult life and watched him go from that kid to being an Illinois State Police Lieutenant. Cancer got him, too.

Paul MacMurray and Steve Broadbent - two of Graham Lelliott's black belts I had known for years. Paul had cancer and Steve, a brain tumor. Time with them was well-spent.

Paul in the center

Broadie on the right

I have other black belts I have outlived - Ken Miller, Jory Carson, Ed Barr.
I lost my mom and all my aunts and uncles. Dad is still alive and I'm grateful for that.
I try to keep up with my friends and students who are dealing with medical issues and the list is long.
They are on my mind, even if I am not so good about keeping in touch.
Peter G., Rebecca K, Sam B, Graham L, Marty S, Eddie C, Bob W, Ron C, Felix I, and the rest - I keep you in mind.
As for me, I'm in good shape. People have "killed" me from time to time and have wished me a swift recovery from other things.
Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.