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Mr. Parker's Contribution
Dreams Unfulfilled

      Mr. Parker was a man Noble of Principle and Integrity, a man of Honor. He was a Genius. He was "The one in 10 million." He Conceptualized the Martial Arts and influenced the World. It's been close to 19 years since his death in December of 1990, and his Contributions are still felt today. Through his efforts many of the different systems of Martial Arts are now household words. If it were not for him, the Martial Arts might have kept its veil of secrecy and remained obscure to the world outside of Asia. He has touched the lives of millions, even billions through his endeavor to share his passion for the Martial Arts. I feel his Contributions were Tremendous. Mr. Parker was a man promoting the Art and not himself and that's what made him great. He was the Maker of Legends, the Protector of the High Profile Individuals, Actor and Author of several books, and much more. He accomplished more in his Lifetime than 100 men, but still had dreams unfulfilled.

      You find out what the value of something is when you pay for it. You find out its worth when you lose it; when you are forced to live without it. Mr. Parker's value was Priceless. His worth is Irreplaceable. Look around and you'll see what one man's contribution has done through the lives of those he touched: Elvis Presley, Bruce Lee, Danny Inosanto, Steve Sanders (Steve Muhammad) "the fastest hands in Karate", 16 times winner at the Internationals Charter member and one of the founders of the BKF, Tak Kubota, Chuck Norris (Walker, Texas Ranger), Joe Lewis, Fumio Demura (double for Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid"), Jhoon Rhee, Joe Hyams, MacDonald Carey, Jeff Speakman, Gil Hibben, Dick Dale, Nick Adams, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Tom Jones, David Lee Roth, Robert Wagner, Larry King, Warren Beatty, Steve McQueen, Ricardo Montalban, Lucille Ball, Natalie Wood, Elke Sommers, Ursala Andrews, Audie Murphy, Gary Cooper, Blake Edwards, Peter Sellers, Jose Ferrer, Robert Conrad, Bill Bixby, Sidney Poitier, Leonard Sheldon, Robert Culp, Bill Cosby, Art Linkletter, the family next door. The list goes on forever...

      Promoting the Art through his tournament, the International Karate Championships an annual event held in Long Beach, California since 1964, Mr. Parker launched many careers. As an example he introduced Bruce Lee to the American public for the first time at "The Internationals." This was the largest tournament of its kind in the World. It was at this tournament that Mr Parker filmed Bruce Lee's demonstration and later showed it to William Dozier, producer of the Batman Television series, who subsequently hired Bruce Lee to play Kato in the Green Hornet TV series, which served as a springboard for this movie career. This was one of Mr. Parker's greatest contributions to the Martial Arts World. Because of Mr. Parker's role as Instructor and Technical Advisor to the Elite in the Entertainment Industry; Producers, Directors, Writers, Actors, and TV Personalities, Martial Arts became a part of our everyday life. Local Law Enforcement Agencies, Private Security, the CIA, the FBI, Branches of the Government and the Military in the U.S.A. and other countries also incorporated Martial Arts into their training programs. No one person in the history of Karate has compiled a more comprehensive instructional program.

      Mr. Parker shared his Art of American Kenpo through Demonstrations, Training Camps and Seminars for everyday people around the World. I saw his genius at work on many occasions, something as simple as how he entered and exited a room, Teaching Instructor Classes and Seminars, to his Video Tapes Series which I had the privilege of working on with him. There was also an incident late one night, in Washington D.C., as I and other members of the Budweiser National Karate Team (of which Mr. Parker was the Coach) saw him apply his concept of "Environmental Awareness" as we were leaving a Chinese restaurant around 1:30am. A man approached him from the out of the Darkness. A couple of the guys on the team said; "Let's go help Mr. Parker!" I told them, "Stand here and watch, you'll learn something..."

      Mr. Parker was the first to leave the restaurant for the Limo, so he had a few seconds lead on the rest of the group. We watched from the top steps at the entrance of the restaurant as he, Mr. Parker strategically angled and timed his steps to meet the man at the rear corner of the limousine as the man approached. The man spoke; "Look, I need money, not for food, not for coffee. I need it so I can buy some more liquor." Mr. Parker applied; "divert, 'seize, control, disarm" by giving the man a handful of pocket change (about seven dollars worth) after saying in a very demanding and serious voice; "Where have you been!? (Staring the man directly in his eyes) I've been looking for you! The man took a half step back. I've been trying to get rid of this change all day." Mr. Parker grabbed his hands and dumped more change than the man could hold with one hand. This caught the man off guard (diverted); Mr. Parker seized the moment, controlled a potentially dangerous situation and disarmed any violent intentions the man might have had. The man walked off bewildered. The Master applied his Concepts and Principles on and off the training floor. Even with his handshake he used "The Tender Trap", which looks innocent and harmless, but he had you '"Checked and Canceled" six ways from Sunday.

      Through his pioneering efforts he blazed the path which allowed Martial Arts to flourish around the globe. All you have to do is look at the people that he influenced and the lives that he touched both directly and indirectly. I consider myself fortunate to be able to say, I was taught by Mr. Parker and that we were the best of friends. His Art and his Spirit still lives through me and those who continue to embrace his love for Kenpo.

Sincerely,
Tommy Chavies 5th Degree Black
1st Generation Mr. Ed Parker
American Kenpo


	Mr. Parker was a man Noble of Principle and Integrity, a man of Honor. He was a Genius. He was "The one in 10 million." He Conceptualized the Martial Arts and influenced the World. It's been close to 19 years since his death in December of 1990, and his Contributions are still felt today. Through his efforts many of the different systems of Martial Arts are now household words. If it were not for him, the Martial Arts might have kept its veil of secrecy and remained obscure to the world outside of Asia. He has touched the lives of millions, even billions through his endeavor to share his passion for the Martial Arts. I feel his Contributions were Tremendous. Mr. Parker was a man promoting the Art and not himself and that's what made him great. He was the Maker of Legends, the Protector of the High Profile Individuals, Actor and Author of several books, and much more. He accomplished more in his Lifetime than 100 men, but still had dreams unfulfilled.
	You find out what the value of something is when you pay for it. You find out its worth when you lose it; when you are forced to live without it. Mr. Parker's value was Priceless. His worth is Irreplaceable. Look around and you'll see what one man's contribution has done through the lives of those he touched: Elvis Presley, Bruce Lee, Danny Inosanto, Steve Sanders (Steve Muhammad) "the fastest hands in Karate", 16 times winner at the Internationals Charter member and one of the founders of the BKF, Tak Kubota, Chuck Norris (Walker, Texas Ranger), Joe Lewis, Fumio Demura (double for Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid"), Jhoon Rhee, Joe Hyams, MacDonald Carey, Jeff Speakman, Gil Hibben, Dick Dale, Nick Adams, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, Tom Jones, David Lee Roth, Robert Wagner, Larry King, Warren Beatty, Steve McQueen, Ricardo Montalban, Lucille Ball, Natalie Wood, Elke Sommers, Ursala Andrews, Audie Murphy, Gary Cooper, Blake Edwards, Peter Sellers, Jose Ferrer, Robert Conrad, Bill Bixby, Sidney Poitier, Leonard Sheldon, Robert Culp, Bill Cosby, Art Linkletter, the family next door. The list goes on forever...
	Promoting the Art through his tournament, the International Karate Championships an annual event held in Long Beach, California since 1964, Mr. Parker launched many careers. As an example he introduced Bruce Lee to the American public for the first time at "The Internationals." This was the largest tournament of its kind in the World. It was at this tournament that Mr Parker filmed Bruce Lee's demonstration and later showed it to William Dozier, producer of the Batman Television series, who subsequently hired Bruce Lee to play Kato in the Green Hornet TV series, which served as a springboard for this movie career. This was one of Mr. Parker's greatest contributions to the Martial Arts World. Because of Mr. Parker's role as Instructor and Technical Advisor to the Elite in the Entertainment Industry; Producers, Directors, Writers, Actors, and TV Personalities, Martial Arts became a part of our everyday life. Local Law Enforcement Agencies, Private Security, the CIA, the FBI, Branches of the Government and the Military in the U.S.A. and other countries also incorporated Martial Arts into their training programs. No one person in the history of Karate has compiled a more comprehensive instructional program.
	Mr. Parker shared his Art of American Kenpo through Demonstrations, Training Camps and Seminars for everyday people around the World. I saw his genius at work on many occasions, something as simple as how he entered and exited a room, Teaching Instructor Classes and Seminars, to his Video Tapes Series which I had the privilege of working on with him. There was also an incident late one night, in Washington D.C., as I and other members of the Budweiser National Karate Team (of which Mr. Parker was the Coach) saw him apply his concept of "Environmental Awareness" as we were leaving a Chinese restaurant around 1:30am. A man approached him from the out of the Darkness. A couple of the guys on the team said; "Let's go help Mr. Parker!" I told them, "Stand here and watch, you'll learn something..."
	Mr. Parker was the first to leave the restaurant for the Limo, so he had a few seconds lead on the rest of the group. We watched from the top steps at the entrance of the restaurant as he, Mr. Parker strategically angled and timed his steps to meet the man at the rear corner of the limousine as the man approached. The man spoke; "Look, I need money, not for food, not for coffee. I need it so I can buy some more liquor." Mr. Parker applied; "divert, 'seize, control, disarm" by giving the man a handful of pocket change (about seven dollars worth) after saying in a very demanding and serious voice; "Where have you been!? (Staring the man directly in his eyes) I've been looking for you! The man took a half step back. I've been trying to get rid of this change all day." Mr. Parker grabbed his hands and dumped more change than the man could hold with one hand. This caught the man off guard (diverted); Mr. Parker seized the moment, controlled a potentially dangerous situation and disarmed any violent intentions the man might have had. The man walked off bewildered. The Master applied his Concepts and Principles on and off the training floor. Even with his handshake he used "The Tender Trap", which looks innocent and harmless, but he had you '"Checked and Canceled" six ways from Sunday.
	Through his pioneering efforts he blazed the path which allowed Martial Arts to flourish around the globe. All you have to do is look at the people that he influenced and the lives that he touched both directly and indirectly. I consider myself fortunate to be able to say, I was taught by Mr. Parker and that we were the best of friends. His Art and his Spirit still lives through me and those who continue to embrace his love for Kenpo.
	Sincerely, Tommy Chavies 5th Degree Black 1st Generation Mr. Ed Parker American Kenpo