Chang Moo Kwan: The Source

San Pedro In Photos

San Pedro In Photos

 

Supreme Grandmaster Nam Suk Lee's last students pose for a group shot in Grandmaster Jon Wiedenman's home studio in San Pedro, California, USA. From Left to right in order of rank, Grandmaster Jon Wiedenman, 9th Dan; Master Tony Barnes, 8th Dan; Master George Fullerton, 8th Dan; and, Master David Johns, 6th Dan.


Band of Brothers:  I was sorting through some photos and found this recent picture.  I was lucky enough to get a photo with the three senior Chang Moo Kwan Instructors under Supreme Grandmaster Nam Suk Lee in the same place at the same time.

This photo is taken in my home dojo with Supreme Grandmaster Nam Suk Lee photo behind us.  The four of us all trained extensively with our late teacher immediately before his passing, and to this day, continue his teachings and his wisdom with integrity, truthfulness, and honor. 

I am proud to stand along with Master Barnes, Fullerton, and Johns.   They are also my best friends.  We have passed though the happiness and hardships of life together...almost forty years; the common bond was Chang Moo Kwan where we all met.  We raised our families together, and we supported each other in so many ways--thick and thin.

The other day someone asked me who and what we were.  I thought about it.  I guess I had never really thought about it that much. 

I answered:  The last students of the late founder of Chang Moo Kwan.
1999 Supreme Grandmaster Nam Suk Lee and Grandmaster Jon Wiedenman and his son Ian Wiedenman at the San Pedro YMCA Studio after a private lesson together.
This is my favorite photo of Supreme Grandmaster Nam Suk Lee.

It is this one.  It was after one of my private lessons with Supreme Grandmaster Lee, and I had my son for that day.  I decided to bring him to the class.  Ian, then about four, was all over the place.

I would do a form, and in the middle Ian would run up and want to wrestle with me.  Supreme Grandmaster Lee was really good about it.  He just smiled and kept teaching.  I love these photos because Supreme Grandmaster affectionately put his arm around Ian, like telling me he was ok with me being a dad with a "wild" four year old son.

I was happy with the ground Supreme Grandmaster Nam Suk Lee covered in our San Pedro YMCA.  The many times I had met him here and in Korea, he had a very serious side.  Maybe guarded…That was no longer apparent.  I think this was a turning point. 

I knew at this point our training was as much about compassion and mutual benefit mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally.  We had taken it to the next level. 

Supreme Grandmaster Lee always was happy to see Ian when he came along with me.  He knew I was a struggling single parent, and he build a bridge between the three of us with his compassion.  This symbolized he was “Cultivating Capability” in his actions with creativity, flexibility and awareness to me, and Ian.  Ian still remembers some of those moments. 

When I see this photo with Supreme Grandmaster Lee’s arm around my son, I feel it is around me too.  In addition I perceive around our YMCA youth program and his adult students in San Pedro.  We had both changed definitively though this and many other moments like this.