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Senior Grand Master Ed Parker

March 19, 1931 - December 15, 1990

On the 15^th of December 1990 10^th degree Senior Grand Master and Father of American Kenpo passed away. He left his legacy, his system of American Kenpo to a very large and varied family spread all over the world.

Master Parker was born on March 19, 1931 in Honolulu. Of royal Hawaiian descent his great great grandfather was the legendary Hawaiian king Kamehamsha. In his youth he gained a great deal of real street fighting experience. He also studied boxing and judo. His prowess as a street fighter was renowned, indeed at the age of 11 he was fighting men in their twenties.

It was at a local church meeting that Mr. Parker met Frank Chow who became his first instructor in Kenpo Karate. Eventually Frank Chow introduced Mr. Parker to his brother William Chow who became his only instructor and from whom he received his Black Belt.

As a street fighter Mr. Parker realized that what he was learning from William Chow could be modified and updated to make it a more effective art. Professor Chow started Mr. Parker on his life long quest for logical answers to his many questions. Mr. Parker credited Professor Chow with 10% of his sum total of accumulated knowledge.

Mr. Parker graduated from Kanehameha High School and went to Provo Utah in the USA where he obtained a BS degree in Sociology and Psychology at the Brigham Young University, whilst there he became the first faculty member to teach Karate on a university campus.

In 1954 he married Leilani Parker his wife and future mother of his five children. Ed Parker was the first person to open a commercial karate school in the USA  in the year 1954. In September of 1956 Mr.&Mrs. Parker moved to California where he opened his second commercial school. Through the efforts of a close friend Terry Robinson, within two years Mr. Parker was teaching many well known personalities such as, Elvis Presley, Robert Wagner, Blake Edwards, Robert Culp, Robert Conrad, McDonald Carey, Darrin McGavin, Joe Farrar

, George hamilton, Warren Beatty, Fabian, Rick Janson, Dick Martin, elke Summers, Joe Hyms, Bronisian Kaper, Joey Bishop, Nick Adams, Audie Murphy, Frank Lovejoy and many others.

Time Magazine referred to him as “The high priest and prophet of the Hollywood Sect”.

Over the years Mr. Parker worked on many television and film projects.

Mr. Parker was the first to publish a rule booklet on Karate freestyle competition. His tournament the Longbeach International or International Karate Championships became the largest karate tournament held annually. It was at the 1^st internationals in 1964 that Mr. Parker had Bruce Lee demonstrate for the first time (see the film “Dragon” the Bruce Lee story) Through his connections in Hollywood Mr. Parker introduced Bruce Lee to the American Television and film industries. This he did for other martial artists such as Chuck Norris and Eric Lee.

Mr. Parker was also an accomplished author. His completed works include: The Basics Booklet, Kenpo Karate, The Secrets of Chinese Karate, A Woman’s Guide to Self Defense, Ed Parker’s Guide to The Nunchaku, Inside Elvis, The infinite Insights series of Five Volumes, The Zen of Kenpo, and the Encyclopedia of Kenpo. Other books in preparation were, Speak with a Club, Speak with a Knife and Ed Parker’s Answers to Multiple Attacks.

Mr. Parker was universally known as the Father of American Kenpo. In 1974 Inside Kung Fu magazine stated “Ed Parker has been one of the most innovative and successful influences in the development of the art in it’s new environment.” His system is based on practical theories and concepts as opposed to the more classical ideas. He utilised principals from physics, mathematics, geometry, equations, both numeric and alphabetic systems in addition to experiences on life itself. His use of analogies, short stories and quotes is legend. He gave the art a spiritual depth with his Creed, Pledges, Breakdown of the IKKA Crest and the Zen of Kenpo. Through Ed Parker’s efforts thousands of people throughout the world have been touched by Kenpo. Hundreds of schools, studios, academies and clubs can trace their roots back to him. Ed Parker was a man who was both charming and witty, he was compassionate and generous. He cared for ALL his Kenpo family. His middle name “Kealoha” means “beloved” and this he most certainly  was. One of his most famous saying was,

“There are three types of people in this world, those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who ask “what happened ?” 

Driven on by the words of a teacher at Kamehameha High school, “You will never be a success in life”, his achievements speak for themselves. His dedication to the art serves to inspire those of us who had the honor to work with him and to have been befriended by him.