|
I come to you with only, Karate, empty hands. I have no weapons, but should I be forced to defend myself, my principles, or my honor, should it be a matter of life or death, of right or wrong, then here are my weapons, Karate, my empty hands." |
He had been featured in National and International magazines: Time, Look, Strength and Health, Show Business Illustrated, Iron Man, Action Karate, Black Belt, Karate Illustrated, Official Karate, Inside Kung Fu, American Karate, and Karate/Kung Fu Illustrated; in newspapers nation-wide; Martial Arts' magazines world wide; articles in the World Encyclopedia and many others.
He appeared in dozens of movies and television shows, including Revenge of the Pink Panther and The Curse of the Pink Panther. In addition, he taught Karate to nearly every big name actor and actress in Hollywood of his time-- including, Robert Culp, Joey Bishop, Jose Ferrar, Rick Jason, Nick Adams, Frank Lovejoy, Robert Wagner, Elvis Presley, Natalie Wood, and Elke Sommer, to name a few. He had also been a technical advisor for motion pictures and T.V.
Professor Parker spoke, lectured or put on exciting demonstrations at high schools, colleges, civic clubs, clinics, tournaments, church groups, youth groups, and a variety of other venues. He was a highly sought-after speaker and his Karate demonstrations were famous nation and world-wide. He was in great demand throughout the world to put on his blinding demonstrations of speed, skill and power along with giving his picturesque analogies when explaining the Art so all could understand. He frequently put on Seminars and Demonstrations in Australia, England, Spain, Ireland, Chile, Venezuela and had many worldwide government officials as his students.
Throughout the years Professor Parker authored many books: Basic Kenpo Book, Kenpo Karate, The Women's Guide to Self Defense, Secrets of Chinese Karate, A Guide to Law Enforcement, Home Study Karate Workshop Course, A Guide To The Nunchaku, Infinite Insights into Kenpo (Volumes 1-5), The Zen Of Kenpo, Kenpo In The Streets, Speak With A Knife, Speak With A Club, Everyday Gestures That Can Save Your Life, Answers To Multiple Attacks On The Street, Inside Elvis, Accumulative Journals (Yellow to Black), and his revolutionary Encyclopedia of Kenpo. Instructional video tapes are also products of his endeavors to enlighten others of the merits of Kenpo.
He was a graduate of Kamehameha High School (1949), Honolulu, Hawaii where he was born and raised. Professor Parker had a B.S. Degree from Brigham Young University (1956) with a Major in Sociology and Psychology, and a Minor in Political Science.
Professor Parker annually produced what was then the world's largest and foremost Karate tournament, the International Karate Championships in Long Beach, California. Professor Parker was also a consultant and advisor to numerous other Karate tournaments world-wide.
Professor Parker's uniqueness rested in his continuous efforts to combat traditional restrictions binding progressive thinking. He was truly a creative genius because of his incredible ability to discover the problems within the Martial Arts. His contributions and innovations are endless, encompassing logic and reasoning not yet employed by others. His four decades of experience, contributions, and endeavors establish him as the Master of our system, the author of our training material, and the final voice of approval. Professor Parker passed away on December 15, 1990.
All material is copyrighted by Dr. Ron Chap'el, the Ed Paker's Institute, and/or Andrew King