A Special Tribute to Grand Master H.U. Lee and Chief Master Richard Reed
Without a doubt, I would not be who I am, where I am, doing what I do, without the powerful influences of Grand Master H.U. Lee and Chief Master Richard Reed. As a 20-year-old, walking into Master Reed’s school in December 1967, I had no idea what a radically different path my future was about to take.
My life was dramatically changed, changed for the better when I got into the martial arts. It became my ticket up, my ticket out. I was working factory jobs in Omaha Nebraska at the time not really sure what the future would hold. At first, the positive changes were mostly personal. I fell in love with the Martial Arts, the structure, the culture, the discipline, the art, all of it. The training added a new dimension, a new sense of disciple and order to my life. It was only after I become an instructor some time later, that I began to realize and conceive of the Martial Arts as a path to something greater. As Grand Master H.U Lee and Master Reed became my mentors, I watched and learned from everything they did, and began to envision who I wanted to become and what I wanted in life.
I owe the ability to dream big to them both. They were visionaries; when they dreamed dreams, those dreams were vast, far-reaching dreams, much larger than anything I could visualize at first! They set their goals and lived the life that modeled how to reach those goals. They always encouraged me, told me to go for it, allowed me to try new things, and pushed me to do more, think bigger, stretch farther. They both modeled a lifestyle to aspire too, showing me that the Martial Arts could be a true profession, a life’s passion, and not just a hobby or something to do on the side.
Lots of instructors claim to be the biggest and the best. Yet, these two just lived it out. I watched and learned. I saw in them something that I wanted for myself and for my students and instructors. They both saw opportunities where others saw obstacles. They instilled in me the ability to believe in myself, and see the possibilities in life as limitless. Grand Master had a “just do it”, “figure it out”, and “overcome the hindrance”, outlook on life. They both showed me how to dream big, grow big, and not to settle.
When I first began training, Master Reed’s teaching style was entirely different from the other Korean instructors I had seen. He taught in a wild, free flowing fashion. He demonstrated freedom in is style, and yet remained faithful to the traditions of the Martial Arts. It was this freedom that I later took to the limits.
Grand Master H.U. Lee gave me a lot of liberty to teach and experiment with new ideas. He gave me space to grow and test the possibilities of “what if”. Master Reed had demonstrated to me that change can be good, that it was ok to innovate, that there were ways to teach and to lead outside the boundaries of the strict traditionalist. I took that freedom of style and expression that I saw in Master Reed to the extreme over the years, stretching the limits of what’s possible while remaining faithful to the heart, the integrity, and the spirit of the Martial Arts. When I returned to Jacksonville in 1971, to open a school, I was given permission to train with other instructors, since mine were hundreds of miles away. This further opened my eyes to more possibilities from other styles and training methods which I then was able to incorporate into my training systems over the years.
Master Reed taught me how to set and achieve goals. He could see father and visualize more than I could at first. He would come and sit down with me, year after year, and set bigger and broader goals. I benefited professionally, personally, and financially from his mentoring and goal setting. This is something that I have always tried to emulate with my juniors, to help them learn to set and achieve goals for themselves, and to grow into the possibilities the Martial Arts hold.
Grand Master Lee allowed me to teach as a brown belt, that was a rare privilege at the time. This forced me to develop my leadership and instructional skills early on in my career. I was also repeatedly required to speak publicly by Grand Master Lee. He was always telling me to address this group or teach that group, on the spot. I quickly learned always to be ready to present, to think on my feet, and to be able to articulate what I meant with ease in front of a crowd. To say that these skills served me well through the years would be an understatement, to say the least. At first he had to force me to speak, and then he couldn’t get me to shut up! He created a monster!
However, on a more serious note, while they both showed me how to live, to grow, to dream and to thrive in life, Grand Master H.U. Lee also taught me how to say goodbye and to end well. While I hope it is a long way off before I do, when it is time to say goodbye to this life, I hope that I can do it with as much grace and courage as Grand Master Lee did in the last years and months of his life. Grand Master recognized his mortality and fought his cancer battler valiantly until the end and when the time came passed with dignity and courage, leaving a legacy behind that has truly changed the world for the better.
That legacy includes the American Taekwondo Association (ATA), Songahm Taekwondo Federation (STF), and the World Traditional Taekwondo Union (WTTU) which span the globe. Due to their visionary leadership, unfailing dedication, exceptional instruction, and persistent mentoring, more than 250 Masters and 45,000 black belts have been trained worldwide. Grand Master H.U. Lee set the goal of 1,000 Masters and 100,000 black belts, and we are well on the way to meet those goals, and beyond. It is an honor to help live into those dreams for him and to witness the legacy of what one man could do. Had Master Reed and Grand Master H.U. Lee never met in Korea, or had Master Reed not taken the time and energy to help bring Grand Master Lee to the United States, all of our lives would have taken different paths indeed.
I am humbled and privileged to look back and reflect on the impact these two men have made and continue to make in my life and the lives of all my instructors and students. While I have had many mentors in my life, I can say without a doubt or moment’s hesitation, I would not be the man I am today if I had not been able to call Grand Master H.U. Lee and Master Reed, my instructors, mentors, and friends. For that I am forever grateful.
