I met Michael Wallace about 21 years ago. He is from Atlanta and had contacted Leilani Parker looking for a Parker Kenpo teacher. She told him I was in Florida at the time and he arranged to meet me. Our first meeting was four hours long, we hit it off immediately. Back then his name was Robert Ray. He sold his school after some years and part of the deal included his having to change his name (you’d have to ask him about details).
He was a 6th when he came to me and had done Kenpo with Ken McGuire and American Karate in the Joe Corley lineage. Michael was diligent in both coming to FL for lessons and in having me up to his large studio in Snellville, GA. He took a lot of notes, asked a lot of questions and took pains to pass the info on to his people. I say that because I know people who own schools and travel to take lessons, etc. and then don’t teach it. Sometimes I wonder what they do with it.
His 42+ years of experience and his submission of an excellent written thesis and creation of a series of forms, among other things, qualified him for promotion to 7th. I did the ceremony on Saturday, Dec 13th while I was up there for seminars. The seminars were dedicated to Mr. Parker since it was very close to the 24th anniversary of his passing. I feel that every seminar is a dedication to him but some like these are special.
Congratulations to this fine practitioner of Parker Kenpo. 