The Legacy of Ken Knudson
If you were at the memorial service for Kenny Knudson, one of the first impressions that you had was the diversity of those who were there. The building and parking areas were overflowing with Ken’s friends, family, business associates and people whose lives he had touched. This went all the way back to his childhood in Chicago, IL. His entire life was a compilation of dreams, ambitions, hard work and success. Ken Knudson followed his dreams and lived the life he had imagined.
I met with a group of his closest Karate black belts to hear their thoughts regarding Ken and his legacy. As did the people in his life, they ranged in all aspects of occupations, lifestyles and beginnings in the martial arts. The main common denominator was their ability to laugh (genuinely laugh), embrace life, and express their love for Ken. The group included Mike McNamara, Mike Cass, Rick Weber, Pete Hoffman, Rico Paoni, and Ken Kolodziej. Ken had been a leader in the martial arts world who had trained to black belt level, become a formidable opponent in the arena, directed a major Karate Organization (AKA), trained black belts who in turn developed some of the country’s top competitors, owned a chain of karate schools (Olympic Karate Studios), developed a karate uniform and equipment company, supported the martial arts activities and enjoyed the occasional return to the ring including Burley Wagner’s Prairie States Championships and Tom Letuli’s Legends show. In their own words this group reminisced about Ken and how he became the successful business man in all his endeavors.
Check back later for part 2 of this wonderful article about Master Ken Knudson
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