DOWCK descends from a distinctive and proud lineage. Here we provide a very brief and high-level introduction to these Masters who have devoted their lives to passing on the knowledge, traditions, and values that we embrace, practice, teach at our schools. Martial artists come, and they go, but; for those who are genuinely serious about Martial-Arts, pursuit of the knowledge and perfection of the skills, is a life long, never ending, process. These Masters are remarkable life time examples of superior and sincere devotion to both pursuit of Martial-Arts and life time cummunity service. We are truly honored and thrilled to be a part of the long tradition of excellence and leadership from those who here are represented.

David Oakley

Master David Brian Oakley 1970.JUL.## - ____.___.__

(Master Oakley's Biography is still under construction) Master David Oakley is one of the youngest and most active Master level Martial-Arts instructors in the world today.  Master Oakley is an outstanding teacher, mentor, and leader, who trains some of today's most noteworthy World Champion Martial-Artists including Mr. Brett Morris, Mr. Brian Wright, and his son Mr. Colby Oakley. Master Oakley sponsors a number of annual charity events to help such noteworthy causes as the March of Dimes, ____, ____,  and the Leesburg area YMCA.   {Context continues . . .} Among his many other career achievements, Master Oakley himself was named the 1994 Professional Karate Association Instructor of the Year; Was the Tripple Crown Winner 4-consecutive years starting in 1987; 3-time National Weapons Champion; 5-time National Forms Champion; and the 1991 WKA World Forms Champion.

Pat Burleson

Master Pat Burleson 1936.APR.27 - ____.___.__

Master Pat Burleson, is the founder of our system of American Karate, and holds a 10th-degree black-belt.  Master Burleson began his study of martial arts in Japan in 1957, a competition career in 1963. He won both regional and national titles, and; he  was the first champion of the 1964 debut of the U.S. National Championship tournament in Washington D.C. Master Burleson started boxing as a teen, and competed in the national Golden Gloves championships while still in high school. On graduation, he joined the Navy in 1955 to "see the world".  While in Asia he received his first martial arts training in 1957 with Japanese Wado-Ryu style Karate, in Iwakuni, Japan. Returning in 1959 to Fort Worth, Texas, Burleson was introduced to Allen  Steen. Allen Steen, then a Jhoon Rhee brown belt,  was eager for his new friend to meet Mr. Rhee.  Master Rhee encouraged Mr. Burleson to join, and soon after, Allen Steen became Jhoon Rhee's first American black-belt in the summer of 1963.  Three months later Allen Steen promoted Pat Burleson to his 1st-degree. When Jhoon Rhee moved to Washington D.C., Steen and Burleson became known as the Fathers of American Karate, continuing in the traditions set by Rhee, and by adding their own values and requirements. As a pioneer, Master Burleson conveyed the best values that Martial-Arts practioners must strive to practice along side their art. Values like Couretesy, Discipline, Honsesty, Respect, and Community Service - values that even today, he carries on by still traveling the United States, teaching, lecturing, giving public seminars, and inspiring us all to be the very best people that we can be.

Allen Steen

Master Allen Steen 1939.APR.16 - ____.___.__

Allen Steen attended one of Jhoon Rhee's demonstrations in the fall of 1959. "He (Rhee) side kicked one of the support beams in the gymnasium and cracked the veneer on it all the way to the top - some 20 or 30 feet", remembers Steen. Having done some boxing, this karate looked like something Steen wanted to try. . . Master Rhee ran his class like a military boot camp. "He was a strict disciplinarian," stated Steen,"On every exercise you wanted to quit, but Rhee would always get you to gut out one more push-up or sit-up. We spent over two months in basic stances before we did anything else. As a result, I was a white belt for nine months." After he finished college, Allen Steen moved back to Dallas and opened his first karate school, The Jhoon Rhee Institute of Karate, the summer of 1962.  Shortly after that he returned to Mr. Rhee and pasted a grueling three hour exam to earn his black belt. Master Steen carried on the tough traditions, and in the mid 1960s, separated from Rhee and named his school the "Texas Karate Institute". The Choi/Rhee karate system, with the tough nature of Texans resulted in what was known as "Blood-N-Guts Karate". Master Steen developed a reputation for excessive training methods and today admits he was too rough on his students in the early days. Master Steen established himself as one of the premier Martial-artists  in early American karate history. He won dozens of major titles, and in 1966, he defeated both Chuck Norris, and Joe Louis, on his way to winning Grand Championship at the Ed Parker's Long Beach Tournament. That same year he was a member of the victorious U.S. National Karate Team, and Blackbelt Magazine named him among 10-best fighters in the United States.

Jhoon Goo Rhee

Master Jhoon Goo Rhee 1932.JAN.07  -  ____.___.__

Master Jhoon Rhee came to the U.S. in 1956 to study at San Marcos Southwest Texas State College, as a Captain in the South Korean Army.  He was called back to Korea to complete his final year of required active duty before returning in late 1957.  Upon his return he pursued his engineering degree at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas.  While there, needing a source of income to complete his education, he started teaching non-credited Karate classes at the University.  Among other amazing feats, to attract students, he would break boards with jump kicks 8-feet off the ground.  Considering Master Rhee's height of 5'4", this is an amazing demonstration. Rhee's first class started with nearly 200-students, and of those, only 6-students made it to black-belt.  One of these was Allen R. Steen, who was Mr. Rhee's first American black-belt.  In 1962, Master Rhee moved to Washington D.C. to build a karate empire, while Allen Steen stayed in Texas to do the very same. Master Rhee went on to open schools across the United States and overseas (65-schools in Russia, and Ukraine).  He has taught several congressman, senitors, and celebrates throughout his long accomplished career.   He was close friends and practice partners with Bruce Lee, and among his more famous students was Muhammad Ali. On Capitol Hill, he created charity Martial-Arts tounaments between Republicans and Democrats; He is the inventor of padded sparring safety equipment; The inventor of musical forms that he titles "Martial Ballet"; and in 1976 was named "Man of the Century" by the Washington D.C. Touchdown Club. Master Rhee is truly a living example of lifetime Martial-arts achievement, has appeared in numerous Magazine articles and, in 1999, was named by Blackbelt magazine as one of the 10-most influential martial artists of the 20th-century.

Hong Hi Choi

Master Hong Hi Choi 1918.NOV.09  -  2002.JUN.15

Founder of ITF Taekwon-Do, General Choi devoted his entire life to mastery, study, promotion, and evolution of modern martial-arts.. Master Choi studied both Korean and Japanese Martial-Arts, becoming advanced black-belt not only in Korean Mu Kuk Kwan Tang Soo Do, but also in  Japanese Shoto-Kan Karate, which he learned from Master Gishin Funakoshi, along with his friend, Masutatsu Oyama (born Yong I Choi), at Takushoku University in Tokyo, Japan  (accurate korean arts lineage) from 1937 until 1941 when Japan entered WWII. Most people do not know this connection between these martial-arts legends, Choi, Funakosh, and Oyama; but, as wealthy young Koreans, it was not uncommon for families to send their sons to study at the most prestegious schools in Japan, like the university of Takushoku in Tokyo. Later, Master Choi, through his friend and military collegue, Jhoon Goo Rhee, introduced Taekwon Do to America in 1957/58, when Jhoon Rhee started teaching Karate classes in college.  Master Choi went on to  sponsor several world-tours, and traveled the globe with his 12-man demonstration team, who  introded and promoted Taekwon Do to the world. Master Choi is remembered as a Korean patriot, a soldier, a visionary, and the “Father of Taekwon-Do.”  His contributions to humanity are marked in the values, morals and philosophy his martial-art instills in the millions of practitioners throughout the world. When asked if he ever regreted dedicating his life to Taekwon-Do, he replied “I taught Taekwon-Do without regard to race, religion, nationality, or ideology. In this respect, I am the happiest man in the world, and I am proud to have left my footprint in the world.”