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Master Tom Lewis

    I am proud to add the bio of Master Tom Lewis to the site. I asked Master Lewis for this information, for the express purpose of giving him just some of the recognition he deserves. Although he has accomplished much, been trained by some of the best, and has also trained some of the best ; his laid back, let someone else get the credit nature, has caused him to not always get the place in history he deserves. I used to run across Master Lewis in the early seventies and eighties. Two things stuck out in my mind about him. Mr. Long liked him, and said he was a tough cookie. The other oddity (especially in Isshin-ryu), is that no one had anything but good things to say about him. After I was around him a little bit, I could see why. He is straight forward, personable and carries himself with a lot of confidence. I hadn't seen Tom for several years until I ran into him at the Isshin-ryu Hall of Fame this year(2005).I was having dinner with my wife, daughter and her friend when he and Master (John) Wayne Wayland walked up to our table. They were both wearing cowboy hats, so I didn't immediately recognize Tom. When he said, "hey Denny, the last time I saw you, you had real long hair," I realized who it was. He had the same easy, put you at ease manner, that I remembered. My teenage daughter and her friend thought they were country music stars. They asked who they were when they left, and I said, "Big and Rich". He is maybe the best referee/judge I have watched or worked with. He and I were corner judges in the 1975 Battle of the Coliseum, in Knoxville Tennessee. It was a very hard tournament to call as it was full contact continuous fighting. At the end of the match each judge held up a flag to designate the winner I remember feeling good every time I called the same winner as Tom. He always seemed to be looking the right places. Once, I delayed my call and took another glimpse at Tom's call. I know that is poor, but I wanted to make the right call. My student was fighting and I was just a little undecided as to whether I was seeing or just feeling my decision. Cass Cox called my attention to the late call, but, due to Tom and the hesitation, I called the fight for the other guy. Thanks to Tom, I made the right decision and the right guy won the match.

    Master Tom is back in circulation again, and the Isshin-ryu community will be better for it. At a time when some are losing touch with tradition and the past; here is one of the people who has the credentials and respect from others, to remind us that, the future depends on our respect and memory of the past.

    Below are the few facts and accomplishments that I could get Tom to talk about.

    I began studying karate under Master Shimabuku in July of 1959. Sensei promoted me to black belt in October 1960. It was fortunate for me to be in the company of legends such as, Harold Mitchum, Don Bohan, Ed Johnson, Steve Armstrong, Sherman Harrill and others. After being discharged from the Marines in 1963, I traveled to study with Don Nagle and Jim Nagle in New Jersey. In 1964 I began teaching and preparing to open my dojo in January 1965. In the beginning, there was a lot of moving from church halls to store fronts but eventually we settled into a dojo that is still operating today under Dennis Lockwood. Throughout the years several black belts that trained with me went on to open their own dojo's and teach Isshin-ryu Karate. Reese and Judy Rigby in Delaware, Victor Smith in New Hampshire, Harvey Hastings in Florida and others. In addition to Isshin-ryu, I was affiliated with the American Bando Association and trained with Myuang Gi and Bob Maxwell.

    Harvey Hastings and myself promoted the 1st. Isshin-ryu Bando tournament in 1970. Thereafter, we held several tournaments in the Maryland area, including, a friendship tournament for Rick Niemira. For many years my students and I attended and competed in tournaments from New York to Tennessee. In April 1976, my dojo was named: Dojo of the month by Official Karate Magazine. In 1980, I wrote a book entitled "Karate for Kids" and is still in circulation. During the mid 1980's, I coached a full contact team the "Lewis' Demons" that competed in the Maryland/Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania area, holding one tournament in Salisbury, Md. In 1981, I was top Mid-Atlantic weapons competitor. In 1982 I was named; Mid Atlantic outstanding referee. In 1989 I moved from Maryland to Wyoming and found that there was an Isshin-ryu school in Jackson Hole, I taught there for about a year. Since moving to Cody, Wy. six years ago, I have been working out in a Kempo school. Recently, I attended a seminar in New Orleans and was promoted to Ku-Dan (9th) by Grand Master Harold Mitchum.

    On June the 18th of this year, I was presented with a Life Time Achievement Award by members of the U.I.K.A. in Bozeman Montana. Today, I'm teaching karate on my ranch, "Heart 2 Heart" here in Cody.