We are saddened to note that Grandmaster Philip Ola, High-Dan Board Member Elect, passed away on December 11, 2013. Mr. Ola was one of the original black belts in Allen Steen’s Texas Karate Institute in the 1960s and went on to teach not only for Mr. Steen but also for Jhoon Rhee in Washington D.C. He trained in other styles and earned dan rank in several other martial arts. The AKBBA and Mr. Steen awarded him a 10th Dan in the summer of 2013. He served in D.C. as a legislative aid to the House of Representatives and as a lobbyist for the steel industry. He earned an MBA from Loyola University and later returned to his native Texas and opened a real estate business in Arlington, TX. The martial arts community is richer because of the influence of Phil Ola.
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