Lou Angel:
2007 Man of the Year
Lou Angel:
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Angelopoulos was born in 1937 to Greek immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up in a tough environment, the youth soon recognized the need to learn how to protect himself on the streets of the Big Apple. In 1954 he began training in jujutsu, then over the next five years expanded his horizons to include judo, isshin-ryu and shotokan karate. The prime direction of his martial arts career, however, didn’t begin until he was introduced to goju-ryu grandmaster Peter Urban. The young Greek-American immediately signed up and started training at both of Urban’s dojo. Angelopoulos served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1957 to 1960, where he taught hand-to-hand combat. When he was discharged, he opened his first dojo under Urban, which he named simply “Karate School.” Not long afterward, he took the advice of his brother and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Now calling himself “Lou Angel,” he opened the Institute of Karate, Oklahoma’s first dojo and one of the earliest in the American Midwest. In 1963 Angel put his school in the care of his brown belts and headed to Tokyo with nothing more than $1,000 and an introduction letter from Urban. Angel’s mission was to seek out goju-ryu master Gogen “The Cat” Yamaguchi so he could pursue training and testing above the rank of second-degree black belt. Seven months later, out of money and staying with locals, he earned his third degree and was made a branch instructor for the Goju-Kai. In 1967, back in New York, Urban awarded him his fourth dan, a rank he’d hold for 20 years. Angel spent much of that time spreading karate in the Midwest and promoting tournaments. His first event was scheduled for November 23, 1963. “We’d gone to a tournament in Dallas in 1962, and I decided to put one on in Tulsa,” Angel says. “President Kennedy was assassinated the day before, and [I experienced] hell on earth. I couldn’t cancel, and of course the world was in shock, but we went ahead and did it. It was quite a day.” In 1987 Angel founded the Tenshi Goju-Kai and was promoted from fourth dan to 10th dan. “I was a little bit scared about making that leap, so I called Ed Parker Sr.,” Angel recalls. “He said, ‘It’s about time.’ That’s all I needed to hear.” What most concerned Angel was that such an elevated promotion of a Caucasian wasn’t looked upon favorably in the Asian arts. “People have to realize that a 10th dan doesn’t walk through walls,” he says. “There’s the administrative aspect of it, too.” In 1989 Angel founded the National College of Martial Arts International to provide practitioners, regardless of style or background, with an opportunity to excel. He makes a point to recognize new styles as long as the proponents teach their own curriculum in their own dojo. Such encouragement fosters an attitude of learning and information exchange that’s vital to the growth of the arts, he says. Whenever Angel encounters young martial artists longing to follow in his footsteps, he offers the same advice: “To quote a phrase, ‘Stay the course.’ If you decide to go into teaching, always have the student’s benefit in mind. Don’t teach because you know what you’re doing; make sure the student knows what he’s doing. Devote your time and effort and your heart to the student, and make sure he turns out good. Then you’ll be successful.” For his dedication to mastering the martial arts and fostering unbiased, international acceptance of the shared tenets of all disciplines, Black Belt is pleased to induct Lou Angel into its Hall of Fame as 2007 Man of the Year. (This profile originally appeared in the December 2007 issue of Black Belt.) |
