WITH HEAVY HEARTS OUR DOJO REMEMBERS JOHN “JACK” V. SUMMERS. JACK PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY ON WEDNESDAY JUNE 18, 2014 AFTER DEALING WITH VARIOUS AGE RELATED AILEMENTS THIS PAST YEAR. SENSEI WAS 87 YEARS OLD.
JACK SERVED IN THE MARINE CORP DURING WWII WHEN HE WAS YOUNG …FOUGHT AND WAS WOUNDED ON IWO JIMA …CAME BACK AND RAISED A FAMILY …WORKED UNTIL RETIREMENT IN THE LOCAL COURT SYSTEM …STUDIED AND TAUGHT IN THE LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL BOXING/MARTIAL ARTS COMMUNITY FOR NEARLY ALL OF HIS LIFE.
KARATE AND THE MARTIAL ARTS WAS NOT ALL, BUT CERTAINLY A HUGE PART OF JACK’S LIFE WORK. HOWEVER, THAT 60 OR MORE YEAR TIME SPAN ACTUALLY PALES IN COMPARISON TO THE NUMBER OF LESSONS IMPARTED TO HIS STUDENTS WHILE HE WAS ON THE FLOOR. JACK WAS A TEACHER OF MANY TEACHERS …AND RANKED AMONG THE FEW WHO HAVE BEEN AWARDED THE HIGHEST HONOR OF HANSHI – 10TH DAN BY OKINAWA.
THOSE CLOSE TO HIM KNEW JACK NEVER REALLY TOOK TO BEING CALLED “SENSEI” PUBLICLY …BUT TO THOSE WHO STUDIED UNDER HIS TUTILAGE JACK WAS THAT TEACHER …OUR MENTOR AND PATRIARCH FIGURE …THE MAN …THE ALPHA DOG, AND ON. JACK’S QUIET, STERN MANNER OF FORMING A “WAY” INTO KARATEKA OF ALL AGES AND EXPERIENCES WILL BE MISSED BY FUTURE GENERATIONS.
MR. JOHN V. SUMMERS / “JACK”
…REMEMBERED FONDLY BY IOK/QUINCY (AND MANY, MANY OTHER DOJO AND KARATEKA AROUND THE WORLD).
The Institute of Okinawan Karate-Do 