ATA anniversary

American Taekwondo Association’s weeklong events end in gala to honor guests

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, ATA, also known as the American Taekwondo Association, packed a punch — and more than a few kicks — in its recent weeklong World Expo, aka “Worlds.” Held each summer, the songahm-tae-kwondo event drew thousands of competing taekwondo students, their instructors and their families from all over the world to Little Rock’s Statehouse Convention Center.

Always the spectacle is the masters induction ceremony, which dodged a rain bullet on July 10 to be held in its usual place: The H.U. Lee Memorial Garden, named for the association’s late founder. As general-admission guests gathered in the exhibition hall of the center to watch the ceremony, VIP guests congregated outside the Wally Allen Ballroom to enjoy libations and Asian nibbles before viewing the ceremony on large screens or at the lobby windows. Notable inductees included M.K. Lee; Cesar Ozuna, Michael Caruso and Bob Jager, who were inducted as grand masters; and Taekwon Lee, son of the founder, on whom was conferred the title of chief master.

The association’s third presiding Grand Master In Ho Lee ended his eight-year leadership, stepping down to turn the title over to Grand Master G.K. Lee. During a 50th anniversary celebration July 12 in Robinson Center Performance Hall, G.K. Lee demonstrated his martial-arts prowess before being formally inducted. The evening also included dance and musical performances; the telling of the ATA story via video; and taekwondo demonstrations by students and featured masters.

The pageantry of the week culminated with the black-tie-optional 50th Anniversary Gala, held July 13 in the convention center’s Wally Allen Ballroom. The program included remarks by G.K. Lee, who presented swords as tokens of appreciation to the Grand Masters Emeritus Soon Ho Lee and In Ho Lee along with Grand Masters Bill Clark and Robert Allemeier; video presentations of the newly inducted grand masters; and the presentation of the ATA Hall of Fame Award winners and ATA School of the Year winner.

Begun in 1969 by Eternal Grand Master by Haeng Ung Lee in Omaha, Neb., ATA Martial Arts is billed as the world’s largest organization teaching martial arts to those of all ages.

Vanessa and Senior Master Taekwon Lee; Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott; ATA board chairman Sun C. Lee; and Neil and Sharyncarroll Morton at the gala

Incoming taekwondo masters perform one of three traditional Korean bows during the ceremony.

John Rockefeller (center) with Kim Sung Tae of Kukkiwon, South Korea, and President Sang Yong Hong of Gangnam-Gu (Gangnam District), Seoul, South Korea, at the masters induction ceremony

David Lang, Linus Raines, Berry Travis and Walter Nunnelly at the masters induction ceremony

Grand Masters Bill Clark of Jacksonville, Fla.; M.K. Lee; Cesar Ozuna of Miami and Bob Jager of Sheldon, Iowa, at the gala

Pouring water (the ceremonial passing of knowledge) from full smaller bowls into larger bowls — then, having water poured into the largest bowl by a grand master — is part of the masters induction ceremony.

Former Little Rock mayors Jim Dailey and Lottie Shackelford with Mayor Kim Sang Ho of Hanam City, South Korea, at the masters induction ceremony

Chief Master William Wacholz of San Diego with Grand Master Emeritus Soon Ho Lee of Atlanta at the gala

Presiding Grand Master G.K. Lee with his wife, Chief Master Kathy Lee, at the gala

Grand Master Emeritus In Ho Lee with Grand Master Michael Caruso of Murrysville, Pa., at the gala

Olivia Farrell and Mitch Bettis at the masters induction ceremony