Previous Isshin-ryu Hall of Fame Visit

Last night after work, I drove up to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for the 2022 Isshin-ryu Hall of Fame banquet. I’ve been to this event three or four times in my life. The last time I went to the Hall of Fame Banquet and Tournament was several years ago, in the late 90s, if my memory serves me correctly, when Sensei Sherman Harrill presented at the Friday evening pre-banquet seminar. My brother, Dan, a very accomplished aikido instructor, drove down from Gastonia, NC, and attended with me. We had a great time and even got to sit at a table and drink a couple of beers with Sensei Harrill and Sensei Harold Mitchum. Sensei Eddie Satterfield was there as well. So, it had been a while, but I attended last night’s banquet for a very particular reason.

Sensei Louie Grinnell

I first met…