The Karate Institute of America is home to a multitude of talented,
extraordinary, one-of-a-kind individuals. It even has its own Norse Deity,
Odin, God of wisdom, magic, poetry, healing, battle, war, death and
divination. Meet Dr. Tim McCord, Kiado-Ryu Black Belt #25; call sign, Odin.
Tim “Odin” McCord, now in his early fifties, began his KIA journey in his late
teens. A stalwart fixture, fighter and presence of the studio from mid 1980s
to mid 1990s, Odin, a 2nd Dan KIA Black Belt, received his 1st Dan ranking on
25 June 1993 at our Lake Forest studio.
The day—15 November 2018, Thursday. It was a Blue Belt milestone for Hannah
Shamassian and the Karate Institute of America as this lovely young lady moved
up another rung on the Kiado-Ryu ladder of accomplishment.
Hannah is a paradox. She’s very quiet during her lessons, using few words to
communicate with Mr. King. But when she does her bag work, look out! Her power
is off the charts for her size, as her brother, Josh, understands full well.
He was one of the best and toughest fighters in the history of the Karate
Institute of America. “He” is Guy McDonald, call sign “Hollywood.” He and Mr.
King met up for lunch in October. It was awesome to reconnect after so many
decades, decades that strangely seem like only a few weeks. How amazingly time
flies. Yet, how wonderful it was to relive old stories and memories of a
magical time gone by.
The following is an excerpt from chapter 2 of the second edition of The
Karate Consciousness: From Worldly Warrior to Mystic Master, a book by
Richard Andrew King.
Man was not created to dominate his fellow man. He was created to live in the
fullness of the Light and to radiate that Light throughout the corridors of
the universe.
The karate consciousness of today is not centered in the fullness of the
Light—divine illumination and understanding as characterized by life, love,
peace, perfection, purity, prosperity, health, harmony, strength and wisdom.
Rather, and quite noticeably, it is centered in a consciousness of dominance
and what shall be referred to herein as the “Power in the Flock Syndrome.”
Lt. Colonel Ronald R. King is honored on Panel 27E, Line 44 of the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Follow the link to review his feature on
The Wall of Faces and various testimonials of appreciation for his duty and
service to America.
Lt. Col. King’s commemoration on The Wall of Faces states he was MIA (Missing
In Action). The story of his death, as told to his now-deceased wife,
Margaret, by another USAF pilot who witnessed his tragic demise, was that his
fighter jet, an F-105 Thunderchief, caught on fire during an airborne
refueling mission. Rather than eject over land where his plane could possibly
have killed innocent people when it crashed, Lt. Col. King took his plane out
over the Tonkin Gulf where it would be of no harm to others upon crashing. As
he ejected the aircraft, his neck was apparently broken due to a
malfunctioning canopy. The officer witnessing the accident stated his body was
lifeless as it fell into the raging waves of the Tonkin Sea. His body was
never recovered because of the high storm waves. Truly, his actions to
potentially protect innocent people had his plane crashed over land was the
result of a courageous, valiant and selfless spirit.
