Gary Wayne Meek - Blue Cottage Taekwon-Do

Figure 1 Master Gary Meek 1st on Left
Gary Wayne Meek
December 29, 1948 - July 7, 2013
It is indeed one of the more difficult tasks in life to do, to tell of the passing of someone. The
deed is made even more difficult when the person who has passed away was one who lived his
or her life with honor and was someone you could either look up to or call a friend. The
Taekwon-Do world has again suffered a great loss! While we do not enjoy reporting this sad
news, we realize that we have some obligation to report it to our Taekwon-Do following.
Gary Meek, an ITF Black Belt was an 8th Degree with the United States Taekwon-Do Federation
(USTF) and senior Master Instructor. He departed from this world on July 7, 2013, when he was
just 64 years of age. According to Grandmaster Paul De Baca, 9th Degree of the USTF, Master
Meek died in a motor vehicle accident when he was riding his motorcycle. His wife Pam was
riding with him at the time and escaped with only some physical injuries. They were on “an
honoring motorcycle ride” when his wheel came off causing the crash.
Master Meek started his Taekwon-Do training in Thailand in 1970 under Huh Moon Sun a 6th
Degree Black Belt. Master Meek went on to teach at military installations in Torrejon, Spain;
Sault Ste Marie, Michigan; Yokota, Japan; Wichita, Kansas; Hahn, Germany; Sembach, Germany
and again Stateside in Omaha, Nebraska. He tested for and received his 5th degree black belt
in 1990 under then Master Charles E. Sereff, 8th Degree Black Belt and the highest-ranking nonKorean in the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). Gary held positions in the ITF and
USTF as a Regional, State and National Armed Forces Director.
In 1994, he was nominated and selected as one of the top five instructors in the United States.
The principle founder or as some call him the Father of Taekwon-Do, General Choi Hong Hi,
presented this prestigious award. On June 28th 2008 the President of the USTF Grandmaster
Charles Sereff promoted him to VIII Dan. Master Meek has created and operated more than a
dozen successful Taekwon-Do schools over the years. During his long time involvement in
Taekwon-Do he has touched countless numbers of lives. Truly there are untold numbers of
people who are better for having known him or who have had his guidance passed onto to them
by his many students, including his son, Gary 'Bo' Meek Jr., a USTF 5th Dan.
President Emeritus of the USTF, Grandmaster Charles Sereff said: It was a very sad moment
when another student of mine, “Grandmaster DeBaca called me and told me with a trembling
voice that Gary Meek had been killed in a motorcycle accident. He was my beloved student and
a pioneer of ITF Taekwon-Do. He was also fine instructor, husband, father and grandfather, a
true gentleman and a great American patriot. I first met Gary at one of my early Taekwon-Do
camps in Rye Colorado. He was a 1st Degree Black Belt and this was back in the early 1980s. He
joined General Choi and me and never left my side. He taught the General’s Art at every U.S. Air
Force Base he was stationed at around the world. He was still teaching at the Air Force Base in
Omaha Nebraska when he retired from his long military career. His senior student Master Ricky
Todd still teaches on the same Base. My deepest condolences are offered with respect and
humility to his wonderful family. He will be greatly missed and forever honored”.
In the words of Grandmaster Renee Sereff of the USTF, the highest ranking female ITF stylist in
the world:
“We have sustained a shock and a great loss by Sr. Master Gary Meek’s sudden passing. From
the 1970’s to today, Sr. Master Meek was one of the USTF’s greatest assets as well as a personal
friend to those who worked with him. The many years he devoted himself to Sr. Grand Master
Sereff will long be remembered by the officials, instructors and students forever. A true pioneer
of the USTF throughout the world by the classes he started at every base he was stationed on in
the United States Air Force.
Along with his career, love of Taekwon Do, his greatest accomplishment was his devotion to his
family. A good husband, Father, Grandfather and Taekwon-Do Son of Sr. Grand Master Sereff.
We believe the greatest tribute to him will be maintaining the high professional standards he
represented and so strongly encouraged. It was a pleasure working with Sr. Master Gary Meek”.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to his son Gary II, his wife Pamela his other children; Matt,
Krista, and Jonni. He is also survived by 3 brothers, a sister, 7 grandchildren and 3 great
grandchildren. A memorial service was held at the Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Harry J.
Vaughn officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the National Legacy Fund. This program
provides scholarships for children whose parent has been killed in combat. Please send
donations to: American Legion, Department of North Carolina, P.O. Box 26657, Raleigh, NC
27611.
Condolences may be made to the family at www.mclaurinatpinecrest.com
Submitted by Master George Vitale
Downward block (Naeryo Makgi)
The purpose of this technique is to drop the opponent's hand, foot or weapon
attacking the solar plexus and point below. It is executed principally from rear
foot and L stances, though occasionally a walking or vertical stance is used. The
blocking tool should reach its point of focus in a circular motion, keeping the
elbow bent about 45 degrees at the moment of the block.
Recently a pattern has been rediscovered, U Nam Tul. This pattern has raised many
questions for the historians of Taekwon-Do. If anyone has any information or can identify
the person performing the pattern please contact bluecottagetkd@yahoo.com.
U Nam Tul – 42 movements
Dated 1959
FGMR's response is as follows:
"U Nam was one of the patterns used in the early developmental stages. At that time
Syngman Rhee was the first President of South Korea and as Taekwon-do was in this early
developmental phase, our Founder General Choi Hong Hi wanted to gain the support of
the South Korean President.
U Nam was the pen name of Syngman Rhee and as such, General Choi created pattern U
Nam. The pattern was replaced by Choong Jang tul after the President's resignation in
1960. Choong Jang tul contains many similar and also upgraded movements from pattern
U Nam"
“Strike Defense: Arm Wrap and Eye Gouge”
By Thomas A Locke
4th Dan, International Combat Hapkido Federation
Nothing flowery. Nothing fancy. To the point.
We in the martial arts are so often bound to our own proclivities and
eccentricities; overthinking, over-moving, overanalyzing. The layperson, due
by no fault of their own, when asked to think of an image of martial arts, often
draw of something very unapproachable. They mystify and separate reality
and practicality from what can be done. That’s dangerous. Unless you
KNOW you can do it, you never let yourself give into the possibility of the
practical. Experienced practitioners know real altercations are an emotionally
charged messy affair. Simplicity is an absolute necessity.
In this series we will demonstrate a very common circumstance: a strike
towards the head. This is the framework for a simple application that can
certainly be applied to a lead or reverse hand strike; either straight or circular.
Place a knife, bottle, stick, or screwdriver in the attacker’s hand and still
nothing changes. It should also be noted that we are demostrating this from a
lead strike versus a “traditional” stepping reverse punch. This would work for
that mode of training as well, but working from what is closest, I believe, is
much more realistic. Trained or untrained, the attacker will most likely be
motivated by emotion and adrenaline and fueled by alcohol or drugs, not cold
calculated precision.
Figure 2 Starting in a non-confrontational and open-handed stance, you assume that there may have
been either a flinch reaction to get to this position or attempts to deescalate the building aggression in
the assailant, and you are prepared for what may come wit
Figure 4 The attacker throws his strike and you intercept the
movement; smoothly uniting with it.
Figure 3 As the momentum of their strike carries them
toward you, simply allow your cross hand to move to a
finger jab to the attacker’s eye(s), preventing their natural
cyclical striking pattern (hitting you with their cross), and
allowing your inside arm to wrap around the striking arm
of the attacker
Figure 5 Rotate the head of the attacker and
never remove the “mask-like” contact that
takes away sight, projects direction, and
prevents disconnection from the attacker’s
physical and psychological changes.
Figure 6 Follow the flow of inertia in a dynamic and
degrading orbit towards your center of balance and the
ground while maintaining the arm-wrap armbar.
Thomas Locke is active duty in the United States Air Force and has been studying
Korean, Russian, and Okinawan martial arts for 17 years. He now teaches Combat
Hapkido at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea. www.lockesdefense.com