(MAY 24, 2004) It is with great sadness, that one of my trainers, George Beckelhiemer, died on March 13, 2004, after a long battle with an
on-going illness.
Friends and family gathered at the hospital, to
say their goodbyes to one of the most respected Martial Arts instructors
from the Northwest.
I will never forget what he has done for me personally-----and
professionally. It was in the early 1970's, when I walked into
his Dojo and met George for the first time.
He was one of the few instructors that expected
women to do exactly what the men did in every aspect of martial arts.
Consequently, I was usually the only female in the school.
The first time George ever had me spar, he put me with a male that was also
a white belt. As soon as we bowed in to fight each other, I went after
my opponent in a fury. I suspect that with my long red hair flying all
over the place, and swinging and kicking wildly, I looked more like a mad
woman than a fighter, but after that first match, George named me, "Tiger
Lilly." That name followed me throughout my former fighting
career from then out....
I remember on one occasion, telling
George that I was petrified of knives. I told him that I would even
have nightmares about someone pulling a knife on me, and how I feared even
handling a knife. Little did I know at the time, that "Sensei" as we
all called him, was an expert in throwing knives.
George gave me an army knife and told me that he wanted me to throw it every
day. At first, I could not even stand to touch the thing, but
within about one to two years, I became very accurate with throwing a knife,
and by working with the knife, and other knifes that he taught me to throw,
I actually began to enjoy it, and got past my knife phobia.
George was an unusual instructor. He was very
inventive and went out of the circle at times to teach me and others
everything about self-defense. One of those "inventive" classes was
when he set up a class with the students, including myself, to go to a dog
training facility to have an attack dog "attack us." It was an unusual
experience, even wearing protective gear, to have a vicious dog
attacking...BUT it was an experience that I will never forget. It
showed me and others firsthand what a person is up against when being
attacked by a dog, but also what we can do to protect ourselves in those
situations.
George is originally from Germany, who moved
to the United States when he was about three years old. George told me
that he spent some time in an orphanage and what I gathered from him about
his past, he came from a fairly poor background. He served in the army
in the early 1960's and spent time in Vietnam. George received
injuries in the war. George was a multi-degree'd black belt, and had
many karate schools and students throughout the years.
So what would I say to my friend,
my confidant, and more.....of what he has been to me in my life?
If I could have spoken to him on March 13th as he laid in a coma, I would
have said....Thank you George for being one of my closest and dearest
friends through the many years that I have known you. Thank you for
helping me to be the person I am today. Thank you for training me, for
criticizing me--because I needed that criticism to bring me to a higher
level in this world and without pointing out what I needed to fix, that
would not have happened. And lastly, I would say-----I love you.....I
already miss you terribly....and you will be missed by all, always.
George is survived by four sons, two daughters, and his wife L. Beckelhiemer. George's wife is and has been nothing less than an
angel. She was completely devoted to George, and they have been
married for the last 20 plus years.
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