Interviews conducted by Alan Sutton & George Foon

Regarding Promotion of Jun Fan Gung Fu
....He and I were discussing it one day and we thought that rather than promote it as school and such, to keep it going , he said, "Why don't you just close it down and then just. What's life about but to have close friends around you that you can just workout with and really trust. "So on that basis I continued. And right now, we're just operating as a very limited private club.

But I don't want anyone to know that I'm even doing anything, you know, because it's like with Dan, (Dan Inosanto) many people think that because we were so close to Bruce, we have all the secrets! And I say look, if you want to learn anything about what Bruce left, go down and see Dan.

I've refered several people down there and I tell them if they're really interested, go down and see Dan, and I say he's a very humble and dedicated instructor and he'll tell you... So that's pretty much how it's been. And even people who are real close friends of mine, that I've got in my club, I tell them first of all, I say, if you're interested in learning something and then grab what you can from me and take it to somebody else, or planning for yourself down the line and sharing your own school. I don't even want you around because I don't want anybody to be going around shooting his mouth off and say. "Hey, this is Bruce Lee's system because I learned it from one of his assistants," or whatever, "you know."

So that's one thing. I've been very fortunate up to now; anybody, that's ever been into my club, there's not been one person that's really, you know, went back on me... and established a school or something along those lines.

Meeting Bruce Lee
I first met Bruce Lee at age 38. I was into Judo at that time and Jesus, got hurt two or three times fooling around with these younger guys and I finally decided Geez, this is for the young man -- not for an old guy like me.

In fact, I was running around with my arm in a sling and one of those guys that knew Bruce came by and said "Gee, we've met this young Chinese fellow that is just one of the most phenomenal people we've ever seen." So when you hear things like that you always take it with a grain of salt, because up to that time I'd been through the different things-- I'd seen, you know, Karate experts and all these kind of things and I couldn't believe there was anymore to be seen.

So then we made arrangements to meet with him on a given Sunday, because he was working out on Sundays at that time; and when I went down there he unleashed his power and speed and everything... And I was impressed that here was a guy who knew more than I had ever seen. I asked him if I could get into the group and then we got started.

During this time we usually worked out at one of the guy's backyards, the athletic field, or University of Washington's baseball diamond. We'd work out two or three hours on Sunday, then we'd go to a Chinese restaurant and order something to eat, and sit there with a cup of tea and Bruce would philosophize. He'd tell jokes and we'd just have a good time.

Ruby Chow
When Bruce Lee first came to Seattle he was sort of being sponsored by Ruby Chow, who is one of the focal points of the Chinese community here. Apparently, she and her husband were close friends of Bruce's father and mother. And so since he was born in San Francisco and was a citizen, when he became 18. I think they probably demanded he either denounce his citizenship or be a American citizen, one or the other.

Bruce was already restless by that time and ready to leave home, so this became a good opportunity to come over here and see what this side of the water was like. That's when he came over. And apparently Ruby Chow consented to have him stay at her place. She has a restaurant up on Broadway, it's a four or five story house that's been redecorated into a restaurant. It's been there for a number of years and he lived in one of the gables, way up on the top of the house.

But he was a very proud young man and he felt that he had to make it on his own rather than causing a burden for his father, by having him send money. And so since he was endowed with all this knowledge of the martial arts, why we gathered up the guys in the group and decided to open a school and try to get some money for him.

Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu School
So we finally decided that we should all pay maybe $15 or whatever we could afford per month and the group kind of grew by leaps and bounds, as you might expect.

I've told this story many times. I was 38 at the time, and all these other guys were, you know, were 21 or 22. I was working twice as hard as the other guys because of my age. One day I was looking out of the corner of my eye to see if there was any favor and Bruce knew what I was doing and I heard him say to one of the guys. "He'll never make it." And, of course, this drove me, on to try much harder.

Even though he knew that I was very clumsy and a slow learner, why I think he recognized that I was very dedicated and sincere in what I was trying to do. He started to work with me, you know, and possibly because I was Oriental, maybe there might have been a little more affiliation there. I don't know. Maybe he recognized a little more of a brotherhood there.

So anyway he kind of took me aside and showed me a lot of extra things and he finally started grooming me into an assistant. As time wore on, I did become his assistant, and more or less conducted all his classes. You can probably go along with what I'm saying, Dan (Dan Inosanto). Bruce was the kind of guy that was so endowed with natural ability and talent that he couldn't really identify with somebody down there so close to the ground that had two left feet.

He didn't have time for that, you know. He was very fascinated in talking with people like at your level, that could appreciate and understand what he was saying. But more and more as time went on I think he got to the point where he hated to be fussing around with these beginners.

And so that was my chore--to get all these guys broken in or try to. Perhaps do to my own age and recognition that is pretty hard to learn something. I was probably able to work with these beginners at their level and break things down into terms like I had to have it broken down.

These guys I found in the martial arts during that time were just into for the most part was to learn a few tricks. It was one of these 6 easy lessons and I'm a Holy Terror-- that kind of concept that they had. And so as a result we had a hell of a fluctuation between, getting new students and keeping them.

We had probably between 50 and 100 students registered, but God there'd only be maybe at the most 35 or 40 showing up at any given night. But in those times this was Bruce's livelihood, so being his assistant, I was trying to help him keep his money coming in-at the same time trying to offer something back in return to these guys.

We didn't want them to think we were just after their money. This sort of thing continued, and I think we did a pretty fair job during the time he was there.

End of Part 1.
Part 2 Ed Parker's Tournament Demonstration.

First Generation JKD Students..
Photo Courtesy Knownows