Kenpo History and Insights
Ed Parker advised me, "Roman if you get in the business, do it for the money"
by Chief Adrian Roman
David Ceniceros Rokudan 6th degree American Kenpo, was my immediate instructor from the late 60's to the early 90's. I am a 1st generation black belt under David Ceniceros who was trained by Sibok Tom Kelly and later under Grandmaster Edmond K. Parker, the father of American Kenpo. Tom Kelly and David Ceniceros worked for and trained with Parker in the late 60's and early 70's when most of the material you are studying was formulated. Sibok Kelly was one of Parkers top fighters and David Ceniceros was one of the finest technicians that Parker produced in those days.
Thru the years training with Ceniceros and watching the other Kenpo black belts at Parkers Long Beach International tournament, I knew I was training with one of the best technicians that Parker produced. I had opportunity to train with other but choose not to. At times there were long period and gaps in training because David sometime moved around. David was somewhat of a maverick and because of the logistic was left out of the Kenpo inner circle of Parkers at times. David was well liked and highly respected amount his peers. He as a quick study and had instance memory recall for all the material.
But make no mistake he was not out of touch with Master Ed Parker. In those early days of car phone , I was one of the first in Dallas to have a phone installed in my car. On many occasion Parker would call my number looking for David. In those day if you were as exceptional as David was you could move up thru the ranks fast. Just barley in the 20's David was send to Dallas by Parker to run one of his schools. At the time, he was already a 3rd degree black belt. Out of this Dallas school came black belts like myself, Doug Hamby, Tommy Lenore, Rick Fowler, Jack Farr and many others who's names I have forgotten. Master David Ceniceros trained many Kenpo black belt but because of his troubles with the law and incarceration he's has been forgotten. I am 10 years his senior and over the years he called me dad on many occasions. I was later privileged to train David's only son Justin to Brown belt level. Justin was one of my best student and I wanted his dad to promote him to Black Belt. I've not forgotten David Ceniceros for I owe what I am today to him and his friendship.
"Roman if you get in the business, do it for the money"
Rick Flower opened his Kenpo school with much of the material from the Dallas school that ultimately closed down. Fowler who as a 1st degree, created an association, I'm not sure of the exact name but it was something like Southwest Kenpo Karate and moved himself up to 3rd degree. He would later invited Jack Farr to join him in this new venture. At a tournament in Wichita Falls, TX Parker gave a seminar and some of Fowler black belt showed up to test under Parker. Keep in mind Parker has his own association called IKKA. I am watching the black belt test with Parker and others. One of Fowler student is performing and Parkers stops him in the middle of the form and states to Fowler that his is not ready to be advanced. The scene was really embarrassing for Fowler and his students.
I am visiting with Parker in his hotel room later that night along with my sons Randy, Lee and Dwight Higgins. Higgins was a 1st degree under Tom Kelly and later a 4th under me. I'm sorry to say that Dwight passed away a few months ago at the age of 57.
Rick Fowler was summons to the room by Parker and made a pitch for Fowler to join Mr Parkers IKKA. Keep in mind that Ceniceros, one of Parkers black belts trained Fowler. Fowler was really a 1st not a 3rd degree. After Parker invited Fowler to join, Fowler declines and wants to think about and leaves the room. I and others are stunned. Here is the Grandmaster inviting you into his family and giving him a home and credentials and is turned away. Parker was fuming and of course I was scared to death and speechless for I had not know Parker very long. Parker didn't curse, but I know he wanted to and he made this statement to me. "Roman if you get in this business, do it for the money".
I was puzzled by the statement and didn't know what he meant until many years later. I was told the same thing my another Grandmaster name Remy Pressas, the father of Modern Arnis.
Later as a Grandmaster in my own right, I knew the reason that Parker and Remy felt this way. There is no loyalty in this business and you can count of very few people. Parker had been taken advantage by business partners and the world was studding his material and he was getting nothing for it. I know for a fact why Parker left no successor to his martial arts organization. His successor had to be Mormon and Hawaiian. No one fit that except his son Parker Jr and Jr. was not interested in the martial arts until after his fathers death. The White boys had no chance in becoming Parker successor for Parkers was first and last Indigenousness. In the end Parker would just tell you want to hear and I don't blame him.
I got a call late one evening from Grandmaster Pressas and he asked me, if I could pick him up at the DFW airport. I said of course I would and after a late dinner at his hotel, he told me of his intentions to retire. He had purchase some land in Florida and was looking forward to retirement. I asked him did he have a protégé or someone in mind to take over his organization. He said he did not. I was shocked when he said he had no one in mind to take over. I knew for a fact that he had thousands of students across the United States. He said he didn’t have anyone that he could trust.
I asked him again, did he have anyone that he could begin introducing as his successor and enter into a business relationship to continue to reap some of the benefits of his labor over the years. He said he had none, and he suggested that that person might be me. I could tell that he really was serious and was just feeling me out about the possibility. I replied that I was honored, but in my heart I knew I wasn’t qualified. I was on a new journey formulating my own Native Systems and I politely declined. I know now, had he taken me under his wing, I could have been ready in a few years. Grandmaster Remy Presas died in Oct 2001. While overseas giving a seminar, he fell ill. He intent was to pass it on to someone of his choice, but a group of people found about his illness and flew over and coursed the ailing Grandmaster to give the system to them. In the end his system went to the wrong people. On his death bed, the Grandmaster was taken advantage of. Who can you trust? Through the suggestion of these two Grandmasters, I began formulating my Native Fighting system Tushkahomma and Falammichi/Native Kenpo.
