Dr. Otto Johnson

OTTO JOHNSON
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While having the appearance at first glance of a huge grizzly bear, Otto Johnson is the nicest fellow you can ever meet, as a matter of fact this big gentle giant is more likely to be a 'Winnie the Pooh' type of guy.Otto Johnson, the man, is more than just a World Karate Champion, he is a Universal humanitarian.The kind of "boy next door" who you could trust your daughter to date.

As the youngest child in his family, the burden of responsibility fell on his shoulders early in life.After his older siblings had grown and left home, young Otto, a proficient basketball player in school, gave it all up to be by his mothers side after doctors said she would never be able to walk or talk, after having a serious stroke.Totally loyal to his family, young Otto came straight home everyday to hold his mother up as he literally forced her rehabilitation into effect.He gave up his play time to help his mom learn how to walk, and actually manually formed words on his mother's lips so she could practice speaking again.This is the rare kind of love and dedication, found only in very special individuals.Otto Johnson is this type of gentleman.
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Otto Johnson is the epitome of that description.With a heart as big as his body, this man stands high above many of his contemporaries, not because of his height, but because of his personality.

Karate, Wado-Ryu, in particular, should be proud to have Otto Johnson as a practitioner.He certainly is the kind of role model parents will love their children to be like.

One example of why parents like the thought of their children becoming like Otto Johnson is that God has blessed him with parents who worked hard all their lives so their children could have it better than they did as children.Otto's mom and dad saved their money so Otto could go to Japan to learn from the Masters over there.Later, Otto was fortunate enough to attend College, then on to Graduate School, earning his Ph.D. in Social Work.Talk about a thankless, understaffed, and underpaid profession, you have it there.But then that is the kind of man Dr. Johnson is.Helping people is his desire.It would not surpass this writer if Black Belt Magazine elects Dr. Otto Johnson to their Black Belt Hall of Fame, as Man of the Year for 1998.He is the recently appointed style head of Wado-Ryu for the United States Karate Alliance.

When one thinks of all these attributes, Otto Johnson appears to be almost perfect.However he will be the first to tell anyone that he is nowhere close to perfection yet.He has come a long way, "but God hasn't finished with me yet", says the gentle giant.Otto Johnson, while being a warm, good natured, all around really nice guy, is not to be mistaken for an easy mark.He is nobody's fool, he is one of the strongest martial artists I have ever met.For a big guy, he has probably one of the fastest back fists around.One might mistake his size to make him slow.Wrong!

Among their number was one Swedish man, Otto Johnson, who could talk Swed, having been born and lived in Sweden.They persuaded him to meet the train and tell them the exact situation.This he did as the train stopped beside the platform that served as freight and passenger station at that time.As the conductor opened the door he stepped up and greeted them in their native language.He explained the situation and answered their questions.After hearing what Mr. Johnson had to say the Swedes decided they did not want to take any miners job.They took a vote and informed the train men they were going back, they would not Black Leg.The company refused to return them on the train.The miners organized a band and lining up the Swedes, with Otto Johnson at their head and all the idle miners falling in, they marched the four miles to Blossburg.The miners helped procure work for most of them in machine shops, the foundry, the tannery and with farmers.The miners marched back to Arnot happy over a day well spent.By the beginning of March 1874, the company made overtures to settle.The strike/lockout was settled shortly, with the former wage rate and monthly paydays restored, the freedom to shop at non-company stores or with farmers re-established, and the houses reopened for occupancy.The Blossburg Coal Co. never tried to interfere with those basic freedoms again.

OTTO JOHNSON
...
While having the appearance at first glance of a huge grizzly bear, Otto Johnson is the nicest fellow you can ever meet, as a matter of fact this big gentle giant is more likely to be a 'Winnie the Pooh' type of guy.Otto Johnson, the man, is more than just a World Karate Champion, he is a Universal humanitarian.The kind of "boy next door" who you could trust your daughter to date.

As the youngest child in his family, the burden of responsibility fell on his shoulders early in life.After his older siblings had grown and left home, young Otto, a proficient basketball player in school, gave it all up to be by his mothers side after doctors said she would never be able to walk or talk, after having a serious stroke.Totally loyal to his family, young Otto came straight home everyday to hold his mother up as he literally forced her rehabilitation into effect.He gave up his play time to help his mom learn how to walk, and actually manually formed words on his mother's lips so she could practice speaking again.This is the rare kind of love and dedication, found only in very special individuals.Otto Johnson is this type of gentleman.

Becoming a World Karate Champion is much more than defeating several other contenders.It is hours and hours of hard workouts in the dojo, countless performances of techniques, kata after kata, honing up kicks and punches, blocks, and slip punching moves and counters.All this takes a tremendous amount of patience, endurance and devotion.The sacrifices made earlier in his life made Otto Johnson capable of withstanding the temptations to quit when the going became tough.He was already in mental shape for the task.His personality of Biblical standings, including loving his neighbors as himself, being long-suffering, tenderhearted, disciplined, and other honorable deeds, made him a man's man.
...
Otto Johnson is the epitome of that description.With a heart as big as his body, this man stands high above many of his contemporaries, not because of his height, but because of his personality.

Karate, Wado-Ryu, in particular, should be proud to have Otto Johnson as a practitioner.He certainly is the kind of role model parents will love their children to be like.

One example of why parents like the thought of their children becoming like Otto Johnson is that God has blessed him with parents who worked hard all their lives so their children could have it better than they did as children.Otto's mom and dad saved their money so Otto could go to Japan to learn from the Masters over there.Later, Otto was fortunate enough to attend College, then on to Graduate School, earning his Ph.D. in Social Work.Talk about a thankless, understaffed, and underpaid profession, you have it there.But then that is the kind of man Dr. Johnson is.Helping people is his desire.It would not surpass this writer if Black Belt Magazine elects Dr. Otto Johnson to their Black Belt Hall of Fame, as Man of the Year for 1998.He is the recently appointed style head of Wado-Ryu for the United States Karate Alliance.

When one thinks of all these attributes, Otto Johnson appears to be almost perfect.However he will be the first to tell anyone that he is nowhere close to perfection yet.He has come a long way, "but God hasn't finished with me yet", says the gentle giant.Otto Johnson, while being a warm, good natured, all around really nice guy, is not to be mistaken for an easy mark.He is nobody's fool, he is one of the strongest martial artists I have ever met.For a big guy, he has probably one of the fastest back fists around.One might mistake his size to make him slow.Wrong!Don't blink when you spar with him, if you do, you will feel the pain before you see the movement.Big and fast, what a combination.So, there you have it, a short say-so about a tall whats-it.This whats-it is what martial arts is supposed to be like.What it's not supposed to be like is what it really has become.A bunch of self-promoted 10th, 11th, and even one 13th Dan, ego-tripping, want-to-be's.