AMERICAN KENPO - Founding of the IKKA
The exact date of the founding of the International Kenpo Karate Association, IKKA, is in question, but it was not earlier than November 1963. It certainly was not in 1960 as some claim.
The idea of forming a new organization in addition to the KKAA had been discussed since 1959, but the concept back then was for the formation of the International Karate Federation, of which Kenpo, represented by the KKAA, would be one of the many karate styles. However, Ed was never able to get any support for the IKF from the other Japanese karate styles.
The first time anyone can recall any discussion an International Kenpo Karate Association was in a meeting of the black belts in Chicago where most of Ed's top students attended Robert Trais' first karate tournament in the late sumer 1963. Ed Parker was still using the KKAA certificates in December 1963, and the first time anyone saw a IKKA certificate was in late spring, 1964.
The first certificate issued by the IKKA was to John McSweeney, as Shodan, dated September 27, 1962. However, Chuck Sullivan, who was secretary of the IKKA was promoted to "First Degree Black Belt" about two weeks earlier in September, 1962, and received a KKAA certificate. Likewise, Dave Hebler, who was promoted to Shodan in October 1962 received a KKAA certificate, as did Sterling Peacock, Steve Fox who were promoted the following year. And Ralph Castro recalls that Ed Parker had sent Will Tracy to talk to him about joining the IKKA in December 1963.
The IKKA was the brainchild of Mills Crenshaw who was one of Ed's early students. Mills was the dynamic force behind Ed Parker's Salt Lake City school that Mills opened about 1963.
Ed had talked to Mills and some of his other black belts about forming a new organization, but Ed had reservations over an organization he could not control. Miles, however, was completely loyal to Ed, and only looked at the IKKA as a vehicle for making Ed's organization truly international. John McSweeney (Ed Parker's 8 Shodan) had gone to Ireland in December 1962, and opened a school there the following year. The Kenpo Karate Association of America was not a name the Irish cared for, and John wanted an organization that was truly international. It was Mills Crenshaw, however, who took the initiative and had IKKA belt certificates made which used the "Parker emblem". Ed was so impressed with the new certificates that he formed the IKKA sometime in late 1963 with Ed Parker as President and Mills Crenshaw as the "Chairman of the Board of Regents". Ed Parker officially withdrew from the KKAA at a meeting held at his International Tournament, in August, 1964. This left James Ibrao, Rich Montgomery and Rick Flores (Ed Parker's first three black belts) as the highest ranked and most senior black belts in the organization. But since Ibrao was on tour with the Harlem Globetrotters, and the others were no longer active in Kenpo, leadership of the KKAA was given to the Tracy brothers.
An important fact that dates the IKKA formation to late 1963 is the John McSweeney certificate that is dated 1962, but is signed by Ed Parker as Godan, which was a rank Ed did not receive until early 1964. There is, of course, nothing wrong with backdating a certificate to the actual date of promotion. Ed often did not get around to signing certificates until weeks and even months after the actual promotion.
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