Bios

Biographies

Master Alexander

Our School’s Founder


W.T. Alexander (March 20, 1952 – June 1, 2007)

In 1999, Master W.T. Alexander founded the Oriental Moo-Do School of Colorado in Loveland, Colorado. After his death in 2007, his senior students continued teaching and running the school in his honor. We continue to train under the guidance of Grandmaster Chan Yong Kim as well as Master Alexander’s good friend Master Fred “Skip” Leonard of The Oriental Moo-Do School of Escondido, CA.

Master Alexander originally established OMS Colorado in order to provide a high-quality traditional martial arts program, as well as women’s self-defense seminars, to residents of Northern Colorado. In 2004 he became an accredited member of the World Haidong Gumdo Federation and began offering this type of instruction (Korean Sword Art) to his students. The school’s growth and student loyalty are a testament to the fine instruction and martial arts spirit of our founder. On June 1st, 2007, Master Alexander passed away leaving a void not only in our school, but in the worldwide Taekwondo community. His legacy lives on in his students and in the school he founded.

Background

Master Alexander began his study of martial arts in 1973 as a student of Grandmaster Chan Yong Kim in Cerritos, CA. He was always proud of his 30+ year relationship with Grandmaster Kim and was honored to be the first affiliate of Master Kim’s Oriental Moo Do School to be based outside of California. Master Alexander had been involved in martial arts competitions as a competitor and referee in the United States, Europe, and Asia for three decades. During his 20-year career as a United States Marine infantry officer he trained Marines and formed numerous martial arts classes for both civilian and military personnel.

Achievements and Accolades

  • 6th degree black belt in Taekwondo (Kukkiwon Certified)
  • 2nd degree black belt in Hapkido
  • 2nd degree black belt in Haidong Gumdo (WHGD Certified)
  • 1st degree black belt in Isshinryu karate
  • 2 time U.S. National Forms Champion U.S. Senior Nationals
  • 2 time Colorado State Grand Champion
  • 11 time Colorado state Champion
  • 2 time North Carolina State Champion
  • 2 time Jimmy Kim Invitational Champion
  • Presidents Challenge Gold Medalist
  • Presidents Sports Award
  • TUSA, AAU, and CKA certified referee
  • Bachelor of Arts, CSUDH / Master of Arts CMU
  • Major, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)

Grandmaster Chan Yong Kim

Founder, Oriental Moo-Do Schools


Grandmaster Kim holds a 9th-Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, an 8th-Degree Black Belt in Yudo, and a 6th-Degree Black Belt in Hapkido. All branches of the Oriental Moo-Do School are linked to the main school in Cerritos, CA, and come under the supervision of Grandmaster Kim for testing and curriculum requirements.

Born in the 1930s, Grandmaster Kim began training in martial arts as a child in what is now North Korea. After years of training and graduation from the martial arts university in Seoul, Korea, Grandmaster Kim taught martial arts to the 8th U.S. Army in Korea for 5 years, and then traveled around the Pacific Rim to demonstrate and teach. He founded Taekwondo and Yudo schools in several countries, established the Australian Taekwondo Association, and coached the Australian Olympic Judo team. In 1971, Grandmaster Kim immigrated to the United States, where he founded the first Oriental Moo-Do School (OMS) in Cerritos, CA.

Since founding the original OMS, Grandmaster Kim has trained literally thousands of students in the martial arts including many national, international, and Olympic champions.* He founded the California State Taekwondo Association and served as its President for eight years. In 1977, Grandmaster Kim became an internationally certified referee and served as the International Olympic Committee Chairman of Referees for Taekwondo from 1989 to 1994. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, he served as Taekwondo Competition Chairman. In May, 2003, this long time “missionary” for Taekwondo and the Korean Martial Arts was awarded the Korean National Sports Merit Medal in Seoul, Korea by the President of the Republic of Korea. This prestigious award is the highest honor that can be given to a sports figure by the Korean government. More recently, in the spring of 2011, Grandmaster Kim became an inductee into the Taekwondo Grandmaster’s Hall of Fame.

*One such champion was Grandmaster Kim’s own son, Master Jimmy Kim, who won the gold medal in the men’s heavyweight division for the United States in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea—the first-ever Olympic gold medal to be awarded for Taekwondo. Master Jimmy Kim has gone on to establish his own martial arts school JKTC, where he is training a new generation of Olympic athletes and is currently the National Team Coach for Taekwondo Sport Poomsae (Forms).