This is an "Advertisement" for a Gung Fu exhibition that was given by Bruce Lee and his students on February 14, 1961. This took place at Yestler Terrace. The ten participants are listed at the bottom of the page.
These e-mails are concerning an article about Bruce that will soon appear in the magazine called INSIDE KUNG-FU.
Johnny > SKIP ELLSWORTH > LOG HOUSE BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA > TELEPHONE: (360) 794-4469 > WEBSITE: http://www.premier1.net/~loghouse/
From: Johnny Williams <chinafist@rocketmail.com> > > To: loghouse@premier1.net > > Subject: Contact, and the Seattle days > > Date: Thursday, August 06, 1998 3:48 PM > > > >
Hello Mr. Ellsworth,
I can not bring myself to presume to call you `Skip' unless you tell me that it is okay.
My name is Johnny J. Williams Jr. I am honored to be able to tell you that I am a friend and student of Jesse's (have been for a few years). I have also been involved with Jim's and Ed's teachings for some years now as well (learned from students of their's).
I have watched and enjoyed as your website has expanded and grown. It is quite possibly the best Bruce Lee related website on the net, but then I have a bias for the Seattle guys given my tuteledge and lineage. Anyway, I am at present involved in writing an article for Inside Kung-Fu magazine on Bruce's Seattle days and the students of his thereof. I have been published there already, and my editor, Dave Cater has given me the go ahead to do this article.
I so far have the blessings, support, and cooperation of the following people. You just might recognize some of these names (hee hee hee).
Jesse Glover, my Sifu has given me the high sign to do this. He contributed a picture of he and Bruce working the lop sao bong sao cycle.
Taky Kimura has stated that he likes the idea of Bruce's Seattle days being highlighted and has agree with this article as well. He is allowing me permission to use photos of he and Bruce working out in a field that were given to me by the next guy.
Joseph Cowles liked the articles idea. He has given me several pictures of himself and the aforementioned pictures of Taky and Bruce as well.
Jim DeMile was interested but wanted to see what Jesse and Taky thought (he told me). After finding out that they both supported my efforts he too joined in. He sent me an excellent picture of himself to use.
As well as pictures, all have supplied anedotes and/or stories relating to their relationships, training, and times with Bruce. I do not expect for you to take my word for any of this so please contact each and every one of them to verify my story. This leads me to this e-mail.
I want to include you in this article as well and needed to make contact with you towards that end, and also to express my gratitude for sharing what you are sharing on your website.
If you are interested in contributing anything to this article (after you have checked out my story of course) please e-mail me and lets talk.
Oh yes, one more thing. Can you tell me how to get in touch with Mr. Pat Strong? I'd like to bring him in on this as well.
I'm going to ask Jesse how to get in touch with LeRoy Garcia.
Well thank you for your time. Whatever you decide, please contact me when you have some time. I'd be tickled to hear from you. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Johnny J. Williams Jr., ChinaFist@rocketmail.com
------------Skip Ellsworth <loghouse@premier1.net> wrote,
Howdy Johnny !!!
Please forgive me for not responding to your e-mail more promptly.
Last week I was preparing for a two-day (11 hours on Saturday and 11 hours on Sunday) log home building seminar which occured this past weekend. The last person walked out the door this morning at 1:30 AM.
>Hey that's okay. I know what busy is like. When I have an article due, and my editor is looking for it, and I still hold down two, count them two jobs besides, and must leave time to be hubby and daddy, well lets just say that I GET IT.
Yes... I would be more than happy to help you with your article.
>Thank you. God, I wonder why it is that Bruce's Seattle guys seem to be so much nicer (when taken as a group) than some from the other places and times (Many of the Oakland and LA guys are pretty nice too, however EVERYONE who I've encountered from Bruce's Seattle days has so far been simpatico)?
I perceive that you are a friend of Bruce's (even though you may not have > known him personally)
>Your perceptions are indeed correct sir, I DO count myself as a friend of Bruce's.* In fact it is to my eternal regret that I never made an opportunity for myself to have met him. Being 46 years old, I was around and involved in the martial arts back then. My regret is greatly tempered by the wonderful opportunity of getting to know you guys, his first group of students. As to training, I feel, and everyone may not agree, but being trained by Jesse Raymond Glover is as close as you can get to being trained by Bruce Lee himself.
>*Last year I received a wonderful letter of appreciation from Linda because of some comments that I made regarding she and Shannon's worthy efforts to preserve her late husband's legacy in it's correct format. So yes, I am a friend of Bruce Lee's and have been since 1967 when I first saw him on the premier of The Green Hornet.
-- and therefore, I will help you in any way possible.
>Again thank you very much.
As you probably already know, LeRoy Garcia was recently injured and is currently recovering. He was at Providence Hospital at Everett, but I believe that he is probably at home by now -- in the Monroe area.
>Jesse told me that he was home now and on the mend.
If we meet at my house (which is relatively easy to find) we can then drive out to LeRoy's place.
>Okay, here is the sticky part. I hope that I didn't some how mislead you, but I don't live in the Seattle area. Myself, my wife, and our two daughters presently live in the mid-west/great lakes region. Illinois to be exact, in a small, very pleasant suburb of Chicago. So I won't be in a position to meet you in person until sometime next year when I promised my wife a trip out west. If this presents any difficulty or changes your mind in any way I will understand, and respect your decision. Not only won't I harbor any ill feelings, but I would hope to keep the lines of communication and correspondence open between us from now on, at your convenience (I always have a hard time spelling that, some writer eh?) of course. What ever you decide thanks for taking the time out from your busy schedule to e-mail me, and my respectful regards to you and your family.
Please give me a call anytime -- or e-mail me at your convenience. We are looking forward to the pleasure of meeting you in person.
Your friends,
Skip, Elvie, and little Chip
>Thanks from Johnny, Laura (my wife), Xiomara (our oldest daughter, pronounced See-O-Mata), and Kiara (the youngest daughter, pronounced Key-R-Ra) Williams
>P.S. Is it okay for me to call you Skip?
------------------------- Skip Ellsworth wrote,
Howdy Johnny !!!
Hopefully, things are going well for you and your family.
Once again, I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I have been up to my ears in seminars.
I have a black-and-white photo that you might be interested in using. The photo is of Bruce Lee, Jesse Glover, and I -- and it was taken in approximately 1961.
This photo shows us on stage, giving an exhibition of Kung Fu. I can't remember exactly where it was taken -- but I believe it was at the International Trade Fair, or at a New Years celebration in Seattle's Chinatown, or ... (?).
The photo is on the log house website, so you can check it out. It shows Bruce and Jesse sparring -- with me in the background (waiting my turn).
The photo has never been published. If you use it in your article I would want it understood that I will always retain ownership of it. I have done a "Common Law Copywrite" on all of my photos, but I would gladly give you permission to publish this one in the article you mentioned as long as it was clearly understood that I retain all rights to it and all ownership of it.
I am in the process of transcribing my notes regarding Bruce Lee, etc. Some of these notes were taken as early as 1959. I wrote them down on napkins (as we were eating at the Tai Tung Restaurant, and other places), on matchbook covers, on small pieces of paper, on paper towels, etc., etc. I have a lot of these notes. Some of them were scribbled in such haste that they would hardly be readable by anyone else but me. I am currently entering them into the computer -- so these memories of Bruce, and reflections concerning him, will not be lost.
So far, I have typed 14 pages (legal size), and it looks like there will be over 100 pages when I am finished typing this stuff.
When it is finished typing, I will do a Common Law Copywrite on the material -- and then put it all on this website.
Some of the stuff that I wrote in 1959 is quite sophomoric (Bruce and I were only 18 and 19 years old) -- but none-the-less it has been interesting for me to reflect upon this again after all these years.
When reading my notes it is pretty obvious that even in 1959 the "seeds" of Jeet Kune Do were already planted in Bruce's mind -- and they were in the process of germinating.
What are your thoughts ???
We hope to hear from you soon.
Your friends,
Skip, Elvie, and little Chip
SKIP ELLSWORTH LOG HOUSE BUILDERS ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA TELEPHONE: (360) 794-4469 WEBSITE: http://www.premier1.net/~loghouse/
Received by e-mail from Angie Busch on July 8, 1998:
This message is for Skip Ellsworth, because I understand he was one of Bruce Lee's original students in America. I am a high school student, and I am writing a report on Kung Fu. I need to know what Kung Fu is in the simplest of terms.
Angie Busch
---------------the following is Bob Johnson's reply to Angie,
Dear Angie,
Skip is out of the office and won't be back for a few days. However, I have known Skip for many years, and I have often heard him talk about Kung Fu and say a lot of things about it. Mostly he talks about it only in a relatively humorous way.
Throughout the years, I have heard him say the following types of things (I will paraphrase);
"Kung Fu is a process for learning how to have all of your body parts in the right place at the right time when engaged in a physical altercation."
"Kung Fu is about learning how to AVOID needing to hit or kick someone if at all possible."
"Kung Fu is about punching and kicking the other guy without him being able to punch and kick you back."
"Kung Fu is about learning how to hit the other guy more times (and harder) than he hits you."
"Kung Fu is about learning how to succeed at achieving any of your 'life' goals -- using self-discipline and focus."
For a more detailed and accurate answer, you will need to wait until Skip returns.
In fact, for an in-depth answer to your question, I recommend that you call Skip by phone when he returns to the office in four or five days. His phone number is (360) 794-4469.
Yours truly,
Bob