Grandmaster Carol Middleton, a 7th degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and a national figure in martial arts and women’s self-defense for more than 50 years, died on Aug. 11, 2026, in Chantilly, Va. She was 78 years old.

Here are the remarks by GM Ray Lee and GM Jack Dark of the Ki Whang Kim Traditional Martial Arts Association at the memorial service for GM Albert Cheeks, who passed away on Aug. 11, 2026. GM Ray Lee: Good afternoon. My name is Ray Lee, like you didn’t know, but I like to share […]

By Ben Sumner Grandmaster Albert R. Cheeks, the founder and president of the Ki Whang Kim Traditional Martial Arts Association, a ninth-degree black belt, and one of the top U.S. taekwondo fighters of the 1970s, passed away on August 11, 2026. He was 74. The announcement was made by Rev. Dr. Wallace Henry III, Senior […]

Longtime Ki Whang Kim student and champion Marcella Byrd passed away August 20, 2024. She was 61. GM Albert Cheeks told this story about her: Marcella Byrd won Madison Square Garden five years in a row in the women’s division. The last year she said, “The women’s division is too easy, I want to fight […]

Remembering and celebrating the life of Grandmaster Harold Lee Hankins (PDF)