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 I’d like to share some thoughts about Grand Master Cheeks. I’ve known and trained as well as taught with Grandmaster Cheeks for nearly 60 years. I found him to be exceptional practitioner and human being. He taught lessons with humor and reinforced them with personal experiences. His knowledge was unsurpassed. He was a teacher of teachers. Having started in the mid 60s as a young boy, he developed into a martial artist of the highest caliber. He rubbed shoulders with Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, and Joe Lewis, just to name a few. Grandmaster Cheeks won many major tournaments, but his most cherished win was the bronze medal at the first international taekwondo tournament held in South Korea.
He was he was an extremely competitive player, but also very humble. Of the many trophies he’s won, he only won the bronze medal. Grandmaster Cheeks was also inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame. He also founded the Kim Kang Traditional Martial Arts Association to pass on his knowledge. With all these achievements, he was very approachable and willing to guide others. He was sought after as a lecturer and tournament official. On a lighter, more humorous note, Grand Master Cheeks holds a very unusual distinction. He’s been kicked out of the studio more than anybody else.
He he and Grandmaster Kim had a father and son relationship. Grandmaster Cheeks would get kicked out for some infraction and he would say, “I’m not returning until Master Kim apologizes.” Well, we all knew that wasn’t going to happen. He refused and said that um he was right. He’s not going to return. This went on for a while. The other student said just apologize and return to the studio. Call came. It was Grandmaster Kim in which he said in his broken English, “You be in studio tomorrow.” And Grandmaster Cheeks yelled out, “He apologized!”
They always reconcile reconcile their differences. If Grandmaster Cheeks and Grandmaster Kim meet in heaven, they can enjoy each other’s company again. Yes, Grandmaster Cheeks will be sorely missed for his ability to inspire others, his humor, ability to teach, and his dedication to martial arts. Thank you.
GM Jack Dark:
That little dance I just did was for Grand Master Cheeks. I am a member of the Nansemond Indian Nation and I was telling them about my powwows. I was telling them when I got in the circle and I heard the joke. I got discussed one early. I said I could feel the ancestors hands on me, and he said “I want to come to the powwow. I want to come and watch you dance.” So he didn’t get a chance to come to the powwow but I just danced for him.
I gave a martial arts tournament June 6. He called me a week before that. He said, “Jack, I’m coming down. I’m like, yes, sir.” He said, cuz I like, you know, kind of dress up a little bit. He says, “I’m going to, ask you, you know, I’m going to make sure – command you – to have your uniform on.” I’m like, “Oh, Lord, I’m in trouble.” So, when he came out, we shut the whole tournament down. He came out, as sick as he was, and tied my 9th degree black belt around my waist. I was the last one.
I’m not saying that pat myself on the back. I’m just saying that because he thought enough for me to get in the car and drive three hours to Virginia Beach to do that. And I said, “Grandmaster Cheeks,” I said, “I’ve always looked up to you.” He’s a ninth degree. He said, “Now you don’t have to look up to me. Now you look across to me. You’re where I am.”
I don’t know what else to say. But at this time, I would like for all the martial artists in the house to stand up. As brother martial artists to all the martial artists in the house, Grandmaster Cheeks taught everybody in the martial art community something. He taught you something. He said if you do it like this, it’ll get a little better. If you do it like that, it’ll be good. But I said, “Okay.” So I used to call every time I competed in the US Capital Classic and win my division.
I went I called, “Grandmaster Cheeks, I won. I won.” He said, “Uh, yeah. That mean you did something right. If I lose, how’d you do it? “I didn’t I didn’t do so well, sir.” And he would say, “What’s more important, the trophy or the loss?” The ponderance in my mind, I’m like, “Damn, I like the trophy.” But then he said, “The loss is more important because if you take a loss, you learn a lesson.” He said a trophy will get old, but you take that lesson.
Everybody in here has failed at something. And then you learn from it. Okay. So the loss is not a loss if you learn from it. And I just want to say thank you. Thank you for having me. Thank you for my martial art brothers and sisters for being here and keep the family in prayer. And thank you very much.
Martial artists, stand. We got to give a final bow. Stand up. Why don’t you all stand up? Stand up. Charyeot! Kyeong-nye.
GM Ray Lee.
GM Jack Dark.
