The next thing I bought myself was a ten speed bicycle. I had transportation and exercise all in one. I wish that I had kept track of all of the miles that I rode on that bike. Two years had gone by. Business was still improving. The fact that I was still in business was a miracle to some. I had gotten to know the owner of a Ford dealership in town and had done a demonstration for one of his celebrations.

 One day he saw me looking at a Ford Mustang on his lot. Without my knowledge he drew up the paperwork for the purchase of that car. He arranged for a very small payment and even planned to co-sign for the loan himself. Then he approached me with his offer. If I wanted it - all I had to do was sign on the dotted line. It took me a few minutes to even understand what was happening. I had not even thought about buying a car, much less that car. Of course I said yes. I drove around town, crying tears of joy.

     A thankful parent, a real estate broker, helped me buy a house of my own without down payment. The mortgage payment was almost the same as the monthly rent for the apartment. I simply cannot list all of the good things that were happening to me since taekwondo became more than a hobby. Taekwondo was also more than just a business. For the first time in my life, I was not just kicking and punching. I was living right, making better choices. I was not allowing myself to be sidetracked.

     The school was growing and it took about five years before we had to start looking for a bigger facility. The new building gave us about 2,500 square feet of space for a training area, office, two locker rooms and a seating area for visitors.

     During those first five years, I introduced my students to the competitive aspect   of taekwondo. I was still seriously competing. Most weekends were spent traveling to tournaments. I was still supporting all of Grandmaster Kwon’s seminars, tournaments and other special events. At first the only advice from him came in a group setting, but I hung on every word he said. I tried his teaching ideas and followed his suggestions for business. I patterned myself after his example. He was the only person I knew who made taekwondo a career and was still in business longer than five years.

     I was approached about developing a taekwondo class for the district’s school for the handicapped - Central School. That was a new challenge for me. My first day was spent making introductions. The students hugged me and spent a lot of time feeling my hair and touching me. Remember, this was the first time that most of these students had even seen a black man. They each got a uniform and were eager to go. The news media heard about the special program. Two area newspapers printed articles and photos. Then the CBS TV station asked us to come to the studio for an interview and demonstration. The students were hits, and they quickly became local celebrities.

     The charity organization called Easter Seals and I co-sponsored a Taekwondo Championships in Taylorville. The Central School group demonstrated their skills in front of the thousands in attendance. This tournament was the first time that Grandmaster Kwon came to Taylorville. He presented each of the Central School students with a gold medal and gave me my first plaque (which is still hanging on my office wall). Another guest was a world-class kick boxer who signed autographs for his fans. The championship was a huge success. $6,000 was raised for Easter Seals. Before Grandmaster Kwon left, he gave me the first of many suggestions for   improving my competitions. Grandmaster Kwon has attended every one of our annual tournaments since then.

     This was when our affiliation began the shift to a more personal relationship. Grandmaster Kwon was already involved in the politics of taekwondo in the United States. When he was the president of the Illinois State USTU, he noticed my interest and asked me to run for the position of vice president in the state elections. I gave this a lot of thought, especially because of the distance between Chicago and Central Illinois(approximately 250miles each way). I decided to do it. So in 1989 I was elected as the vice president of the Illinois USTU. I was the first non-Korean and the first black man to hold the office. I spent a lot of time at Grandmaster Kwon’s office. We worked together on USTU business and championships. I went to him for advice about everything from problems with my own students to my personal troubles. I wanted to expand my business and give others an opportunity to grow. He showed me how he had opened new schools and what new problems to expect.
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    Thomas Eugene Perry
   Date of Birth: Jun 24, 1953
   Country: USA
   Kukkiwon Seventh Degree Black Belt

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