His son Jason and spouse Annie Olford are there to accept the award. J.D. started his athletic career in 1968 as a freshman with the famous Lufkin Dunbar Tigers as a defensive back playing free safety under the leadership of the late great Coach Elmer Redd. He was privileged to be a part of the oldest rivalry in the state of Texas, Lufl€in and Nacogdoches for 4 yrs. His speed in track and on the football field as well as his many interceptions was instrumental in leading the his team to several conference games and a state championship game. In 1970 he became a Lufkin Panther and moved to the position of wide receiver He graduated from Lufkin High School in 1971 and moved to Conway, Arkansas where he played for the UCA Bears as a defensive back In 1978 he joined the American the world’s largest Manial Arts organization in Little Rock, Arkansas, and received his Blackbelt and Instructor’s Certification, He moved back to Lufkin in 1980 and started the I ATA school in the state of Texas, which now hosts over 100 schools. He received his Master Instructor’s certification in 1998, and was awarded the title 7th Degree Blackbelt, Senior Master on June 6, 2015. He had a passion for children and education, and assisted Taekwondo students with their college goals by offering part time employment through his school. His philosophy as well as the ATA was “every child is a winner,” and “children are always the only future the human race has: teach them well “