About
Sr. Master Richard E. Anderson, 7th Degree Black Belt
**Received Gold Collar Testing over 6,000 students per year. 2002
**“November 3rd” declared Senior Master Richard E. Anderson Day by Mayor Jim Dailey of Little Rock, Arkansas. 2001
**Promoted to Senior Master status in the world’s largest martial arts association (180, 000 members). 2001
**Highest ranked African-American in the world’s largest martial arts association. 2001
**Inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame for the Diamond Life Achievement Award and the Most Outstanding Martial Arts School of the Year. 1999
**KARK TV Community Service Award recipient. 1998
**“March 12th” declared Master Richard E. Anderson’s Day by Mayor Alfred Boals of West Memphis, Arkansas.
**Founder and Creator of Camp Positive Summer Program.
**Founder and Creator of the “Go to Church on Sunday and Practice Free on Monday” Training Program. **Appointed as Commissioner with the AR State Athletic Commission in 2008
Anderson's Taekwondo Center is making a positive difference in the lives of inner city youth. In today's society OUR CHILDREN NEED US! We, as adults need to stand up and be responsible by contributing in the teachings of positive reinforcements and guidance for our youth. IF Not Us...Then Who? Our website shows a positive alternative to staying out of jail, off the streets and death at an early age.
Taekwondo has been a love of Sr. Master Anderson ever since he can remember. He would watch"The Green Hornet" and "I Spy" on television, loving the martial arts and fighting sequences. Sr. Master Anderson had a natural inclination and talent for martial arts. It seemed like from the earliest times , he was able to practice self defense naturally, being able to get out of any situation that involved his personal safety.
Sr. Master trained under Alvin Smith, a kung fu and Taekwondo instructor in 1970 and later that year became involved in the American Taekwondo Association under the leadership of the Late Eternal Grand Master H. U. Lee.
Students of Anderson's Taekwondo Center
These are just SOME of their accomplishments:
**Nineteen (19) Students ranked in the ATA World Top Ten Championships. 2001
**2001 World Champion Title Holder in Sparring: Ricky Gaston.
**2001 National Champion Title Holder in Weapons: Candice Cooper
**Seven (7) State Champion Title Holders: Ricky Gaston, Matthew Watson, Candice Cooper, Chardae Graham, Larry Taylor, Stacy Moultrie and Jordan Brown. 2001
**Twenty-three (23) Students ranked in the ATA World Top Ten Championships. 2000
**Three (3) World Champion Title Holder: Candice Cooper, Travis Osa and Ogugua Uchendu .2000
**Nine (9) World Martial Arts Hall of Fame Inductees: Ricky Gaston, Justin Cook, Amber Allen, Matthew Watson, Candice Cooper, Chardae Graham, Latesha Lewis and Trent Humphrey. 1999
**1998 World Champion Title Holder: Candice Cooper
**1997 World Champion Title Holder: Amber Allen
**1996 World Champion Title Holder: Justin Cook
**Participant in the All American City Contest
**Participants in many community service projects, parades, demonstrations
**Featured in articles in the Free Press, Emerge magazine and ATA magazines
**Two Three Time World Champions – Candice Cooper and Ricky Gaston
**World Champion and 3rd Degree Black Belt, Amber Allen – 2005 Graduate of UALR, major in Early Childhood Education; currently teaching third graders at Harris Elementary
**World Champion and Instructor, Ricky Gaston - 4th Degree Black Belt, attending Philander Smith College; majoring in Early Education and Business; head instructor at Anderson’s Black Belt Academy in Pine Bluff, AR
**Ricky Gaston graduated from Philander Smith College in 2006
**Ricky Gaston, member of National Education Association (NEA) Philander Smith College Chapter
**Ricky Gaston, member of Student Government Association (SGA)
**Ricky Gaston, President of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. (Philander Smith Chapter)
**World Champion and Instructor, Justin Cook – Attending University of AR in Pine Bluff, majoring in Fashion Design, instructor at Anderson’s Black Belt Academy in Pine Bluff, AR
**3rd Degree Black Belt, Instructor, Matthew Watson – Supervised Anderson’s Camp Positive Summer Program, attended University of AR in Conway, active in the Army, deployed to Iraq in 2004
**3rd Degree Black Belt, Instructor, Matthew Watson – Working in Anderson’s Taekwondo Center Afterschool Program and teaching at Anderson’s Taekwondo Center; deployed to Iraq in 2006
**2nd Degree Black Belt, Instructor, Marcus Harlston – Taught at Anderson’s Taekwondo Center Camp Positive, Attending University of AR in Conway, active in the Army
**2nd Degree Black Belt, Instructor, Wesley Allen – Taught at Anderson’s Taekwondo Center Camp Positive, Attending University of AR in Conway
