It is with great regret and sadness that we pass on the news of the tragic death of one of our students, Warren Hutcheson. 

Warren Hutcheson and his friend Danny Witte, both 2006 graduates of HPHS, died Tuesday, January 1st,  2008 in a car accident in Arizona.

The memorial service for Warren was held at 4 p.m. Monday the 7th, at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, 3821 University Blvd.

Seen to the left is Warren in 2004, at Possum Kingdom during his promotion to Orange Belt.  He had since progressed in his training to Sankyu (3rd level Brown Belt) in both Gasan Ryu Kenpo under Dr. Chamberlain and also in Heike Ryu Jiu-Jitsu under Jim Webb sensei. 

With Warren in the photo above are his father in white, a Black Belt under the late Robert Trias, and Dr. Chamberlain.

Our sympathy and prayers go out to his parents Jim and Sarah Hutcheson, his brother Nathan, and his grandmother Patricia Hutcheson.

A wreath was placed at the funeral home in the name of all his classmates and friends at the dojo.  A group of instructors and students attended the funeral.

Warren was posthumously awarded his Black Belt and is listed on the Gasan Ryu Family Tree as such.  The Black Belt was placed inside his casket with him by the family.  He was a vibrant part of the dojo.

Warren was in the process of translating the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu.  This is a difficult project but Warren had made significant progress and made it through over two thirds of the stanzas (there are 81 in all).  The Tao Te Ching has, since the sixth century B.C. provided one of the major underlying influences in Chinese thought and culture, emerging also in proverbs and folklore.  As a martial artist, you may recognize many passages taken from this work in the form of master Po's discussions with "Young Grasshopper" from the 1970's hit TV series "Kung Fu".

The curriculum in our style of martial arts Gasan Ryu Kenpo contains a reading requirement for each belt rank.  Jim Hutcheson, Warren's father, has created an endowment to provide the "Tao of Pooh" to students who reach Warren's rank of sankyu or third level Brown Belt.  This book provides an understanding to the Tao Te Ching and is a living legacy in Warren's memory.  This will serve to share some of warren's passion with our current students and keep his memory with us fresh and current.

Shihan Nick Chamberlain