Grandmaster Sid Campbell was the founding president of the World Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do & Kobudo Association, and he was the first American to open a Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan dojo in the United States.
Born Sept. 29, 1944, in Montgomery, Ala., the 10th-degree black belt became interested in martial arts and weaponry during a stint with the Navy in Okinawa during the Vietnam War. Campbell spent the next 45 years engulfed in the field.
The hanshi, or teacher of teachers, taught more than 15,000 students. He created his own school in Oakland in 1966, specializing in the shorin-ryu method of karate. In addition, he was the founding president of the World Okinawan Shrorin-Ryu Karate-Do and Kobudo Association and supervised almost 50 karate schools and senseis worldwide.
