Imada

The San Luis Valley Judo Club in the small town of Alamosa, Colorado, began in the autumn of 1962 and continued through 1977. The driving force behind it was Judge Whitford W. ＂Whit＂ Myers, who initiated, handled logistics for, and generally promoted the club. In 1963, he arranged for a black-belt instructor from the Denver School of Judo to move to Alamosa. This person was Edwin Jun ＂Eddie＂ Imada, who taught judo to hundreds of kids and young adults in the San Luis Valley across a period of 14 years and inspired them by example. Under his training, SLV Judo reached competitive prominence in the Rocky Mountain Region and beyond, and produced several black belts, two of whom eventually reached ranks of 6th and 7th dan. Eddie’s immense dedication and service to the community were ironic, in that he and his family had been forcibly moved to Colorado as internees in the Granada Relocation Center (Camp Amache) during WWII. The publication of this book happens to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the construction of Camp Amache. This story is about judo, Japanese Americans and their history, and life in a small Western town in the 1960s. The author was a founding member of the club and practiced with SLV Judo for six years, attending its first session as well as some in its later years. The book includes 28 illustrations.