George Dillman

George A. Dillman, a 9th degree black belt in Ryukyu Kempo Tomari-te, recently honored by Black Belt Magazine as "1997 -- Instructor of the Year" is one of the USA's best-known and well-established martial arts personalities. Dillman came to the attention of the martial arts press when he began competing in the early 1960's. By the middle of that decade, he had started running his own tournament, called the Northeast Open Karate Championships. This competition was held annually -- the first kicking off in Palmer Park, Maryland in 1966. The site was moved to Suitland, Maryland in 1967, and moved again to Reading, Pennsylvania in 1968 where it was held until 1996.