Simeone George Pesare

Pesare returned to Rhode Island in 1962 and in that same year opened the first Kenpo Karate school in New England.[5] Known for grueling training and three-day-long black belt tests,[6] Pesare soon gained a reputation and attracted many students. Among the few who completed his demanding curriculum were the influential martial artists Roger Carpenter, Nick Cerio, Linda Herzog, Armen Garo, Dr. Gilman Whiting, Marc Ayotte, Kurtis Parisi, Steve Nugent, and Donna L. Vinbury, the first woman to obtain a 10th –degree black belt in kenpo.[7] Although he did not grant their original black belts, Pesare trained and awarded high-degree black belts to well known martial artists Cecil Andrews II, Stephen A. Lombardi, Christine Bannon-Rodrigues,[8] Don Rodrigues,[9] Mark Sheeley, and Kathy and Joe Shuras.[10]

Pesare was the founder and long-time head of the International Kenpo Council of Grandmasters, which has the goal of preserving traditional Kenpo training and documenting its lineage.[11]

Senior Grand Master S. George Pesare died on October 14, 2012. His school, George Pesare's Kaito Gakko (School of Schools) in Providence, RI., continues to operate as the "Kenpo Karate Institute" a namesake for the original school and operated by senior Black Belts Dolores Bastone, Hubert Paquette, Marc Ayotte, and Michael Mullen.[12]

George Pesare was a long-time law enforcement officer working with Rhode Island Sheriff's offices. An expert marksman, he was the 1994 Rhode Island State Police Pistol Champion and coordinator of the National Rifle Associations' Annual Police Pistol Regional Championships. Pesare was also the President and Rhode Island Match Director of the Rhode Island Police Pistol Combat League.[13]

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