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In 1976, George Leonard, Richard Heckler, and Wendy Palmer received shodan (first-degree black belt) rank from Robert Nadeau. Earlier, when still brown belts, the three of them had been chosen by Nadeau Sensei to teach Fundamentals classes at Aikido of San Francisco. It was a time when there were very few aikido yudansha (black belts) in the U.S.
During this period, Wendy started an adult education aikido class at a high school in Mill Valley, north of San Francisco. From the beginning, the class flourished. George, who lived in Mill Valley, would sometimes train in Wendy's class, helping out whenever needed. After a year, the class was cancelled for administrative reasons.
So there Wendy was, with some thirty committed students and no place to practice. What to do? Robert Nadeau suggested she start a dojo. Wendy asked George and Richard to join her. They had the good fortune of finding a rental on the second floor of a building in downtown Mill Valley, a large, light, open space with exposed rafters and high windows, perfectly proportioned for martial arts.
The town of Mill Valley nestles up against Mt. Tamalpais, once a sacred mountain for the Tamal Indians. Rising 2500 feet straight out of the Pacific. Mt. Tam, as it is called, is still a habitat of deer, mountain lion, wild boar, and many other forms of wildlife. There was no question about the dojo's name. Aikido of Tamalpais held its first class October 22, 1976. Thirty-six students were on the mat that night.
Since then, except for Sundays and "sitting down and eating holidays," Tam Dojo has held at least one class every day. Wendy, George, and Richard have continued practicing and now hold godan (fifth-degrees black belt) ranks.
The school has graduated some forty yudansha, some of whom have gone on to start their own schools, and has become a way station for visiting masters from Japan and elsewhere who give seminars attended by aikidoka from miles around.
Aikido has strongly influenced the many books, articles, workshops, speeches, and special trainings produced by each of the three founders. These works, in turn, have helped spread the aikido message throughout much of the world. In 1998, due to heavy career commitments, Richard Heckler resigned from active teaching at Tam Dojo, while remaining a friend and colleague.
Also in that year, due to long and close association with Mitsugi Saotome Shihan and Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan, Aikido of Tamalpais became affiliated with the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba. Through these master teachers, Tam Dojo is privileged to be part of the lineage begun by O Sensei Morihei Ueshiba and to further the aiki philosophy of harmony, love, and, in O Sensei's words, of a way "to reconcile the world and make human beings one family."
Aikido of Tamalpais welcomes all visitors and all styles of aikido.
(Written by George Leonard sensei.)
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