Jerry Ferguson, Pacific Karate Founder
June 30, 1960 - November 14, 2006
Sensei Jerry Ferguson began his martial arts training at the age of
8 in the classical form of Judo. Upon a move by his family, and with no
Judo schools in the area, he enrolled in a Traditional Karate school and
was involved in training and teaching ever since. In 1973, at the age of 12, he
was selected to tour Europe as part of the United States National Demonstration
Team. There he performed one of the first international exhibitions of
Synchronized Team Kata, an event which was to later become an integral
part of world competition. Throughout his teen years Sensei Ferguson continued
to excel in the sport of karate, winning such prestigious events as the
Washington State championships, the Seattle Open and the West Coast Championships.
As an adult competitor Sensei Ferguson qualified for the United States
National Karate Team and traveled to Sydney, Australia in 1985 to compete
in the World Championships. His competitive accomplishments over the next
ten years include: US National Champion, North America Cup double gold medalist,
Pan American gold medalist, Hayashi-Ha World Championship silver medalist,
and finalist at the World Cup in Budapest, Hungary. In 1989 he was awarded
"Athlete of the Year" in the sport of karate by the United States
Olympic Committee and was featured in articles in both the "Olympian"
and "Sports Illustrated" magazines.
After retiring from international competition Sensei Ferguson continued
to advance his knowledge and experience in other arenas of traditional Karate.
Aside from Shito-ryu he took instruction in the Traditional Karate
systems of Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Wado-ryu and Kobudo (traditional weapons).
This technical knowledge enabled him to earn certification as a US National
Karate Federation Referee and Pan American Union of Karate-do Kumite Judge.
In 1990 Sensei Ferguson was named a US National Team coach and guided
the US National women's team to a silver medal at the International Goodwill
Championships in Seattle, Washington. He acted as coach of the United
States team in major international events and continued to coach athletes
of international caliber at his dojo in Everett, Washington.
In his world travels, Sensei Ferguson met many practitioners, competitors,
Sensei and Masters. These associations gave him a deep appreciation
of the cultural heritage of Traditional Karate. His desire to further explore
the roots of Traditional Karate led him to seek affiliation with the Shito-ryu
International Karate-do Kai. Upon acceptance into this prestigious school
he was granted the title of Shihan. As Shihan, Sensei Ferguson was accountable
for preserving the integrity of the Seito Shito-ryu system. To this end,
he met frequently with Soke Mabuni and other high-ranking Shito-ryu instructors
to share and assimilate information. In turn, he worked with the Instructors
of the Pacific Karate Organization to insure that this knowledge was correctly
conveyed to the student body.
Sensei Jerry Ferguson passed away on November 14, 2006. His brother,
Sensei Michael Ferguson, is now serving as the head instructor for Pacific
Karate Organization.