Ten of the members of the Roll of Honor are also members of the Alliance Hall of Fame

Robert A. Trias the “Father of American Karate” was born on March 18,1922. In the Second World War Master Trias was in the United States Navy, and was stationed in the Solomon Islands in 1942.  While he was  training for the South Pacific middleweight boxing championship, he met T'ung Gee Hsing.  Hsing had traveled to the Solomn Islands from Okinawa in 1940, where he had trained with Choki Motobu. Hsing was fascinated with American boxing and he began to frequent the gym where Master Trias was training.  He pestered Trias day after day to spar with him, until one day Trias agreed.  In an interview for Black Belt Magazine Master Trias recounts the event.   "He was just a tiny little guy, said Trias, and I didn't want to spar with him, but he kept on persisting until I said yes.  I called all my friends to see me kill this little man and I asked him if he wanted to spar with gloves and he said it really didn't matter.  
Well, before you know it, he was giving me the biggest thrashing of my life and I was really embarrassed.  He kept pointing out how he could easily kill me if he wanted and right there and then, I asked him to teach me."  Master Trias began training with T'ung Gee Hsing, and was awarded his first degree black belt on July 10, 1943.

Later in 1944, he was also able to train with Hoy Yuan Ping in Singapore. In 1945 he returned to the United States and introduced karate to America. In 1946 Master Trias opened the first karate school in America in Phoenix, Arizona.  In 1948 he founded the United States Karate Association with Atlee Chittim of Texas as his first affiliate. This became the largest karate organization in the world.  In 1963, he conducted the first world karate championships tournament in Chicago Illinois. Master Trias was promoted to 9th degree black belt on July 16, 1964 by Grand Master Yasuhiro Konishi, the Chief Instructor for Choki Motobu.  Grand Master Konishi also appointed MasterTrias as the International Style Head of the Shur-ryu system.  He was promoted to 10th degree black belt in 1983, by Grand Master Makoto Gima, the Chief Instructor for Gichin Funakoshi.

On July 11, 1989 Master Trias died after a three year struggle with bone cancer. Master Trias’ dream of an open Karate organization lives on in the United states Karate Alliance formed by Dr. David Jordan and Master James Hawkes.

Master Trias’ books are: "The Hand is My Sword", "Karate is My Life", "The Methods of Shuri-ryu", "The Pinnacle of Karate", and "The Supreme Way".

“I strongly hope that for the unselfish benefit of all Karate-kas, for the good of our country and for the universal good of humanity, we can find a way amicably to enhance the true karate-do spirit through truth, loyalty, strength, and cooperation. In keeping with this spirit, a much higher degree of emphasis should be placed in the mental and spiritual forces involved, rather than the excessive concern with achievement of physical superiority which is thundering throughout the western world at this time.” Master Robert Trias

To the right is a list of those members of the Roll of Honor who are also members of the Alliance Hall of Fame. We honor,  follow, and attempt to further the teachings of Master Chittim and Master Trias in America.

John Pat Bullock Kirk Bullock Buster Cotton Joe Dupaquier Kristin Gilliland Daniel Jordan David Jordan Rodney McPherson Monica Rivers Susan Watts