
The Professor Bert Aspinall Award
Professor Bert Aspinall
Professor Bert Aspinall was a student of Professor Ray Law and later established his own dojo at a church in East Oakland, CA. He was a man of faith, and taught his students to trust in God. In an article he wrote for the Kiai Echo in 1993, he said, “Let your mind be strong with sincerity that can pierce iron and stone. Repay the favors of nature, work for the public good, make yourself a man who nature is pleased to live with.” As a memorial to the great teachings he lived by, Prof. Bert Aspinall donated an award to the AJJF which is given by the AJJF Board of Professors (BOP). It is to be awarded to an AJJF member, below the rank and title of Professor, who has given an inordinate amount of himself or herself in the support of the AJJF. The recipient need not be a jujitsu student, but a member who has donated a large part of his or her time in service to the organization. Past recipients are listed below. The AJJF and the BOP owe a debt of gratitude to the many individuals who work so hard to support and promote the AJJF and Master Okazaki’s teachings.
Recipients of the Professor Bert Aspinall, Professor Jane Carr Award
Year | Recipient |
---|---|
2023 | Jason Davis |
2021 | Dianna McKinzie |
2019 | Lyle Najita |
2018 | Patrick Hedgepath |
2017 | Tim Merrill |
2015 | Steve Balzac |
2014 | Steve Balzac |
2013 | Filiberto Gutierrez |
2012 | Kevin Colton |
2011 | Dominic Beltrami |
2010 | Monica Villanueva |
2009 | Katie "Murph" Stevens |
2008 | Nerissa Freeman |
2007 | Pete St. Pierre |
2006 | Robert Hodgkin |
2005 | Hillary Kaplowitz |
2004 | Tom Ryan |
2003 | Cynthia Frueh |
2002 | Matt Bigham |
2001 | Randy Schuster |
2000 | Bob Karnes |
1999 | Loretta Silvagni |
1998 | Edward Shatzen |
1997 | Betty Fisher |
1996 | Patricia Rebmann |
1995 | Rich and Nancy Young |
1994 | Tanja Brekke |
1993 | Roy Lonnberg |
1992 | Brian Fennen |
1991 | Jan Ball |
1990 | Vern Brekke |
1989 | Carl Dozier |
1988 | Barbara Gessner |