Jimmie King

Early Childhood

James Ralph King, III (Jimmi) Born January 4th, 1965 in Oakridge, TN. to James Ralph King, Jr. and Kaye Shirley Crawford King. Moved to Augusta, GA in 1966. Divorced 1968. Father returned to Knoxville, TN mother married Larry Eric Bushee, pronounced (Boo-Shay). Two half sisters Dyana Denise (DeeDee) and Nicole Renee (Nikki). Heroes as a Child and still are Daniel Boone, Kwai Chang Caine of Kung Fu T.V. Series, Bruce Lee and Billy Jack. Began boxing at age 11. Played Football, Baseball, Basketball, Tennis and Golf through school years. Forced to quit school at age 14 due to the divorce of mom and Larry then moved to Knoxville, TN with biological father and began doing iron work on the 1982 World Exposition Fair. Returned to North Augusta, SC and worked two full-time jobs at Transportation Carriers, Inc. & Graniteville Mill to help support mom and sisters after divorce.

Began Karate in 1980 at age 15 with O'Sensei Virgil D'Arcy Kimmey. Age 17 began working at Georgia Carolina Manufacturing Company and transferred to Enloe Aluminium in Aiken, SC. Acquired GED from Aiken Technical College. Age 18 began Augusta Technical College and transferred to Aiken Technical College same year for Drafting. 1985 began own company as Carpentry Subcontractor for Framing, Interior and Exterior Trim and Siding. Become Youngest SC State Licensed Residential Contractor. Met Future and still Current Spouse Tracy Ileen Carter and were married on April 11th, 1986. Scheduled for Shodan Test in U.S.TAI for November 12th, 1988 and was involved in severe automobile accident on October 16th, 1988 and told would never walk again or maybe could with assistance of crutches, cain, wheelchair, etc and was expected to have brain damage. Was awarded an Honorary Shodan by O'Sensei Virgil D'Arcy Kimmey while in MCG (Medical College of Georgia) Hospital in December just prior to Christmas. I was in a coma for 4 days and ICU 7 weeks. Discharged from the hospital in February of 1989. Remained under nurses care until May 1989, but took first steps with crutches in September 1989. Walking without crutches in November.

Built Tracy and my first house in Beech Island, SC and three homes for sale as Speculative Homes for potential buyers when interest rates went up to 23% and was forced into bankruptcy. Began driving Tractor/Trailor over-the-road 48 States and Canada with Beltmann North American Van Lines as an owner/operator out of Des Moines, IA. Become Vanguard Elite Driver and paid off bankruptcy scheduled for 5 years in 3 years. Beltmann sold individual agencies into main branch in Minneapolis, MN and didn't like the new management therefore put in notice and Sold Tractor and sold house in Beech Island and began building another when given opportunity to build much nicer and finer homes in the Lowcountry area between Beaufort and Hilton Head Island, SC.

Mother become ill with cancer in 1995 and I stopped working until her death on April 26th, 1996. Returned to Beaufort, SC and opened a construction firm for an employer, Doug Thompson called Southern Traditions Custom Homes. I ran the company on salary for a year until he and his wife moved there. I returned to college for CADD and Building Construction Technology in 1997 and graduated with 4.0 GPA and was awarded Outstanding Student then began teaching as an Adjunct Professor immediately after Graduation in 2000. On September 11th, 2001 when the World Trade Center and America was attacked I was accepted at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) with 3 scholarships into the field of Architecture. I attended part time beginning Winter 2002 and while running the construction firm, a design firm and also teaching as an Adjunct Professor for Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort.

My wife and I adopted 2 children from China. Through CWA Christian World Adoption we were blessed with our daughter Lauren Grace on December 8th, 2003 & Timothy James TJ on May 25th, 2007. From Winter Quarter 2002, while running the construction firm, a design firm and also teaching as an Adjunct professor while going to SCAD I was able to meet 145 credits towards the 180 credits towards the bachelor degree and 25 credits towards the Masters degree program in Architecture at SCAD with a 3.97 GPA until I became ill shortly after the last adoption.

I was scheduled for a Frontal Sinus Obliteration Surgery on December 5th, 2007 that was an outpatient surgery that was supposed to be 2 hour surgery time and return home the same day during College Break before returning to classes in January 2008. The surgery would nearly become my demise. While enroute from Charleston, SC to Beaufort, SC I didn't make it home. I was admitted to the ER at Beaufort Memorial Hospital in ICU until Monday when I was sent back to Charleston Memorial Hospital in ICU due to extreme swelling of the forehead are and left eye. I was treated for three days and was started on a steroid to reduce swelling and scheduled to see a number of specialists beginning with half the maximum allowed dosage of prednisone, 60mg. I did return to college and was fulfilling all of my duties at top level and received the Professor of the Year Award in 2008, yet my health conditions continued to deteriorate and decline rapidly. In March 2008 I was referred to a ENT Specialist in Savannah at the College Memorial Hospital and underwent 9 surgeries as I had the steroid increased to 180mg. 60mg over the maximum allowable limit and had gone from 230 pounds to 315 pounds and had finally lost verbal and motor skills and become bedridden. On January 26th, 2009 my head was opened to expose that staff infection had begun next to the frontal lobe of my brain. I was immediately given a pic line to my heart 46cm long and given 750ml daily of the two strongest antibiotics available, Leviquine and Clendomyacin for 28 weeks. On March 9th, 2009 my head was opened a fourth time in order to remove all of the substance that was put in my head during the initial surgery. After 14.5 hours I began fading and pneumonia was setting in and was stapled up temporarily for three days when 4.5 hours later the foreign material had been removed to the best of the physicians ability. After ten days I was allowed to go home but now on bedrest and under nurses care until May. We lost our home, vehicles, businesses and finances were in the tank. Out of 7 known patients with symptoms from the same product I'm the only survivor.

In 2010 I moved my family back to North Augusta, SC and slowly started to heal but with many problems health wise along the way. I acquired full disability in 2011 and began with baby steps until I decided to man up and Sensei Frank Beall at NAMA (North Augusta Martial Arts) gave me the opportunity to relearn what I'd been doing since I was 15 until 2008 when I wasn't physically able to anymore. He asked me how I wanted to be inducted into the dojo. As a Black Belt with white stripe or what. I asked him to start me with a White Belt because I had just recently learned how to walk again. I had many problems with mirrors, lights, loud parents, I passed out during exercises and tests but I kept trying until I felt I was a burden to the dojo. I transferred to a smaller dojo in Clearwater, SC under Sensei Johnny Hughes and did fairly well once again beginning as a White Belt. I quickly advanced by working hard at home and in the dojo but started getting stressed during construction of the Church where the dojo was located. I tested for and received Shodan AGAIN 28 years later to the day when my original Shodan Test was scheduled.

The best year of my life since December 5th, 2007 came in 2018 and it began in the first month on my birthday January 4th. I was asked to try out with a band as a Bass Player from a childhood friend and I was allowed to assist a man in Martial Arts that has been an idol to me since the early 1980's. That man's name is O'Sensei Mike Hess. I used to train under him on Wednesday nights at Gregg Park in Graniteville, SC. On Monday's, Thursday's & Saturday's I trained in North Augusta, SC and Tuesday's and Friday's in Aiken, SC under O'Sensei Virgil D'Arcy Kimmey. I'd seen Sensei Mike Hess many times and knew of his flexibility and devastating spinning wheel kick followed by a snap roundhouse kick while his leg was still at head level and had mimicked him many times but could never achieve his level of success which is why I revered him so much. I'd seen him many times but was intimidated by him because of my admiration for him. Shortly after my birthday I got the nerve to ask if he'd like my assistance with instructing at his dojo. I was in his dojo for about a month when he asked me if I would be interested in joining him full time. It was very hard for me to keep a straight face due to my excitement. I immediately took him up on the offer and have never been more happy because it's exactly what I did and was trained in to a tee. The words, katas, self defense, matwork, etc. It's as if I've gotten a second chance at my youth. The band is going great and the dojo seems to be equally to me enthusiastic even with my brain injury which I refer to as an impairment because I refuse emphatically to use the word disabled.

Overall my life now is filled with happiness and great people that accept my odd behavior that comes with my impairment. It's my belief that my Priorities and Order I put them in is the reason I'm still alive and elated. If I could pass anything to anyone in the way of advice it's the Five Priorities and in this ORDER for a life of happiness and success, GOD, FAMILY, COUNTRY, EDUCATION and CAREER in that exact order.

At O'Sensei Mike Hess Dojo we begin with PRAYER then we go to WORK with Learning our Martial Arts as given to us through the instructions of O'Sensei Virgil D'Arcy Kimmey. Anyone that has read this please know that all of the years since my accident in 1988 I could never bring myself to enter any other Dojo under any other Sensei's while mine were alive out of respect. In the 1990s VHS made possible for me to keep learning new & innovative ideas to add to the style that I love so much and I came close in Beaufort, SC to going to the Chuck Norris System under Sensei Chuck Elias but I just couldn't bring myself to enter any other Dojo. After VHS came CDs and the internet. I've studied many things over my nearly 40 years in the Martial Arts but I've stood my ground firm with what was started by O'Sensei Virgil D'Arcy Kimmey as ZenShotoKai Karate and Kobudo and if I'm buried with a headstone it will have the ZenShotoKai Karate and Kobudo along with O'Sensei Virgil D'Arcy Kimmey and O'Sensei James Michael Hess as the Master's that helped form the man who later became Sensei James Ralph King, III also known as Jimmi, Bubba, Boss, BassMan Professor King by the closest of friends and associates.

I sincerely hope that I'm offered by God the opportunity to meet each and every person that's aware of our system and has read about my humble life that's nearly ended early too many times but has prevailed through the Grace of God and the Blood of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

With Much Love and Sincerity Always, Jimmi King, SanDan 3rd degree Black Belt in ZenShotoKai Karate and Kobudo under O'Sensei Mike Hess whom I refer to as BigBrother.