Thai-Kickboxing
26-09-2006, 00:43
American Karate Pioneer Ernest Lieb Dies in German Train Crash
http://www.martialinfo.com/comments/Ernest_Lieb
Sunday, September 24, 2006
By Federico Martinez
MUSKEGON CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER WITH WIRE REPORTS
MUSKEGON, MI -- A world renowned martial arts expert and longtime Muskegon resident was among at least 23 people killed September 22, 2006, when a high-tech train crashed near Lathen in northwestern Germany.
Ernest Lieb, 66, of Roosevelt Park was visiting his native Germany to conduct a seminar on karate, his widow, Jennifer Lieb, said.
Funeral arrangements still are pending.
The crash was the first involving a train using magnetic levitation, or maglev, in which the train rides on a magnetic field without touching rails. The lack of friction allows speeds as high as 270 miles per hour.
German officials still are trying to determine how the crash happened.
A 10th Degree Black Belt, Lieb was the founder of the American Karate Association and founder and chief instructor of the American Karate System.
Born in Berlin, Germany, in 1940, Lieb immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1952. He became a citizen in 1959 -- the same year he graduated from Muskegon High School.
Lieb returned to Germany often in recent years to teach karate seminars, Jennifer Lieb said. His dream was to increase the popularity of karate there.
Jennifer Lieb met her husband at a karate seminar he was teaching more than four years ago. The couple kept in touch by phone and married in June.
"He had a heart of gold," said Jennifer Lieb, who moved to the U.S. this past spring. "He was caring. We just fell in love."
Her husband was traveling with three close friends, including one from West Virginia, when their train derailed, Jennifer Lieb said. The other two men, who lived in Germany, also died in the crash.
After arriving in the U.S., Lieb's family settled in Chicago. It was there that the 12-year-old, 67-pound Lieb often found himself on the losing side of fights, according to biographical information listed on www.americankaratesystem.org.
More information:
http://www.martialinfo.com/comments/Ernest_Lieb
http://www.martialinfo.com/comments/Ernest_Lieb
Sunday, September 24, 2006
By Federico Martinez
MUSKEGON CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER WITH WIRE REPORTS
MUSKEGON, MI -- A world renowned martial arts expert and longtime Muskegon resident was among at least 23 people killed September 22, 2006, when a high-tech train crashed near Lathen in northwestern Germany.
Ernest Lieb, 66, of Roosevelt Park was visiting his native Germany to conduct a seminar on karate, his widow, Jennifer Lieb, said.
Funeral arrangements still are pending.
The crash was the first involving a train using magnetic levitation, or maglev, in which the train rides on a magnetic field without touching rails. The lack of friction allows speeds as high as 270 miles per hour.
German officials still are trying to determine how the crash happened.
A 10th Degree Black Belt, Lieb was the founder of the American Karate Association and founder and chief instructor of the American Karate System.
Born in Berlin, Germany, in 1940, Lieb immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1952. He became a citizen in 1959 -- the same year he graduated from Muskegon High School.
Lieb returned to Germany often in recent years to teach karate seminars, Jennifer Lieb said. His dream was to increase the popularity of karate there.
Jennifer Lieb met her husband at a karate seminar he was teaching more than four years ago. The couple kept in touch by phone and married in June.
"He had a heart of gold," said Jennifer Lieb, who moved to the U.S. this past spring. "He was caring. We just fell in love."
Her husband was traveling with three close friends, including one from West Virginia, when their train derailed, Jennifer Lieb said. The other two men, who lived in Germany, also died in the crash.
After arriving in the U.S., Lieb's family settled in Chicago. It was there that the 12-year-old, 67-pound Lieb often found himself on the losing side of fights, according to biographical information listed on www.americankaratesystem.org.
More information:
http://www.martialinfo.com/comments/Ernest_Lieb