Aaron Banks (martial artist)
Aaron Banks (1928 – May 2, 2013) was a martial artist born in Bronx, New York. He brought Chinese Kung Fu, Korean Moo Duk Kwan, Japanese and Okinawan Goju-Ryu karate, judo and boxing under the same roof in his New York Karate Academy. During his life, he promoted 352 karate tournaments, conducted more than 1,000 demonstrations, and organized over 250 martial arts shows. His karate influence can be seen through his karate school which he operated for 30 years and the 200,000 or more students he taught. Aaron Banks also brought martial arts to the public with his "Oriental World of Self-Defense" shows that played in Madison Square Garden for over 20 years via ABC-Wide World of Sports, NBC Sports world, CBS sports, and HBO sports, where millions of viewers watched. Personal life Aaron Banks was born in 1928, a year before the Great Depression in Bronx, New York. His mother was a nurse who consistently gambled. His father was an editor of sports writing for the failed New York newspaper Morning Journal. Banks was married twice. His first wife was a secretary who left him after his drug use and his short stint in the hospital due to pneumonia.