Johnson pursued the slight Chinese man who eventually led him to the slender, regal Grand Master. Upon meeting Dr. Ch’eng at his home in Shanghai, the tall, 235-pound 19-year-old was unable to take down the 130 lb. Ch’eng who, seemingly inexplicably, fended him off and left him lying on the floor after each of three increasingly aggressive advances. He used an ancient "spinning" technique. Johnson, convinced that he had to learn everything this man could teach, was soon accepted as a student by Ch’eng, who was no doubt impressed and amused by the young headstrong man's potential and enthusiasm for learning all he could. Eventually Dr. Ch’eng, having lost his sons in the war between China and Japan, trusted Johnson enough to pass on the knowledge and techniques he would need to become the next Grand Master. Biography of Grand Master Bruce L. Johnson Minnesota-raised Bruce Leroy Johnson, (June 21, 1926- December 11, 2014) was a sickly child who overcame his early beginnings through exercise and body-building. Health and physical fitness became a lifelong passion, as well as a quest to stay young and embrace Nature. After high school, during World War II, the handsome blue-eyed, black-haired (of Swedish and Iroquois descent) Johnson became a Navy heavyweight wrestling champion who excelled in physical exploits and competitions. He also was a navy ranger, and one of the first to reach the shores of Iwo Jima. His mother's sister was married to revered World War II journalist and author, Ernie Pyle, with whom Bruce had a close relationship and who was killed only a few miles from where Johnson was, on the island of Ie Shima. He is often called upon to accept memorial awards on behalf of his uncle. Johnson studied at the Kodokan Institute in Tokyo, Japan where he earned three black belts in Judo. Back in the states after World War II, Johnson tried to introduce the merits of the exercise system. But because of McCarthyism and the fear of Communism, there was little enthusiasm about anything Asian. Few showed interest in learning the unusual, oriental exercises. Meanwhile, wanderlust led Johnson around the world finding work, often on ships. He was a bodyguard for King Farouk for a time. Wherever he went in the world, he sought out others who might have heard of Chinese Wand, even placing ads in local papers. But he never found anyone. As far