Charles Geitner

Class of 1957

Studs Terkel Project July 2014

Charles “Chuck” “Babe” Geitner, a man known in his students days by three first names and many talents, has accomplished a distinction probably no other person in America can claim. At the age of 85 he was tested for and received his Black Belt in Karate. In a ceremony on June 7, 2014, in Fullerton, California, Chuck was one of 20 students ranging from nine to 85 to receive a Black Belt.

Chuck began working toward this high rank in Karate about four and one-half years ago. His accomplishment is all the more remarkable because at that time he could barely stand due to a damaged nerve in his leg from spinal surgery. His teacher said, “His technique is strong. His body’s strong. When he first came in, he could barely stand on two feet so I had a student on either side of him. And now he’s on his own.”

Chuck is in a probationary stage for about a year until his Black Belt will be made permanent. At the end of next year he will take a written test and a performance test.

In his undergraduate years at EC, Chuck was a member of the football team and a writer for the Pegasus as well as being involved in student government and a member of Psi Alpha Lambda fraternity. He majored in history. After graduation he taught history and social studies for over 40 years in Illinois high schools. One of his most important distinctions was coordinating the Veterans’ Oral History project. He guided high school students in interviewing veterans about their experiences. The interviews are catalogued in the Library of Congress American Folklore Life Center database.

Chuck began the process to the Black Belt four years ago. There is a regular progression that students go through on this journey. They start at the introductory stage, and that is known as the White Belt level. Then students go from White to Yellow to Orange to Blue to Purple to Green (three stages to Green), then to Brown (also three stages). There are performance tests at each stage before students are promoted to the next level.

Once students reach the Brown, Advanced stage, they are tested to see if they are ready to study to promote to Black Belt. If they are ready to promote, they are given a Red Belt, which is strictly ceremonial, but the Red Belt tells everyone that students are getting close to that Black Belt.

<p>There are six months of intensive training. At the conclusion of this period, there is a week of testing. Students take a written test, an oral test, and a performance test during that week, with a tea ceremony at the end of the week. The tea ceremony symbolizes the preparation of mind and body.

According to Chuck, “This branch of Karate has its roots in India, China, Okinawa, and Japan. Some of the customs used are Japanese and others are Okinawan in nature. There is a lot of history involved, and I particularly liked that part of it. The major values of the training are values that students in school need, and that was another of the things I found attractive about Karate. Discipline is needed in all areas of endeavor, and that is a big part of the training. In addition, respect becomes ingrained since students have to learn to respond to the instructor’s directions. Another major part of the discipline is the way in which students are aided in following directions. The instructors follow what is called PCP when they correct a student. The letters mean simply Praise, Correct, Praise. (That sounds somewhat like ‘positive reinforcement.’) That way of correcting works very well.</p>

“During the six month preparation for the testing I was at the Karate studio five out of the six days it was open. I had about 12 to 14 hours of instruction during the six months and had to spend a lot of time reading history and weapon history and mastering, to some extent, the use of the weapons. Now I am starting all over with Black Belt Basics and a new series of Katas and additional history and weapons training. My hours have been cut to a bit more than seven to eight hours a week.”

Chuck still volunteers once a week at a cultural center in Fullerton, and he attends a poetry class once a week at Cal State, Fullerton. In addition, he attends a Veterans’ Legacy class once a week in La Mirada, a smaller town about 20 minutes away from Fullerton. He is quite busy but enjoying life. He plans to come back to attend Alumni Weekend next April 2015.