William Wayne Paul (1939–1989) was an American

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

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and social/political

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. Born in Nevada County, California, Bill Paul lived in three

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and attended four

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during

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. He began his study of judo with Richard Takemoto in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, continuing with Mits Kimura at the San Francisco Judo Institute from 1957 and competing successfully in numerous judo tournaments during the later 1950s and early 1960s. Between 1962 and 1964 he worked as a bouncer at Pierre's Bar in San Francisco's North Beach area. Having spent time training in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, in late 1964 he was an alternate on the US Olympic judo team, and he captained the US team at the

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in Winnipeg during 1967. Thereafter he largely switched to the study of the Chinese martial arts, especially tai chi. It was also during the late 1960s that Paul became politically active. A keen photographer, he documented clashes between police and

student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...

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during the unrest at the San Francisco State University and was later reported to have defended Vietnam War protesters from assaults by angry onlookers during peace marches in San Francisco. Although a self-avowed

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

with regards to violence as an instrument of state policy, he was notably drawn to interpersonal conflicts and he continued to work as a bouncer at several gay bars in San Francisco. Paul received a Master's Degree from San Francisco State University in 1974 and then a Doctorate of Education degree from Harvard University. His thesis was on the use of humane, nonviolent self defense, especially for workers in psychiatric institutions; a development of the self defense methods that he had taught to university students,

gay activists Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in the ...

and women's rights groups. He continued to refine this system, which combined elements of Chinese martial arts and judo with conflict de-escalation and resolution techniques, for the remainder of his life, eventually producing a VHS video guide for instructors in the system. During the 1980s Paul became increasingly politically active as an advocate of

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...

. He was a member of the Stonewall Democrats and took part in numerous protests, including being instrumental in the November 27, 1985 protest that inspired the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. He was also a vocal supporter of the

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. He died in 1989 due to a brain tumor associated with HIV.

References

* Paul, William Wayne (1979) Aggression, control, and nonverbal communication: aspects of Asian martial arts. Harvard University. * Smith, Robert W. (1999) Martial Musings: A Portrayal of Martial Arts in the 20th Century. Via Media Publishing, {{DEFAULTSORT:Paul, William Wayne 1939 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American educators American martial artists Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni San Francisco State University alumni