Biography of Joseph Connolly

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Joseph F. Connolly, II

Joseph Connolly Professor Connolly is married to the former Donna Cameron of Boston, Mass. and Nova Scotia, Canada, an anesthetist in private practice. Their eldest child, an adult daughter is a corporate computer programmer/analyst. Their son, a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and former member of the West Point Judo Team, is a serving army officer in the special operations community.

Connolly was medically retired by the United States Army Special Forces due to disabling injuries, after a career extending over three decades. His military service included participation on eight named combat campaigns in addition to expeditionary service. His professional military education includes the Air Command and Staff College and the National Security Management Program of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University.

He is a Founding Fellow of the Society of Martial Arts, a professional society chartered in the United Kingdom, and is internationally-respected as a leader in the effort to have the traditional military arts recognized as a legitimate inter-disciplinary field of academic study and research. Professor Connolly is a faculty member of the College of Higher Education of Martial Arts (CHEMA), a degree-granting professional institution in the United Kingdom. He is also a senior faculty member in the Department of Intelligence, Security, and Terrorism Studies of Knightsbridge University.

Professor Connolly holds an undergraduate degree (magna cum laude) in sociology. He also holds a Bachelor of Law (LL.B.), Master of Education (M.Ed.), Mastership in Martial Arts M.M.A.), Master of Science (by research) (M.S.) and Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. A lifelong community service volunteer, he holds literally scores of civic, patriotic, educational, and community service awards and recognitions, at the community, state, national and international level. He has also held appointed and elected public office. His biography is listed in "Who's Who in America", "Who's Who in the World", among other published, and internet, standard biographical references.

Professor Connolly holds martial art rank in both the Japanese and Korean traditions, having first been exposed to the Japanese tradition as a teenager on Okinawa, then under the administration of a United States Commissioner. He served on temporary duty in Korea, as a young United States Marine, and was later attached to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Tiger Division in Vietnam.

Connolly holds an 8th Dan from the Ju-Jitsu International Federation. He is privileged to hold Dan rank in Judo from the Kodokan Judo Institute, and remains an unrepentant student of classical pre-Mifune Kodokan Judo.

In the Korean tradition, Founding Grandmaster (ChongKwanJang) Connolly was the first non-Korean ever selected to head a traditional Korean martial art by the authorities in Korea. This fighting system, Chong Tong Yudo, was jointly chartered by the Korea Judo Association and the ROK Yudo Association. Connolly is the current President of the International Yudo Federation. He holds a 9th Dan in the Olympic sport of Kodokan Judo from the Korea Judo Association and a 9th Dan in the Oriental martial art of Judo from the Republic of Korea Yudo Association. He also holds Grandmaster ranking in Hapkido and Taekwondo. He has teaching certificates from the Korea Hapkido Federation, ROK Yudo Association, and Korea Taekwondo Association, and is a life member of the Korean Martial Arts Instructors Association, the standard-setting organization for the traditional arts in Korea.

Connolly has been the grateful recipient of a number of prestigious honors in the field of martial arts. They are too numerous to list herein.

Prof. Connolly is also the founder of the United States Yudo Association, a Partner of the United States Ju-Jitsu Federation.

Professor Connolly can be reached at:

PO Box 620533
Orlando, FL 32862-0533
E-mail: chongkwanjang@earthlink.net