Frank Doran sensei's 75th Birthday Celebration

By J. Nason

Frank Doran Sensei celebrated his 75th birthday at the Aikido West dojo on November 17, 2007. The dojo was filled to capacity for a lively training before the festivities began, with Alfonse making a special trip all the way from Switzerland and Karl surprising Sensei from Montreal. After training, a delicious potluck and, of course, birthday cake, was enjoyed by all. Sensei said that there was some misunderstanding about his age and wanted to correct the mistake. He said on a good day he was 28 and on a bad day he was 32 years old. Looking at his movement and vitality and never ending love for the art we all agree!! If you'd like to see more pictures of the party, check out the Aikido West website, and do a search on Youtube for "Shugyo Shuffle".

Happy Birthday Sensei!! And thank you for dedicating so much of your life to sharing Aikido.