- CLUB HISTORY -

In 1970 Louis Rabouin was named Chito Kai's East Coast Director of the All Japan Karate-Do Federation (Dai Nippon Karate-Do Remnei). Above, he and several Shuto Karate Club students are pictured at a visit to a Chito-Kai school.

____________________________________________________

THE SECOND GENERATION

In Phoenixville, PA in 1971 Larry Flournoy began to teach karate. He started at the YMCA on Main Street, then moved to a small store-front on Church Street. After a few months there he moved to a larger store front on Bridge Street. And finally, in 1974 to a large location on the lower level of the Daily Republican newspaper building on Bridge Street.

____________________________________________________

THE END OF AN ERA

The Front Desk was the first thing you saw when you entered Shuto Karate Club #1

As the decade of the 1970's spiraled downward into "stageflation" and ression, the Shuto Karate Club's neighborhood declined. Prostitutes, drug addicts and dealers and roving youth gangs prowled Chelten Ave. Karate students' vehicles were broken into, vandalized and stolen. And, when students were threatened by street gangs brandisahing weapons, evening class times had to be cut back.

Strangely enough, street gang activity, the thing that had driven Rabouin, Sensei to first study karate in 1950 is what forced him to cease operations at 119 W. Chelten Ave. and close Shuto Karate Club #1.

The closing of Shuto Karate Club #1 marked the end of a karate era. In 2007 Rabouin, Sensei remarked that when he started in karate the only students were Policemen, G.I.'s and Tough Guys. By the time of Shuto #1's closing in 1976 that was drastically changing. As Karate had displaced Judo in popularity, Kung Fu and the new kid on the block, Taekwon-Do, were now challenging Karate for public attention. Karate was morphing into a sport and more and more beginning to target children as the primary practitioners.