Forging a Path for
Half a Century
The year 1969 was a glorious time to be alive. A new home cost $15,000. Ninety
percent of kids walked to school. Woodstock took place. Neil Armstrong set foot on
the moon, Mario Puzo released The Godfather and a little-known dojo called Allegheny
Shotokan began operating in the suburbs of Pittsburgh.
BY BILL VIOLA JR.
Photos Courtesy of Bill Viola Jr.DOJO SPOTLIGHT
respect, discipline and focus. Among
his many messages to his students:
“Character is a commodity that can’t
be bought, only built.”
The confidence Viola instilled in
his students manifested on and off
the mat, in the classroom as well as in
the boardroom. “It’s that indomitable
spirit that builds champions in life,”
Viola would say. “Our dojo is a family.”IN 2019 ALLEGHENY Shotokan Karate
celebrates its 50th anniversary. The
family-owned and operated dojo now
boasts three generations of Violas
to carry on the legacy. All five of Bill
Viola’s children are black belts, and
as his eldest son, I now head the
school. My daughter Gabby and son
Will are fixtures at the studio, as well.
Now 71, my father, a ninth degree,
still teaches his black-belt class
every Monday, offering a reminder
to all that karate is a lifelong jour-
ney. That’s evidenced by people like
Ray Adams, 76, who joined the club
in 1971. “I just earned my masterT
HIS WAS THE GOLDEN ERAOF
karate, and those who wore
a crisp white gi and a black
belt had a special swagger.
The martial arts were provocative
and mysterious, and if you wanted to
learn their secrets, Bill Viola was your
man. Unbeknownst to him, the Viola
name and Pittsburgh karate would
soon resonate throughout the region.
VIOLA WAS A NO-NONSENSE discipli-
narian who lived the mantra, “The
more you sweat in here, the less you
bleed out there.” With this philoso-
phy of intensity, he trained thousands
in the art of self-protection. Over
the ensuing half century, his pow-
erful brand of punches and kicks
camouflaged life’s most important
lessons, those that revolve around76 BLACKBELTMAG.COM § AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019