Dear Mr. and Mrs. Segal,

I don't know if you remember me or not. My name is Yunyong Chung and I trained with Anton at Kim Soo Karate in Houston when we were children. Anton was two years older than me, but nevertheless shared a similar experience with me. I too earned my black belt at the age of twelve, two years after he did. At the time it was uncommon to see children at that age earn a black belt (if I remember correctly, we were the youngest in Master Kim's school). Inevitably, we shared a bond which I remember distinctly. I'm not sure if he (or anybody for that matter) ever knew it, but I looked up to him as not only a mentor, but also the standard of perfection to which I strived for. He was, to me, what I wanted to become as a martial artist. I remember thinking, "If I could only be as good as Anton." It was this that guided me in training and resulted in my success in Tae Kwon Do. I don't quite remember how we went separate ways, but I eventually found myself training and teaching at a school in Syracuse, New York where I attended college. All those years (until 1997 when I stopped training in Tae Kwon Do), I would refer to a mentor of mine named Anton Segal. I would speak of how true to form he was, how well repected and liked he was, how he was the one guy I could never beat in sparring (and believe me, I tried).

I recently visited Kim Soo Karate in Houston and learned of Anton's passing. It was troubling news which affected me deeply. Although I did not know him outside of Tae Kwon Do back in the early 80's, I remember him to this day. I spoke of him so fondly to so many of my peers and students. I spent all day reading the stories and looking at the pictures on the website. It just goes to show that he touched more people's lives than anyone knows. It was great to hear of all his exploits and happiness that he experienced. I smile just thinking about the stories I read. I wish I could have known him beyond what I did. It appears that he was that special person who helped guide so many others. I regret never telling him what he did for me all those years ago. My thoughts are with you and your family and I hope we have the opportunity to meet again someday. Please do not hesitate to call or e-mail me, I would love to hear from you.