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Heart of a Fighter
Van Pelt finds recovery from bypass surgery in the art ofTae Kwon Do
BY COURTNEY GAILLARD
THE CHRONIC LI
Dave Van Pell was (he
kind of kid who was usually
the last player picked for a
team during gym class. He
never considered himself to be
the athletic type growing up.
Earning a black belt was the
last thing this 59-year-old
ever thought he would accom
plish at any age.
But he did.
Van Pelt, who is an Inter
net salesman for Modern Toy
ota, was one of four people
over the age of 50 to pass the
five-hour martial arts test at
United Tae Kwon Do Acade
my earlier this month.
"I was amazed that I felt as
good as I did afterwards," said
Van Pelt, who more than 10
years ago found himself recu
perating from heart bypass
surgery. He came home from
work complaining of what he
thought was a toothache. Van
Pelt's wife rushed him to the
hospital, where doctors dis
covered after a series of tests
that he had "the widow
maker" - a term used to
describe the blockage of the
left artery leading to his heart,
which which can lead to sud
den death if not caught in
time.
"(The cardiologist) told
me 1 had about a week to live.
He told me I had a choice to
make between the surgery or
not," said Van Pelt. "I had (the
surgery). I quit smoking, lost
some weight and tried walk
ing. And then little by little I
started backsliding. I wasn't
walking as much. I was eating
more and more."
Just two years ago, doctors
were once again urging Van
Pelt to make a decision again:
Improve your health or risk
going under the knife again.
Even though he had reverted
to some of his old habits. Van
Pelt says, he was not interest
ed in going through surgery a
second time. His golf instruc
tor suggested he consider tak
ing up Tae Kwon Do.
"I looked at her and
thought, 'You are really
crazy,"' Van Pelt said, "I
called Master (Barry) Par
tridge and m?de an appoint
ment and never showed up."
It took some convincing by
owner and master instructor
Barry Partridge to get Van Pelt
to come to United Take Kwon
Do Academy. When Van Pelt
finally showed up to the facil
ity on Jonestown Road, he
says, he had to overcome his
defeatist attitude about mas
tering martial arts. Another
month passed before Van Pelt
started attending classes regu
larly.
Partridge says there was
no stopping Van Pelt once he
began to realize his potential.
Van Pelt's flexibility, strength
and not to mention his confi
dence have all improved since
he began practicing martial
arts, says Partridge. Now Van
Pelt is training other students
on the floor. Partridge says
that Van Pelt is proof that age
is nothing but a number
because he is the oldest person
to earn a black belt at the
academy.
"When Dave first came
here I knew that we could help
cause; who at the best knows in
the end the triumph of high
.,,..1^11 / mid who at the ww
e end the truunpn of mgn
jhtevement, and who at the went,
lie fails, at least Jails while daring
ltl\\ so that his place shall never
vith those cold and timid
Is who know neither victory
defeat.
? Teddy Roosevelt
Photo by Courtney Gail lard
r a fighting stance a% Barry Partridge lookt on.
him, but I knew we had to take
it slow because of his condi
tion," said Partridge, "Now he
can keep up with anyone of
any age....I know this saved
his life."
Partridge says it is rare to
see that many people over 50
testing for their black belt.
But he says most of his adult
students like Van Pelt can
keep up with the youngsters in
any Tae Kwon Do class. He
says many of his adult stu
dents are parents whose chil
dren are members of the acad
emy.
"We test (for black belts)
twice a year. It's uncommon -
we've rarely had that many in
that (over-50) age group test
at the same time. 1 think peo
ple are starting to realize that
Tae Kwon Do has more to
offer," said Partridge. "(Van
Pelt) is more fit than people
who are 40 years old."
What a difference two
years makes. A week before
Van Pelt earned his black belt,
he shocked doctors by passing
his cardiac physical and tread
mill test with flying colors. He
has since been taken off blood
pressure medicine because
he's in such good health.
"Had (he not started Tae
Kwon Do) I would have had
another surgery. The life
expectancy on a bypass
(patient) is 10-13 years. (My
doctor) said, 'You're beating
the odds.'" Van Pelt said.
It was not too long ago,
says Van Pelt, that he needed
his wife to help him off his
knees after doing yard work.
But as his 60th birthday
approaches. Van Pelt says he
wants other people his age and
older to aspire for physical fit
ness no matter how old they
are. He'd like to teach a Tae
Kwon Do class to adults
sometime in the near future.
Even his grandsons are plan
ning to take Tae Kwon Do
classes soon.
"I've met a lot of folks my
age who were barely walking
VI/Iu-hiut'v Si tiki - \noilur \mctk m l unik.
W hen will it end?
S's^h
and hunched over," You don't
have to sit and be a couch
potato. You don't have to be
miserable."
Renee Andrews
named top library
employee for 2004
She has worked at the library for 25 years
SPEC1A1 TO THE CHItONlCl I
Renee Andrews has been
named recipient of the
portation herself for kids with
no other way to attend a
library program.
She is a member of the
Forsyth County
Public
Library's Ann
R. Gehlen
award in recog
nition of being
named the
2004 Library
Employee of
the Year.
Andrews
began her
career in the
Children's
Room at Cen
tral Library in
1980. working
as a storyteller
and helping
[>liin children's
Renee Andrews
N.C. Black
Storytellers
Association
as well as
other organi
z a t i o n s
devoted to
preserving
and enhanc
ing the art of
storytelling.
Andrews
was also a
key leader in
the organiza
tion of early
Kwanzaa cel
ebrations in
Winston
Salem and
programming. Today, as a
member of the library's chil
dren's outreach staff, she con
ducts story times and pro
gramming in the community
for small children .and
teenagers without convenient
access to library services,
oftentimes providing trans
continues to represent the
library in Kwanzaa events
today. She has also been
active in the library's
Lanterns of Hope celebration,
held each summer, as well as
being an ongoing volunteer
for the biannual National
Black Theatre Festival.
after
Christmas
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