There is only one “Chief” in the annals of Kiado-Ryu history, and there always will be only one. That “Chief” is Dr. Tim Huston, whose call sign fits his persona.
A graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine, Dr. Huston is the 29th Black Belt of the Kiado-Ryu, receiving his 1st Dan rank on 12 February 1994. In fact, he is the patriarch of the inaugural father/son Black Belt duo at the Karate Institute of America. His son, Geoffrey, aka “Eagle,” became the 26th KIA Black Belt on 25 June 1993. Following in their footsteps and fighting gear, are Dave and Phillip Sampson, Vince and Jeffrey Weber, Mike and Greg Benedict.
See the full list of KIA Black Belts.
Dr. Huston has always been a fierce competitor and dominating force at the KIA. In college, he played middle linebacker, if that gives you any clues as to his toughness, courage, and stalwart spirit. As a KIA fighter, Chief always brought his linebacker mindset to the ring. He hated to lose more than he loved to win. My-oh-my, the stories that could be told! He is definitely chief of the Type A personality. But what fun he was, too!
Chief is a great family man. He has a wife, Teresa, who never ages, never, and, frankly, looks like a twin to their youngest daughter. They also have so many kids you can hardly keep track of them all. Basically, they have a tribe, so Dr. Huston’s “Chief” handle befits him in more ways than just one.
It would be challenging to find a doctor more intelligent, more caring, more generous, more humorous, more gracious, more common-sense oriented than Dr. Huston. And humble? He’s the chief of “humble.” Add that appellation to the list. He wouldn’t say this, but in his career, he has given free physicals to an entire youth football league, yes, league, so the kids could play. The cost of getting a physical would have been quite prohibitive if families had to get physicals for their kids from their own doctors, so Chief did what chiefs do—he led, selflessly; he took care of others in the spirit of a true and loving patriarch … and he did so without a murmur or search for applause.
One thing about Dr. Huston that most people don’t know, is that he is a great writer, and I mean great. Personally, as an author and English teacher by collegiate training, having read countless works by countless authors, as all students of English literature do (just ask Mrs. Huston. She’s an English teacher, too), I can say that Dr. Huston’s writing is impeccable, witty, uniquely stylistic and exceptionally enjoyable to read. He is also a Civil War buff, so, hopefully, one day he will have the time to turn his writing talents into being a famous “Chief” of writers. He’s that good, really.
The Huston family has been part of the KIA family since the mid-1980s. Chief is a dear gentleman, as well as being the consummate physician, devoted father, husband and loyal friend. What a blessing for all of us and for the legacy of the Karate Institute of America. All hail the “Chief!”
Dr. Huston’s family practice is in Laguna Hills. He is part of the Mission Heritage Medical Group.