Born on Thanksgiving, 1948, Aubrey “Bud” Ewing has lived in Cecil County, Maryland all of his life. His college study at Goldey Beacom College was interrupted in 1967, when he was drafted into the Army.
He was trained to be a medic in Frankfurt, Germany, specializing in field emergencies, surgery and pediatrics. He was then transferred to Viet Nam where he served until 1969. It was then that he was injured in a land mine explosion. He refused medical attention for himself until he finished attending to the seriously wounded men and they were moved to safety. This unselfish act earned him both a Silver Star and a Purple Heart. This compassion for others continues to be Bud Ewing’s trademark.
After returning home to Elkton, Maryland, Bud renewed his friendship with Toby Cooling, and went to work for Toby at his new enterprise, Jayco Liquors. He also acquired a passion for Toby’s other life, Isshin-Ryu Karate, and began training in 1973. He was awarded a blackbelt in 1975.
“In those days,” Master Cooling relates, “Jayco was new and business was sparse. Bud and I would pass the time playing cards, doing kata, or fighting in the store. We were together seven days a week, so we had a lot of time to work on karate. At the time, I also believed that robbery prevention included the wearing of firearms (a ’45 to be exact).”
“One night at closing time, Bud had the night deposit bag, and I was putting some bottles away. We started doing kumite near the front doors. Well, as luck would have it, a passing motorist looked in and saw the manager of Jayco fighting to keep the money bag away from a robber with a gun. He contacted the police. As Bud and I closed up and locked the doors, we were met in the parking lot by six State Police cars, whose occupants had their guns drawn and aimed at us! Fortunately, I knew one of the troopers and we were able to explain.” Bud became the owner of Jayco Liquors in 1981 when Toby went on to other business interests. Bud then became one of Cecil County’s prominent businessmen.
Over the years he has assisted Master Cooling with seminars for the Elkton Police Department, Cecil County Sheriff s Department, the Coast Guard, DuPont Security, and various women’s groups. In 1990, Sensei Ewing became the Chief Instructor of the Elkton Dojo. A year later, the school was voted Dojo of the Year by the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame. In 1992, he was voted Male Instructor of the Year by the same organization. Master Don Nagle’s Hall of Fame honored him as an Outstanding Contributor to the Martial Arts in 1997. He became a board member of the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame in 1993.
Sensei Ewing resides in Elkton with his lovely (and understanding!) wife Ellen. Their son, Billy, is a student at the Elkton Dojo.