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Biography of James W. and Jean Coop Zimmermann. James Zimmermann is affectionately known as Mr. Z due to the children not being able to pronounce Zimmermann they began to call him Mr. Z and it has stuck. He is the Director of the Zimmermann Karate Schools. He is on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Eastern Wado-Ryu Federation and he hold the rank of 7th Dan. He is also on the Executive Board of the Regional Sport Karate Circuit (RSKC) and is the tournament evaluator for the RSKC tournaments. He holds an open karate tournament, which is in its 26th year and before that he held inner school tournaments for quite a few years. Mr. Z began his martial arts training in June of 1966 in Nashville at the Franklin Road location under the instruction of Sensei Cecil T. Patterson. In 1967, Mr. Z opened a karate school in Hohenwald with Mr. Cecil T. Patterson and Mr. Charles K. Parrish as the instructors. Mr. Z became an instructor in his own school after receiving his black belt. He is the Director of schools in Hohenwald, Savannah, Decatur County and Lexington. He is married to Jean Coop Zimmermann who also holds a 7th Dan and is the Chief Instructor for Zimmermann Karate Schools. She was born in 1945 in Tullahoma, TN. She began her Wado training in 1975 receiving her instruction originally from Jerry Potts, James Zimmermann and later Sensei Patterson. She attended brown and black belt classes in Nashville every Sunday night under the direction or Sensei Patterson from 1977 until he ceased to teach those classes and instead began teaching them in Hohenwald, TN. where she continued to work out until those classes also ceased. She has also received instruction through seminars under Grand Master Otsuka, Grand Master Otsuka II, Kazutaka Otsuka, Rikuo Takizawa, M. Shiomitsu, Charles Parrish, David Deaton, John Patterson and many others. She holds a black belt in the Sword under Dale Kirby. She is also on the Executive Board of the RSKC and helps Mr. Z with his tournament and Mr. John Patterson with the U.S. Eastern Wado-Ryu Federation tournament each year. They are both devoted to the martial arts, their students and each other and can be found at most tournaments. |