Palm Beach Community College - Galleon Yearbook (Lake Worth, FL)

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A 25-year-old karate champion from Thailand, who has studied the art for 12 years, teaches karate and self defense to mem- bers of the PBJC Karate Club. Pansak Ratanaprasith-his American friends call him Paul- is a 4th degree black belt and we ' re fortunate to have him as our karate instructor, says Roy E. Bell, Director of Intramural and Recreation ( 1 and R ) Board, which sponsors the club. The karate expert met his wife, Judy, the former Judith Newton, when she was a law enforcement student attending Paul ' s self de- fense classes. The couple was first married in an American-style ceremony last March, and again in a Thai- style wedding at the college in April, to which the whole school was invited. Paul ' s foster brother, Paul Vejjajiva, a 2nd degree black belt, also attends PBJC and assists him in his classes. Paul (Pansak) teaches the Korean-style Tae Kwon Do, and Thai boxing, both of which em- phasize the use of the feet, and Kung Fu, in which hand tech- niques are used more than 80 percent of the time. The instructor went to Korea when he was 20-year-old to learn Tae Kwon Do. KARATE CHAMPION FROM THAILAND TEACHES AT JC KARATE CLUB We spent almost all day, seven days a week, working on karate, and I received my 1st and 2nd degree black belt while there, Paul says. The instructor says it would be a sin for a person to use karate in the wrong way. Before the karate instruction begins, Paul ' s students bow first to the flag, then to their instruct- or, and finally to the higher ranking members of the class as a sign of respect. The first step in the Tae Kwon Do is the white belt, according to Paul. The student then progresses through the various degrees of yellow, blue, brown and black belts. At present Judy is working on her 2nd degree yellow belt. Paul plans to become a doctor, but he is also interested in engi- neering, so I have a pre-medical major and engineering minor. Judy is still working toward a career in Law Enforcement. Both have after-school jobs- and Judy at Gentlemen Jim ' s and at The President Country Club. The long hours of classes, work and study haven ' t affected their grades; both are good students. After such a rigorous schedule, the couple look forward to the time when they finish school and begin their chosen careers. NEWS BUREAU |p Pansak (Paul) Ratanaprasith, Paul Vejjajra, Judy Ratanaprasith

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We (the student personnel staff) are more patient now. If a student runs into a problem we do all we can. Glynn ' s job is to help the students adjust to their college life, whatever it is. The years go fast according to the life-long educator, and he often runs into former JC stu- dents, now busy in their chosen fields. It ' s wonderful, a great feeling when Glynn meets these students after several years. He tells storie: of once-mischievous students turned successful businessmen and smiles, That ' s what I live for. He has always enjoyed his job and believes JC serves a great function. He feels this is the place for students to discov- er themselves, set goals and get the services needed to reach those goals. His greatest thrill comes when VOLUNTEER WORK IS REWARDING When the red phone in the Green- acres Fire Department goes off, Jim Scott, a sophmore at PBJC, jumps into action. No two fires are alike, you have to treat each fire as a separate challenge, according to Jim. You have to watch out for the problems that develop according to the specific situation and area. We service 3.9 square miles of land and I haven ' t been to two identical fires. Scott has been a volunteer fireman for two years , I always wanted to be a fireman, said Scott. When I was Httle, my father and my brother-in-law were firemen and I used to go down to the sta- tion to look at the fire trucks and watch the men work. My bro- ther-in-law became fire commi- sioner in Greenacres and talked me into becoming a volunteer. A History major at PBJC, Scott did research work for the Palm Beach County Historical Society and worked with PBJC instruc- tor Edwin Pugh in this area. I like helping people and I like History, so I want to try to teach the subject, said Scott. An ear- ly interest in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War period stimula- ted him in the general direction of American History. Jim is a PBJC student with a meaningful goal- -helping his community. He be- lieves, Community service is something you need to start on right now, whatever your age or station in life. RHONDA CALBETZOR a student realizes he can accom- plish something and becomes motivated. When the student finds he can study and succeed, that itself is an education. Glynn stressed the importance of occupational programs, says more professionsl interest in students is needed here and that JC has a long way to go to where I ' d like to see it. He says a variety of college services have never been financed properly. But, he may not be here long enough to see the improvements he ' d like. Glynn is retiring after the ' 76- ' 77 school year, complet- ed 35 years of student service. Students have to get an edu- cation for a saleable skill or a baccaulaureate program, Glynn feels, and his memory filled office has for years been open to students seeking this. JAN TUCKWOOD

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Mike Higgins TWO JC RUNNERS GO Mike Higgins and Tom Murdock are two runners who have been a real asset to the team. Higgins , who ran in first position, finish- ed no lower than fifth in confer- ence competition. The Brevard Invitational Meet was his best per- formance of the year when he ran 26.10. Mike and Tom claimed a berth in the Nationals with their 8th and 9th place finishes in the Florida Junior College State Cross Country Championships. Their perform- ance helped power the Pacers to a fourth place finish, 29 points short TO NATIONALS of third and a team berth. Coach Dick Melear expressed pleasure that his two runners quali- fied, a first for JC. He also was pleased with the fourth place fi- nish, a big jump from eighth the previous year. In the Nationals held November 8 in Minnesota, . Mike and Tom aptly represented JC. In spite of the blistering pace and gigantic hills encountered in the Nationals, they claimed 147th and 174th places. Tom ran a good soUd race and Mike, accord- ing to Melear, has the potential to become the best runner in the state. The JC Cross Country Team: Frank Smith, Mike Higgins, Tom Murdock, Steve Farnsworth, David Downing, Tim Jamison and Terry Davis.