Bruce Lee Signed 1969 National Karate Championship Program

Program from the 1969 National Karate Championship, signed inside by guest judge Bruce Lee

Original program for the 1969 National Karate Championship held at the Washington D.C. Armory on May 10 and 11, 1969, 16 pages, 8.5 x 11, signed nicely inside in blue ballpoint, "Best Wishes, Bruce Lee." Lee, as a close friend of event organizer Jhoon Rhee, acted as a guest judge for the event and is pictured several times within the program. Matted and framed to an overall size of 24 x 18, with a window in the backing for viewing the program's covers.

Accompanied by a letter of provenance from the original recipient, in part: "I was working for Jhoon Rhee and I had access to the locker room. Jhoon Rhee and Bruce Lee were good friends and he was visiting from Hollywood to help promote the karate tournament. I caught him in the locker room with my copy of the tournament souvenir program in hand. Voluntarily, he took the program and autographed it with his own pen in blue ink."

During his lifetime, Bruce Lee appeared at select tournaments as a special guest, judge, or performer. Jhoon Rhee, the father of American Tae Kwon Do, first met Bruce Lee in 1964 at Ed Parker’s Long Beach International Karate Championships and, impressed with Lee’s showmanship, invited the young martial artist to collaborate on future projects and events. Lee appeared at several Jhoon Rhee national championships where he famously performed feats like his two-finger push-up and his one-inch punch and served as either a special guest or a celebrity judge.