Sensei Dana was born in 1959, into a modest but poor family in Lawrence, Massachusetts USA.
He was the youngest of 3. He came into this life with health issue that plagued him for most of his early youth.
He was known as a “hipper active child” never sitting still, the emergency room doctors & nurse at the locale hospital new him by name.
In fact he (at the time) held a record for the most emergenciest treatments in one day, 3 times in 8 hours…
In 1970 he became interested in Karate through his sisters college boyfriend who was a Black Belt from Japan in Shorinji Ryu and training at Lowell University. Since Dana was what his mother called “accident prone kid” she did not let him join Karate. Dana never like playing team sports and focused his energy on hunting and fishing along the Merrimac River with his good friend Walter Murphy. In 1972 a blow to Dana came in the form of his best friend Walter joining Karate and again his Mother saying “NO”, but Dana had a way out. Starting in 1972, Walter and Mark would train in the yards and cellars of each others homes for the next four years until on January 02, 1976
Dana final became a officail member Methuen Karate Association.
MKA was a fledgling Kyokushin Dojo that had converted from Goju Ryu a few years earlier and was set up in a cow/chicken barn
in the back woods of Methuen, Ma.
During the years spent at MKA Dana grew into his skills do to all the great instructors the Dojo produced and also introduced him to
during guest instructor nights as well as the ones he meet over the years at the 100 or so tournaments he competed in and/ judged at during the 70’s and 80’s.
On September 10, 1976 he received his green belt or Gokyu; also on that day he was also given the honor to teach the brand new children’s class.
This started his long career of teaching others.
He continued to hone his skills as a teacher through the guidance of his seniors at MKA.
He also set his sights on the tournament trail as well, where he did quite well.
His next testing/promotion has to brown belt or Sankyu. By this time in his train he had become one of the top
and up and coming fighters in New England and with the help of his instructors and friend Walter (now a Shodan )
he would be come well known for his fighting skills.
At the same time he was putting in hours of teaching and developing the teaching skills need for his future.
Dana was known as a “Black and White” teacher and expected everyone in the class to give 100% to everything during the class time.
He never did give a break to anyone and became known as the “hard ass” but at the same time was very liked because he gave so much back or
into his classes that everyone always walked away with new knowledge or improvements as well a new level of achievement and self esteem.
February 4, 1979 was the next step in his career in Karate the day he received Shodan after an 8 hour testing in December 77,
and it was a new beginning for him.
He had been training very hard for this day and the next day seen no less in the intensity of his training,
for Shodan is the beginners rank and he was starting from the bottom again.
During the next few years Dana continued to train hard and win several tournaments after tournament.
Tournaments was his thing and felt most comfortable while competing, during the early 80’s he was a dominant figure
on the trial, winning many tournaments year after year.
He then received his Nidan or 2nd degree black belt on December 13, 1980 with the completion of the menacing 50-man kumite
(50 fights in a row no breaks). He had by this time had also been awarded 15 times by MKA for his dedication and winning ways in and out of the Dojo.
He had been selected to compete at the A.A.U. Nationals every year since 1976 and continued to did so until 1987
when he retired from tournament fighting do to degenerative nerve damage.
This year all so seen Dana become a A.A.U. referee and then a few years latter a A.A.U. Judge as well.
He severed the A.A.U. for many years as Judge, Tournament Director, and Regional Representative.
1982, he received his Nidan from Sosai Oyama, and on September, 1 his Sandan from MKA. He completed the grueling 100 man Kumite
(100 fights in a row no breaks).
He also served as both President and Vice President for the promotion board at MKA and had been teaching at MKA
as well other satellite programs that MKA had going on around the local community.
1983 to 1987 seen his winning ways excel at the tournaments [a total of 70 1st, 2nd or 3rd place victories] he had also won the Methuen Classic 3 times
in a row as Grand Champion in sparring.
He had been awarded the player of the year 5 consecutive years and many other awards and has seen many of the students that he had been teaching
make Shodan or higher at this time. At the end of the tournament season he retired from competition do to what he thought were injuries
at the time that just would not heal do to the hard training and no rest he also completed 100 man Kumite as well.
Years later he would find out that he had severe nerve damage throughout his upper body area.
He had been teaching at Northern Essex Community College since 1976 for MKA, in 1985 he started teaching for Kyokushin Karate Club (his Dojo)
when MKA dropped NECCO from there outside Karate programs.
During the years 1979 thru 1987 he held both the seat of President and Vice President for MKA in the capacity of Roster Club
(the black belt governing body for the dojo) and the same for the promotion board at MKA,
Represented the P.K.A. and A.A.U. as New England representative for each organization.
Tournament Director for many A.A.U. and open tournaments sponsored by MKA.
He was also the head instructor (under the chief instructor) of MKA for 5 years and taught and/or organized all classes during that time frame.
1987 was the year he opened up his first Dojo {Kyokushin Karate Club}in Lawrence, Mass, with fellow Black Belt Kevin Reed.
For 2 years he grew the school moving 2 more times and working closely with the students.
He accepted a big promotion at work that conflicted with the school hours and closed the school at the time (a decision he regrets to this day).
1988 seen the change of instructors, Dana and the Chef instructor at MKA had ideology differences for years
and this move eased the tension of these differences. It also was the year he seen the rank of Yondan or 4th degree Black Belt presented to him.
He had turn down an offer to become a Branch Chief for the International Karate Organization in Japan this year as well.
This may seem un-heard of but he felt that the climate of Kyokushin in New England would be best suited if he did not except the position
at that time. He was putting the IKO in front of his personal feelings, he wishes he did not make this decision and accepted it instead...
Now 1990, training had changed for Dana do to the “injuries” that he had been suffering from for many years and he had to focused his training
to a different level and direction.
During these years he also indulged into the reading of every Martial Arts and eastern philosophy books he could get his hands on.
Since 1982 he had been purchasing so many different books that it had taken these many years to completely read them all.
This again changed his view of Karate and his training, again he work towards the next evolving step in his Karate career.
Spending the next 4 years teaching privately and attending Karate seminars
In 1994, he returned to his old instructor to see if he could once again work with him, but after training for 15 months with him he new that it would not.
1995 seen the rank of Godan (first of the Master teachers grades) or 5th degree black belt be presented to him from Shihan Farrell.
Again he moved his training to the confines of small dojo’s, private lesson’s, and friends schools to focus on healing of what he finally was diagnose
as bi-lateral Thoracic Outlet Syndrome by Boston doctors. They told he that he had to stop all physical training (Karate, weight lifting, hard work, etc)
which he did for about 18 months. After that time had past, he could not take it any longer and started training at a much softer and
smarter pace than ever before in his life.
From 1990 to present Dana has been active in training of others in a private format, training and teaching in friend’s dojos
as well in his own small home dojo assisting black belts improve on their skills
He was continue to deal with the ever-present nerve damage issues, a few operations later, and the arthritis in his back. In 2005
he received his Branch Chief certificate from International Karate Organization Kyokushin Japan. He was assistant to the
North American Technical Director, John Farrell Shihan for that group and severed as New England branch chief as well.
2005 he was awarded Rokudan or 6th degree from Shihan Farrell 9th Dan.
He then helped create “USA Tezuka Group” for Shihan Farrell and was active in seminar and summer camp instructions for that group under Farrell.
October 1st 2006 Kancho Farrell started his own organization called Kuma (bear) Dojo Association Karate-Do International,
and a style Kyokushin-Ha. Sensei Dana was named Co-Chairman of the new association under Kancho Farrell Judan
He sits as the head instructor and testing board member also as a seminar instructor for KDA.
On January 1st 2007 he received his 6th degree in the newly formed style of Kyokushin-Ha from Kancho Farrell Judan and KDA.
Presently he teaches in his small home dojo in NH and works primarily with seasoned students.
