Dave Koss

Discussion in 'Ninjutsu' started by saitamagnome, Nov 28, 2006.

  1. saitamagnome

    saitamagnome 平等

    would anyone here know what happened to Dave Koss? an american and
    friend of mine from back in the 80s.
     
  2. garth

    garth Valued Member

    My first Ninjutsu seminar back in November 1985 was with Dave Koss, hosted by Brin Morgan in Merseyside. I had been studying Lau Gar Kung Fu at the time but had been reading books on Ninjutsu for a couple of years. David was of course a black belt under Mr Stephen K Hayes and he completely blew me away with the stuff he was teaching. For me this seminar became a huge turning point in my life and knew that Ninjutsu was for me, and the following year went to train for about 4 days with Mr Stephen K Hayes.

    David was of course very much into his American Indian teachings, and was of course very charismatic and I believe that he got involved in, or started some kind of spiritual/religious group in the North of the States.

    Its a big thankyou to David for putting me on the path to which I now find myself travelling.

    Gary Arthur
    WWW.to-shin-quest.co.uk
     
  3. Keikai

    Keikai Banned Banned

    so you have not seen him then Garth??? :confused: :D
     
  4. saitamagnome

    saitamagnome 平等

    hi Garth, thanks for the reply. Good to hear that Dave had such an effect on you. That spirtual group(ala cultish) was out of it but we were young and silly. SKH at times struggled to contain the more hardcore young members who were a little too consumed by "ninja fever" in those days. Dave was hardcore training wise, we use to just get in the backyard and just fight..silly but we were young. I think Dave just got too much into the spiritual side.He was an awefully nice guy though.

    I did hear that he ended up changing his name or something but not sure if that was true.
     
  5. muzosa

    muzosa Valued Member

    "cultish" is a bit of an understatement...lol...

    Last hint of Dave I saw was a video of him teaching a seminar somewhere. His head was shaved. Can't remember where I saw the video, though. A wee bit of time has passed since "Killshots," neh?

    Jeff Christian
     
  6. saitamagnome

    saitamagnome 平等

    hi Jeff

    Dave with no hair? that would be a sight to see. Haven't seen it for ages but Killshots wasn't bad :) but then again Darryl and Dave were still quite young back then. I felt Dave took the whole street fighting reality thing a little too over the top. But it was fun I must admit at the time. Others such as Jack, Doc Kelly, Dick, Larry T, Phil etc were little bit more mature about the training. Dave did write some nice articles back then before the whole "Spirits of wind" thing. Man those were crazy days or the "shoden level" of the Bujinkan as I have heard Soke refer to that period.
     
  7. garth

    garth Valued Member

    What was "Killshots" ?

    Gary Arthur
     
  8. saitamagnome

    saitamagnome 平等

    Some have labelled it a very infamous video put out by Dave back in the 80s that depicted "ninjutsu in action" including real life situations. Put it down to the "ninja fever" going around at the time ;)
     
  9. Dale Seago

    Dale Seago Matthew 7:6

  10. saitamagnome

    saitamagnome 平等

    thanks for that Dale, I guess this chapter of certain individuals lives(including myself) will never go away :(
     
  11. BobD

    BobD New Member

    hi saitamagnome,

    Your question is almost 10 years old now. And just this evening, for some inexplicable reason, the names 'Dave Koss' and 'Darryl Caldwell' came to mind. I trained with both of them for a few years in the late 80s. So I searched on the internet and that's how I found this forum.

    I found Darryl's Facebook page and was very surprised to find out that he has passed on to the next realm. Here's Darryl's facebook memorialized page. Darryl's last public post to facebook was in December of 2012. R.I.P. Darryl

    I found a post that Darryl made in a forum in 2003. Darryl's kutaki.org forum post link

    "As for Killshots, chalk it up to youthful indiscretions. Someday it will quietly go away. I have not seen Koss in a good long time."

    Speaking of Killshots, I found all 4 videos on Youtube

    On Darryl's facebook page I found photos of him doing stand-up comedy. Darryl was also a writer and wrote the "The Shadow Warrior" column in Black Belt Magazine.

    Just found Darryl's obituary:

    Darryl James Caldwell was a renaissance man. He lived to grow his mind and experiences, discovering and mastering many interests and passions while always holding onto his family values and all of the connections he made along the way. Darryl passed away surrounded by his family on May 22, 2016 after a 6-year battle with cancer. He was 54 years old.

    Darryl was born in Joliet, IL on September 28, 1961 to Karen (Matthews) and Ronnie Caldwell. He grew up in Joliet with his three younger siblings - Rodney, Priscilla, and Joellyn - who remember him as the family entertainer: a magician, comedian, and a martial artist. All recall a sweet son and brother, always eager to please his parents and encourage his siblings.

    Darryl's love for the martial arts started early, after his father took his brother and him to a Bruce Lee movie and he began his study of karate and taekwondo. In the early 1980s, Darryl embarked on his warrior pilgrimage that led him into the exotic world of Ninjutsu martial arts, as taught by the world-famous ninja and author Stephen K. Hayes. After years of focused training, sustenance living and media appearances, he earned a black belt and license to teach.

    While writing the hugely popular The Shadow Warrior column for Black Belt Magazine, he traveled North America teaching Ninjutsu seminars to aspiring students, CIA staff, law enforcement officers, and comic book editors. His life, training, and writing are widely regarded as inspiring and thought-provoking.

    In the later 1980s Darryl's journey led him to Washington where he continued to train and teach, while working at the Spokane Public Library and at Auntie's, an independent bookstore. There he launched its successful Author Events Program. At Auntie's, Darryl met coworker Amy Morrison, who shared his love of books and the outdoors and whom he would later marry. Their daughter Malaïka Elizabeth was born in 1995 and she joined Amy and Darryl's two cats and five wild turkeys in the family's yard. During this time Darryl was a movie critic for the Spokesman-Review newspaper and was also an early enthusiast and adopter of the internet frontier.

    Though the family moved west in 1997, Darryl held dear his roots in Spokane, visiting his in-laws and reconnecting with friends at least once a year. Darryl, Amy and Malaïka moved to the Seattle area where Darryl began his career in technology and non-profits. Their second daughter Siona Rose Genevieve (named Genevieve in memory of Darryl's grandmother, "Nana") was born at the family's home on Cove Road on Vashon Island in 1999. Darryl and Amy amicably separated in 2008.

    Darryl's friends remember him for his infectious laugh and curiosity. He was a "regular" on the daily passenger ferry commute to downtown Seattle, reading Wired magazine with a chai, and ready for conversation. Darryl was a founding board member of the Vashon YMCA. Together with his partner Sherry Evans, he enjoyed gourmet cooking, salsa dancing, and blues festivals. Darryl was always caught up on the latest movie releases, technology, and current events. Stand-up comedy and foreign language are yet other examples of his growing and changing interests across the years. He launched the Vashon Comedy Night for local comedians.

    Over the past years, Darryl's love for travel took him to France, Mexico and Spain, and - closer to home - Vancouver and Portland. His interest in genealogy took him on an even wilder adventure when in a twist of fate, he discovered his first-born daughter, Erinn Greetis. Some of Darryl's greatest moments this last year were with his three daughters: celebrating Siona's dance performances, sharing in Malaïka's experiences studying in New York, and being introduced by Erinn to his four grandsons.

    Darryl once wrote in his magazine column, "One thing about a ninja - they have a great knack for survival." Clearly, it was this determined spirit that empowered him to far outlive his prognosis when diagnosed with cancer in 2010. Darryl's parents, Ronnie and Karen, wish to thank all of his dispersed network of family and friends. "There isn't enough paper or thoughts in the world to express our love for our son, Darryl." The family also wishes to thank Dr. Henry Kaplan and staff at Swedish Medical Center for their compassionate care. Darryl is survived by his Vashon-raised daughters, Malaïka Caldwell (21) and Siona Caldwell (16) and their mother Amy Morrison; his partner Sherry Evans; his daughter Erinn Greetis (34, Chicago, Il) and her four sons; and his birth family: Ronnie and Karen Caldwell (Las Vegas, NV), Rodney Caldwell (Joliet, IL), Priscilla Caldwell (Los Angeles, CA), Joellyn Caldwell (Louisville, KY), and Diantha Shelton (Joliet, IL). Acknowledgements for Darryl's life can be gifted to the Vashon DoVE Project, in honor of his values for personal empowerment, self- protection and compassion. http://www.vashondoveproject.org
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2017
    bustr likes this.

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