An EVG reader shared the following in memoriam ...
Longtime Lower East Side resident and martial arts legend Wilfredo Roldan, or Hanshi, passed away on Christmas Day. He was 69.
Some readers may have seen a small shrine pop up outside the former University of the Streets building at 130 E. Seventh St. near Avenue A, where he taught and ran the Nisei Goju-Ryu system for many years.
As Roldan progressed Nisei Goju-Ryu, mentoring countless students along the way, he was a regular at Odessa and other neighborhood hotspots. Watch him tell the story of the dojo and more local lore here and you can notice a characteristic twinkle in his eyes.
Having starred in a number of martial arts movies in the 1970s ("Black Force," "Velvet Smooth" and "Dragon Express"), he also taught physical education in NYC Public Schools for over two decades. With the "University of the Streets, the Prequel" (shot at Seventh Street and Avenue A), he continued to add to his list of endeavors and accomplishments.
He will be missed, but his spirit carries on. Osu.
So sorry to hear that, very sad news.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know him, but he sure looks familiar.
A unique and generous soul - May he rest in great peace -
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tribute. He was one of a kind and a wonderful individual with a great history in the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteHe is missed. A very nice person.
ReplyDeleteAh I really liked him he was a really funny positive person. Had not seen him in ages...
ReplyDeleteMay he rest in peace. Knew him for many years. He was a mentor to my son.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed training with Wilfredo many years ago. Was at his Black Belt test at Nisei headquarters. Enjoyed him as a person and a martial artist. . Rest In Peace
ReplyDeleteVery sad to hear this. He was a positive force and my son was studied with him and we also lived one floor above his Dojo for years. Rest in peace dear friend. jjk
ReplyDeleteOh my!!!! He was a gracious man! What a loss!
ReplyDelete❤️❤️🙏🙏❤️❤️🙏🙏
God bless you sensei
DeleteWe were best of friends!
ReplyDeleteHe and i made black belt together back in the 70s.
I miss him.
Sensei Ron Brie
I was lucky enough to have been friends with Hanshi Roldan, he and i often discussed politics, religion and of course martial arts. i hadn't realized that he had passed until recently. It's a sad day for martial arts enthusiasts. He will be missed RIP Dear Friend
ReplyDeleteI had the great honor to meet a couple of times Grand Master Ruiz at the Seventh Street dojo in the early Eighties, for an interview with a Karate Italian magazine I was corresponding with. In the occasion Sensei Roldan invited me to practice and after awhile he allowed me to wear my brown belt in Wado Ryu. So I did and for about 18 months I lived a real enlightening experience! Roldan was strong and gentle at once, always funny and mordant with me, maybe the Italian and Puerto Rican bloods were just one under the Nisey Goju flag. I miss him badly.
ReplyDeleteMaurizio Baiata - Latina (Rome - Italy)
While I only studied with Sensei Roldán for a couple of years in the early 80s, he taught everyone the proper way to fall. As an avid road biker, that skill has actually prevented far more serious injuries. Never got a chance to say thank you. RIP Sensei.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear this. I trained Nisei Goju with Richardson Sensei and Monroe Sensei in the early 70’s…from their inspiration I’ve trained martial arts since…in the United States and in Okinawa…
ReplyDeleteHe was my teaching colleague at Julia Richmond High School we were friends that lunched together. He was filled with vitality. He patrolled as a dawn on roller skates. God bless his memory. He passed too soon.
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