Eddie Bethea

Anative of Wilmington, N.C., Eddie Bethea came to Howard County when stationed at Grissom Air Force Base in 1971. Wilmington’s loss was the Kokomo area’s gain.

Bethea founded the Kokomo School of Self Defense in 1976 and through the years has had contact with as many as 10,000 students. Bethea is proud not only in teaching those students how to defend themselves and in some cases win state, national and world championships, but how to live their lives as responsible adults and good citizens.

Bethea is also a world-renowned competitor. He is the only person in the country who has won World Fighting championships in three decades — the last in 2003 at age 60.

A winner of national and international competitions, Bethea has been inducted into three martial arts halls of fame.