(from a Facebook conversation on the origins of kenpo on the East Coast)
To elaborate on Kenpo on the east coast, specifically New England: George Pesare studied Karazenpo Go Shinjutsu with Victor "Sonny" Gascon while Pesare was in the military in California. He brought it back to Rhode Island and stated teaching in Providence. One of his students was Nick Cerio, a auto mechanic in Boston, who would later teach in Rhode Island and create Nick Cerio's Kenpo. He would teach Fred Villari who would later create Shaolin Kempo and was founder of the original United Studios of Self Defense in the 1970s. The art and its lineage is distinctly different from Mr. Parker's system. - Joe Rebelo
In my view, the key person who is most responsible for the spread of American Kenpo along the east coast is Joe Palanzo, who trained directly under Ed Parker from 1966-1969 and was the only person to purchase an IKKA franchise in the early 1970s. - Tom Bleecker
A central figure was Victor “Sonny” Gascon, who was trained in Kajukenbo by Sijo Adriano Emperado and John Leoning (Leoning was Gascon’s and my first teacher), in Hawaii. Then after branching out on his own, from Gascon it went to George Pesare, then to Nick Cerio, who taught Fred Villari, who taught Charles Mattera who then taught Steve Demasco. - Dr Carl Totton
Harry Krebs was the person who helped put the 'Budwieser Team' together where the demo team and fighters were seen in a recent post. He was a Judo guy more than a Kenpo practioner... Joe Polanzo was the most dedicated & the guy we all went to when Ed Parker came for the IKKA instructor seminars. Another thing is Joe was a hell of a scrapper back in the day as he competed quite frequently at Master Conde's tournaments as I recall seeing him. He will always be someone I have great respect for as he loved and took real good care of Mr. Parker on all his visits as well as being the only East Coast IKKA franchised school. - Sean Kelley
(For further information on the origins of Kenpo along the East Coast see these books available for purchase on Amazon)
Kenpo Continuum Volume 2 by Dr. Carl Totton and Amy Long
https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AAmy+E+Long+and+Carl+Totton&s=relevancerank&text=Amy+E+Long+and+Carl+Totton&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_2
The International Journey by Mr. Tom Bleecker
https://www.amazon.com/International-Journey-Tom-Bleecker/dp/0965313298/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=kenpo+international+journey&qid=1585976864&s=books&sr=1-3
