World honors
The grandson of an Emporia couple was honored for his martial arts skills recently in Aruba.
Dean Dieker, the son of Don and Sun Dieker of Clinton, Ill., and grandson of Melvin and Dorothy Matile of Emporia, was awarded the title of Sensei by the World Union of Sokes, a martial arts organization. He was recognized for his excellence in tae kwan do, one of three martial arts he practices. The group also named him Black Belt of the Year.
Dieker, 20, is a senior in the Olin School of Engineering in Needham, Mass.
When he was younger, Dieker was active in a martial arts program in Clinton taught by John Waldrop. At the Aruba event, Waldrop became the first martial arts master knighted by order of Queen Elizabeth II.
Dieker told the Clinton Daily Journal that he hopes to represent the United States as a member of the U.S. karate team in the 2012 Olympics.
Honored by school
On Oct. 12, The Hadley School for the Blind in Winnetka, Ill., presented Lois Hodge of Emporia, with the Challenge of Living Award. Each year, Hadley instructors nominate students most deserving of this honor.
“Taking Hadley courses made me realize I’m going through the normal adjustments of being deaf and blind,” Hodge said. “Hadley has helped me cope and not feel so isolated.”
Hodge was born deaf, and a A blood test in 1995 revealed she has Usher syndrome, an inherited disorder that includes hearing impairment and progressive vision loss. In 2000 she enrolled with Hadley and has since completed four courses on subjects like poetry, adjusting with blindness and Braille reading. The Hadley School, founded in 1920, is the nation’s largest distance education school for people who are visually impaired.
The award is presented annually to a deaf-blind person who has succeeded through education or has contributed much to the education and well-being of deaf-blind persons.