Autobiography of The Honorable Grandmaster William D. Clingan, 9th Dan – Pin # 5845

Grandmaster Clingan was born in Grafton, West Virginia on December 15, 1944.  He was the 14th child born to William D. Clingan Sr. and Clara (Kline) Clingan, his younger sister was born in 1947.  He attended grade school in Grafton until his mother and family moved to Cresaptown Maryland in 1956.  It was a short stay in Cresaptown, the family then moved to Cumberland, Maryland where Grandmaster Clingan attended Penn Avenue Middle School and then in 1958, the same year he began his martial arts adventures, he started classes at Fort Hill High School, where he graduated in 1962.

Grandmaster Clingan immediately joined the Air Force and was sent to Osan Air Base, Korea, he continued his training alongside renowned martial artists such as Grandmaster Ki Yun Yi, and many other well-known Korean Grandmasters; many of whom he remains in contact with.   His early training began in-depth when he met Grandmaster Yi at Osan Air Base; Grandmaster Yi continues to mentor Grandmaster Clingan to this day.  Grandmaster Clingan made two additional trips to Korea and the extensive training he received while stationed at Osan included the privilege to train with Grandmaster Bong Soo Han, the founder of the International Hapkido Association.

Grandmaster Clingan founded the Northern California Tang Soo Do Association in 1971; he continues to promote traditional Tang Soo Do leading his current organization, Grandmaster Clingan’s Tang Soo Association.  Grandmaster Clingan was also the founder of the All American Tang Soo Do Association, and former Vice President of the International Tang Soo Do Federation.

During his martial arts career, Grandmaster Clingan has taught at Yuba Community College in Linda, California, and while stationed at the Pentagon taught hand to hand combat tactics to many high ranking officers of the military services.  Upon his retirement from the military service in October 1983 he returned to the Yuba-Sutter area of Northern California to resume teaching Tang Soo Do.  Currently Grandmaster Clingan instructs local and national martial artists from his headquarters, Grandmaster Clingan’s Korean Karate Academy in Marysville, California.