Legacy Memorial Celebration Dinner
The Celebration Dinner was a wonderful tribute and dedication to Professor Nick Cerio, the man, and to his system and  legacy.  The evening was marked with memories, awards, and honoring Professor Cerio's teachers.  The following is a summary of the evenings events.

Welcome Address
Hanshi Craig Seavey started the evening off with a moving tribute to Professor Cerio and the meaning of 'Family' and 'Legacy' giving touching examples from his own life experiences.  This was the perfect start to a perfect evening.

Recognition Awards 
for the 
Extended Family
Shihan Clermont Poulin bestowed the Recognition Awards to the Extended Family.  These were students, colleagues, and schools of Professor Cerio who were honored for keeping his name alive in their teachings.  (For a list of those honored, please click here.)

Honoring the Masters 

& 

Closing Dedication
Shihan John James started with a dedication to Sensei Frank Cerio, Professor Cerio's brother, who had passed away in July 2004.  Afterwards, Shihan James presented to each of the attending Master's a plaque on behalf of Nick Cerio's Kenpo saying 'Thank You' for the teachings they gave to Professor Cerio which in turn had been given to his students.  They are in order given:
* Senior Grandmaster  George Pesare
* Grandmaster Ernie Lieb
* Tadashi Yamashita Hanshi
* Senior Grandmaster Ed Parker
(accepting for his father was Mr. Ed Parker, Jr.)
* Sijo Victor Gascon
 (Prof. Joe Shuras accepted for Sijo Gascon due to him being unable to attend)
* Shihan Fumio Demura
* Sifu Gee Gin Soon
(accepting for their father were Sifu's Vincent and Tony Chu)
*(name removed per request)
* Prof. William Chow
*Grandmaster Bill Chun, Sr.
(accepting for both his father, GM Bill Chun, Sr.  and Professor William Chow was Master Bill Chun, Jr.)

After the 'Honoring the Masters', Shihan James commenced with a heartfelt tribute to Professor Cerio. Stories about Professor Cerio's integrity, his special gift of making each of his student's feel special, and a tribute to his hero, John Wayne, were told to a captive audience.
Special Guest Speaker, Professor Don Rodrigues was called up to give a special tribute to Professor Cerio, using stories from his past training, as well as giving much of the credit for his success to Professor Cerio.
To finish the evening, Henry Guidoboni, president of the co-sponsoring World Martial Arts Federation, dedicated a song to Professor Cerio.  The song "My Way" was sung superbly by our wonderful DJ for the evening, Jim.

The evening was a wonderful tribute to Professor Cerio and a great acknowledgement to his system and the people who gave him the tools to forge it.  The Celebration Dinner had everyone asking "When are we going to do it next year?!".