With affection and reverence we honor our father, grandfather, great grandfather, friend, teacher and mentor: Jesse R Glover.

Jesse spent much of his life in the pursuit of unyielding refinement and self-improvement. As a young man he developed a keen interest in martial arts which eventually led him to study Judo. It was through the practice of Judo Jesse developed a work ethic that would become the foundation of his teaching philosophy; the idea of mass repetition.

In an event that would forever change his life, Jesse glimpsed a young Bruce Lee demonstrating Gung Fu on stage in Seattle. As fate would have it, Bruce was attending Edison Technical School where Jesse also attended. Eventually Jesse introduced himself to Bruce and asked to become his student. They quickly became good friends and avid workout partners. Jesse trained with Bruce for nearly four years: 1959-1962. The majority of their training was in an informal, one-on-one setting. The countless hours Jesse spent with Bruce offered a unique perspective on the core principles and training methodology Bruce used to develop his foundation as a martial artist. Jesse eventually took these core ideas and modified them to create his own method, Non-Classical Gung Fu (NCGF); a process that he never stopped developing.

Those who were fortunate enough to know and work with Jesse each developed his or her own “way.” Just as each student internalized what was taught differently, each student conceptualized different ideas and training processes at different levels. This is what Jesse intended in our opinion: to give each person a base to work with, one that would allow a person to progress at their own pace; based on skill level, motivation, and/or physical abilities. How far each student wanted to go was up to them. What resulted was an incredibly diverse and seemingly endless physical exploration in martial arts.

Thank you Jesse for your life of dedication for which we are all better.

Jesse will have a Graveside Service on Saturday, July 14, 11am at Lake View Cemetery, 1554 15th Ave E, Seattle WA 98112.

“In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow