Milt Calander

Milt Calander (born 1950) was a student of Shuri-ryu Grandmaster Robert Trias for 17 years, from 1972 to 1989. He is a 7th Dan in Okinawan Shuri-Ryu karate and has owned his own karate schools in Mesa, AZ. Before that, he served and lived in Trias' headquarters dojo in Phoenix, Arizona as the headquarter's chief staff instructor for both Shuri-ryu and the United States Karate Association from 1974 to 1977. Other chief staff instructors at Trias headquarters included Robert Bowles, Pete Rabino, Mike Awad, Milt Calander, and Dale Benson. Calander assisted Trias in writing down the kata movements for his book "The Pinnacle of Karate." Because of his unique position teaching Chief Instructors at Trias' annual seminars as well as at the Trias headquarters, Trias had offered Calander a position as a Chief Instructor of the Shuri-Ryu system conditioned upon his moving to another state. Calander declined and remained in Arizona.

Calander has travelled throughout the world and the United States promoting Shuri-ryu karate and was inducted into the Trias International Society Hall of Fame in 1987. In addition, he was instrumental in the formation of the United States Karate Alliance in 1989.