Lamar Sanders (SC)

Lamar Sanders was born in 1941 in Edison, Georgia. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech in 1964, and worked as hydrologist for the U. S. Geological Survey from 1961 to 2003 in Tifton, GA, Atlanta, GA, Washington, DC, and Columbia, SC. He was the South Carolina USGS Surface Water Specialist from 1984 to 2003. Following retirement from the USGS, he worked for the South Carolina Department of Transportation for 4 years and then with a private company designing the height and width of bridges.

He has two daughters, Stephanie McCravy and Michelle Farris, a son, Curt Sanders, and 4 grandchildren. Michelle Farris has studied Aikido with him for 22 years, and recently reached Shodan, which is first degree black belt rank.

In addition to Aikido, he enjoys deer, squirrel and dove hunting, and travel and picnics with Dianne, his wife of 45 years. Being 78 years old and having had double bypass surgery, a stent, and 2 hip replacements, he is trying to use up all his body parts before kicking the bucket.

Lamar Sanders studied Aikido with the United States Aikido Federation headed by Yoshimitsu Yamada from 1972-1979 in Atlanta, GA under Sensei Rodney Grantham. He studied Aikido in Washington, DC from 1979-84 with Sensei Clyde Takeguchi and Sensei Gordon Sakemoto. He has taught Aikido at Harbison Recreation Center of Columbia, SC since 1984, and has the rank of 5th degree Black Belt.