Offering tribute in martial arts

Helen Gee Chin was a fitness buff who always followed stringent principles of healthy living.   In 1996, she and her husband, Calvin, founded a martial arts studio in their hometown of Newton and she added tai chi to her workout regime. Helen Chin died in 2010, but it is fitting to her beliefs, her outlook, and her devotion to the business that she and her husband ran together that she is being remembered this weekend at a special performance of martial arts by her husband’s students.

The annual open house at the Chins’ academy had always been a small-scale gathering for the students and their families. Only after his wife’s death did Chin think about making it a bigger affair, one that could double as a fund-raiser for the college scholarship he established in her name.

“The scholarship is for students who have studied martial arts a minimum of five years and have a B average in school,” Chin said. “It’s one of the first scholarships established for martial artists. It was important to me to give something back to this niche community.”

The event Sunday will include demonstrations of classical martial arts techniques and routines, and also other Chinese traditions as well, such as the lion dance and the dragon dance.

“Our students range from beginning through advanced, and range in age from 5 to 86,” Chin said. “Each group will do some routines. And at the end, we’ll perform a special tribute to Helen.”

The Calvin Chin’s Martial Arts Academy will hold its open house and martial arts demonstration from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in the Lasker Auditorium in Newton North High School, 457 Walnut St., Newtonville. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased at www.hgcscholarshipfoundation.org or at the door. Proceeds will benefit the Helen Gee Chin Scholarship Foundation.