18. He had a black belt in karate
Ronald didn’t give up his love of sport when he became a successful research scientist. He first began studying karate at North Carolina AT&T, and almost immediately excelled at it. He even founded a karate school for kids at his local church when studying at MIT. The same year he got his Ph.D. and married his wife, Ronald won the 1976 Amateur Athletic Union Gold Medal. He won 5 regional championships, too, and eventually became a fifth-degree black belt. This just goes to show how important, and indeed achievable, balance is in life, even if you’re a doctoral student.
