Golden moment for Tae Kwon Do octogenarian.

VIRGINIA BEACH.
Freshly earned, the fourth gold stripe on Joseph Gerald Caplan's black belt measures mere inches but holds huge significance in the measure of a man.
In late November, Caplan, 82, accepted his fourth-degree black belt from Master Kyung Soo Bae at the U.S. Tae Kwon Do Center in Virginia Beach. The award reflected three years of training at the dojang or gymnasium, the successful completion of a series of 33 black belt tests, and mastery of 350 forms, or movements.
For Caplan, the degree marks a continuing chapter in a long story.
The native Londoner refers to himself as "an all-American kid," who "started a new life here" with his late wife, Valerie Caplan, in 1977. He lost Valerie to cancer in 1993, but from the sorrow, sweet solace emerged in a family friend, whom he eventually married. He and Elaine Caplan live in Portsmouth, where she runs interior design business Ma Maison.
At U.S. Tae Kwon Do Center, Caplan moves lightly across the mats and nods a greeting at classmates who hail him as "Mr. Joseph." He is something of a fixture, beginning his training there 14 years ago at the tender age of 69.
The center has been at Haygood Shopping Center for 25 years and is recognized by the World Taekwondo Federation, based in Seoul, South Korea. Master Bae, a sixth-degree black belt, holds a bachelor's degree in taekwondo from Yong In University, one of South Korea's premier martial arts universities.
Director Gail Theriault said the center places a strong emphasis on the development of character, along with physical skills.
"Our students are accountable here for what they do at home, at school, at work," she said. "We train together but develop individuals."
Caplan is less interested in his stripes than the chance to promote martial arts philosophy.
"Taekwondo forms character, integrity and self-control in its practitioners, particularly children," he said.
A former London barrister with several university degrees, Caplan holds Master Bae as the finest of teachers. "He understands each student as an individual person with strengths and weaknesses, and he teaches us to discipline mind and body from a place of respect and gentleness."
A survivor of two open-heart surgeries, Caplan said the Olympic sport is the perfect synthesis of body and spirit, with understanding and self-knowledge governing the practice.