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Black Belts and Boundary Lines:    Taekwondo specifically because Father Connolly provided free classes   Jeffrey Horneman works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

 Professional Land Surveyor lives a double life of discipline and defense  at a local church, a tradition his blackbelt proteges have continued   Pittsburgh District as the deputy chief of the real estate office. Horneman
        over the decades across multiple states.
                                                                has volunteered to provide free Taekwondo classes to youth through a
 By Michel Sauret  Jeffrey Horneman works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers   martial arts nonprofit for the last 20 years.
        Pittsburgh District as the deputy chief of the real estate office. Horneman   With such a large family, the free classes ensured all her kids could
        has volunteered to provide free Taekwondo classes to youth through a   attend. Otherwise, she might not have been able to afford an after-
        martial arts nonprofit for the last 20 years.           school program for so many children.

          The kids concluded their test by breaking wooden boards with bare   “The instructors have poured so much into my children. They’re
        hands and feet. Their families gathered afterward for a potluck dinner   amazing,” Manganaro said.
        to celebrate their next-belt achievements.                Now, one of her sons is a fifth-degree black belt instructor.

          “Jeff Horneman is a saint,” said Cathy Manganaro during dinner,   Over two decades, Horneman has raised a lineage of 12 blackbelt
        the mother and grandmother of students who trained under   students. His four sons have also taken Taekwondo at some point in
        Horneman for years.                                     their youth, and Nico, his third, has recently returned to the arts to earn
          She has three adopted children enrolled in the same class as her   his black belt.
        grandchildren. Overall, she has put ten of her kids through the   Jeffrey Horneman works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
        Taekwondo program.                                      Pittsburgh District as the deputy chief of the real estate office. Horneman
          Jeffrey Horneman works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers   has volunteered to provide free Taekwondo classes to youth through a
        Pittsburgh District as the deputy chief of the real estate office. Horneman   martial arts nonprofit for the last 20 years.
        has volunteered to provide free Taekwondo classes to youth through a   “We don’t give somebody a blackbelt just because you attended all your
        martial arts nonprofit for the last 20 years.           classes. You’ve got to be able to show that you can defend yourself, that
          “My three little ones have special needs,” Manganaro said. “They   you’ve actually earned it. It’s a long, rigorous process,” Horneman said.
        have  been  diagnosed  with  autism,  ADHD  and  other  intellectual   Yet, at the same time, he said earning the belt is also the mark of a
        disabilities, but Jeff has all the patience in the world with them.”  new beginning.

          Horneman said parents have seen marked improvements with kids’   “What does this mean?” Horneman asks, pointing at his belt,
        behavior and focus through martial arts training.       whenever teaching a new group of students.

          “I can’t say enough good things about the program,” Manganaro   Some students think the belt means having achieved a master level,
        said. “They don’t just give you your belt. You have to earn your belt.   but Horneman would be quick to correct them.
        Taekwondo teaches them respect, discipline, honor.”
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        The photo above is an aerial view of Mahoning Creek   Jeffrey Horneman, LS, left, , holds a board during Josie   Jeffrey Horneman, LS, calls out cadences (ki-haps)
        Lake dam in Dayton, Pennsylvania, July 21, 2023.   Corbin’s martial arts test at a church in Brackenridge,   while his students conduct a martial arts test to
        Mahoning Creek Lake is one of 16 flood risk reduction   Pennsylvania, Dec. 9, 2024. (U.S. Army Corps of   earn their next belt at a church in Brackenridge,
        projects in the Pittsburgh District. Mahoning provides   Engineers Pittsburgh District photo by Michel Sauret)  Pennsylvania, Dec. 9, 2024. (U.S. Army Corps of
        flood protection for the lower Allegheny and upper                        Engineers Pittsburgh District photo by Michel Sauret)
        Ohio rivers. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started
        constructing Mahoning in 1939 and completed in June
        1941, becoming fully operational the same month.
        (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District
        photo by Michel Sauret)
                                               EMPIRE STATE SURVEYOR / VOL. 61 • NO 2 / 2025 • MARCH/APRIL   23
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