Looking forward

Robert Landrum is just a guest at the American Taekwondo Association Black Belt Academy in Haverhill, but as students trickle in for an afternoon session, he stands near the entrance with a broad smile and an offer of lemonade.

It's a gesture that typifies a man who, after crushing losses, has managed to remain giving and positive.

A visitor would hardly suspect that Landrum's tae kwon do training studio in Andover was destroyed by the floods of May. Or that his fiancee died five years ago in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He hides these scars behind a smile that rarely leaves his face and reminds his students and staff that every day is a new blessing.

``A parent said to me the other night, `You ever notice how a car has a big windshield, but only a tiny rear view mirror?' I thought that was the coolest thing," Landrum said at the Haverhill studio's office that he is using temporarily.

``Obviously, when I went down to the Andover studio for the first time after the rains, I was depressed; it was tough to see," he said while reclining in his chair. ``But we were teaching attitude to the kids, and I started looking at it like, ` OK, we can remodel. We can make the studio look even better now.'

``The kids are the most important thing to us, and we needed to show them that there's a light at the end of every tunnel."

Aware of the havoc the persistent rains were wreaking in town, Landrum, who lived in Andover before moving to Allston, arrived at his studio on Route 133 shortly after 10 a.m. on May 15.

With water already nearing waist level, he retrieved his work binder and the school's safe-deposit box and departed. A clock that hung near the top of the studio wall stopped working at 10:40 a.m., and the water soon engulfed the room. Though Landrum doesn't have to pay for structural repairs for the rented space, he incurred thousands of dollars of losses in equipment, merchandise, and belongings.

Former colleague Linda Latta instantly invited Landrum and his collection of nearly 100 students to her fledgling school in Haverhill.

The Andover folks hope to return home in August, but in the meantime, their routine has barely been altered.

``Robert told the kids we were on vacation here, and that this was a summer field trip," said Francine Gikow, an Andover native and an instructor at Landrum's studio. ``He's one of the most upbeat guys you'll ever meet. His biggest concern was keeping things fun for the kids. He didn't want them to worry about any of this."

On May 18, three days after the Andover studio was destroyed by the raging Shawsheen River, Landrum and his staff were in Haverhill, holding their monthly ceremony to promote students to higher-ranking belts. All the necessary materials, including new belts, had been ordered so the children who were testing for the next level wouldn't be disappointed.

Students such as 11-year-old Sohit Pal train at the Haverhill studio unaware of all the behind-the-scenes work that Landrum, Gikow, and Latta have put in to keep things running seamlessly.

Pal briefly left Landrum's studio this year, but returned, largely because he thinks Landrum ``is pretty nice and makes class a lot of fun."

The community also responded with an outpouring of support. Parents chipped in to purchase Landrum a computer to replace the one lost in the flood. Other donations arrived from across the country from American Taekwondo Association schools that wanted to help their friends get back on their feet.

Buoyed by the support, Landrum traveled to the 2005-06 ATA World Championships in his home state of Arkansas. Competing in the 4th/5th-degree black belt category, the 43-year-old Landrum won his first world title in sparring.

After finishing in the top five on numerous occasions during his many treks to the his sport's biggest stage, he had finally captured the elusive title.

Retrieving the medal from his work bag, he flips the shiny gold prize over to reveal the motto of ATA grandmaster and founder HU Lee inscribed on the back: ``Today not possible, tomorrow possible."

It's just another glimpse at Landrum's forward-thinking mentality. Being a world champion is a nice accomplishment, but being able to show his students what persistence and perseverance can accomplish is a greater prize to him.

``I felt like the school needed a boost," said Landrum. ``I never felt like I was competing for myself down there. The students needed some sort of hope and I wanted to give them that."

His other secret to success at the world championships? All the workouts he put in on his bicycle training for the Pan-Mass Challenge, the 192-mile trek from Sturbridge to Provincetown that raises money for the Jimmy Fund and cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Parents supported the ride with a $4,300 donation.

``Nothing really does get him down," said Latta. ``If he's having a bad day, you'd never know it from that smile. He's always willing to help someone else out, no matter what is going wrong for him."

Things could not have gone much worse for Landrum than on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. His fiancee, Betty Ong, was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston that struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Friends and colleagues say that Landrum was hit hard by the tragedy, but that he channeled his energy into teaching tae kwon do. Today, he's engaged again and set to wed next May.

It all goes back to that big windshield and tiny rear-view mirror.

``There are going to be times in life when you have to make a decision," said Landrum. ``You are going to have a choice about what attitude you want to take, and you can either sit around and feel sorry for yourself, or you can do something about it.

``Misery loves company, but you can always make a positive out of a tough situation."

Chris Forsberg can be reached at cforsberg@globe.com.