Welcome To The Museum of American Fencing

Marcel Pasche (1930 US Epee Champion) and coach at West Point, Bryn Mawr College, Vassar College, St. John's University, Lacordaire School, Montclair adult school and his own club in New Jersey, and his wife, Margaret collected memorabilia from his illustrious career. Their three daughters have donated a beautiful collection of fencing items from the 1920's, '30's and 1940's including photos, tie pins, 2 fencing ties, many photographs, letters, telegrams and advertisements. We must thank Marcel and Margaret Pasche's three daughters: Nancy Pasche Calvin, Anne Pasche Knorr and Marie Pasche Retherford for this wonderful historic donation.

Leslie Marx (US Epee champion, US Olympian) has made a $100 donation to the Museum.

Donna Stone (US Epee Champion & 5th at the 1989 World Championships) has made a $50 donation to the Museum.

Col. Tinnin Windsor of Salla De Armas Windsor, founder of the Border Division in the 1940's and father of El Paso coach Marietta Towry (one of the first highly rated female referees in America), has donated the CASTELLO ELECTRO-SWORD RECORDER from the 1940's. This early scoring device comes as a travelling model in 2 suitcases. We thank Bill and Marietta for this historical donation.

Arthur Plouffe, Rochester Institute of Technology fencing coach and epee competitor was self-taught and fenced since 1941. His daughter, Jackie Carson, has donated an extensive collection of fencing patches, pins, fencing magazines, certificates, photos and articles which chronicle fencing in Rochester from the 1940's until his death in 2012.

Bill Gelnaw has donated the OLIVER G. BOWEN HANDICAP Fencing Tournament trophy from Southern California Division beginning in 1937.  Bowen was a famous LA engineer.

Bruno Goossens has donated 3 foils that belonged to Hall of Famer and 2-time US foil champion, Gay Jacobsen.

Dick Berry, 2-time US Epee Champion, has donated some original photos, 3 award plaques, Michigan State University Fencing Team warm-up, fencing jacket, mask and pants.

Dernell Every, Hall of Famer / Olympic Bronze Medalist / 3-time US Foil Champion / Olympian 1928 - 1948 / has made a spectacular donation.  Dernell had promised to give some of his memorabilia to the "just-started" Museum of American Fencing in Los Angeles in 1993. But before that package was sent, Mr. Every died.   So in 1994, his medals and photos went to his closest friends, Pan Am fencer Grace Acel Hillyer Anderson and her husband Paul Anderson, who was instrumental in starting the fencing team at UConn in the 1940s. The Andersons promised to send me a selection of Mr. Every's collection as soon as they had the time. Sometime in the late 1990's I lost contact with the Anderson family and Dernell Every's fencing gifts.  Fast forward to 2011....Paul Anderson's daughter, Valerie Gillen (who had inherited the Anderson's and Mr. Every's items) decided to donate these fencing riches to the Museum.  Here is what was donated:

10 U.S. National Championship medals, 5 AFLA Metropolitan medals, U.S. Olympic belt buckle from Amsterdam 1928, U.S. Olympic belt buckle from Los Angeles 1932, 4 Yale University medals, 4 large Olympic medallions from Amsterdam 1928, Los Angeles 1932 and London 1948; a Centennial celebration letter opener from the Fencers' Club 1883 - 1983; 50 photographs from the 1948 U.S. National finals in the Roosevelt Hotel and photos from the 1948 London Olympics;  a U.S. Olympic Committee pin in silver with an image of Big Ben from the 1948 Olympics; 2 I.F.A. medals; 4 U.S. Olympic team patches;  2 "concurrent"1928 Amsterdam Olympic metal clips; F. I. E. Organizing Committee credential for the 1958 World Championships in Philadelphia;  a selection of U.S. Olympic pins; 1932 Los Angeles Olympics Identification card;  1932 Los Angeles Olympic metal identification badge for the Olympic Village and Games; 2 large Yale University awards; American Olympic Fencing Committee minutes from 1938 at the NYAC;  biographies of all of the 1936 U.S. Olympic fencers; Robert Grasson's (Yale Coach) complete collegiate records;  a button from a man's blazer with the colored Olympic patch of the United States.

Stacey Johnson, Hall of Famer, President of US Fencing Association and 1980 Olympian, has donated her 1980 Moscow Olympics warm-up suit and t-shirts.

Gay Jacobson D'Asaro, Hall of Famer,  2-time US national foil champion and 2-time Olympian, has donated her 1980 Moscow Olympics warm-up suit.

Joe Byrnes, Hall of Fame armorer, has donated his 1964 Tokyo Olympics warm-ups in mint condition.

Vinnie Bradford, 1984 Olympian, 5 times US Champion in foil and epee, 3-times Pan American Games medalist and member of the famed San Jose State fencing dynasty, has donated her 1979 Pan Am Games sweat suit (made by Levis), the 1983 Pan Am red jacket and rain jacket, and t-shirts from the 1984 LA Olympics.

Bill Goering was a Pan Am Games team member, Pan Am Gold medal winner in 1959, Pan Am Silver medal in 1971, and Midwest Section Saber Champion 24 times.  He was also on the USFA Board of Directors from 1959 - 1991.  We thank his wife Monica for the donation of Bill's Pan Am games outfit from 1971, his University Games outfit from 1983, a selection of photographs, patches, and medals.

Lajos Csiszar, Penn coach and Hall of Famer, gave 3 handmade saber guards and pairs of custom made pants to David Micahnik, Penn coach and Hall of Famer.  Dave Micahnik has donated these to the Museum.

Gus Prokop was one of the most "talented" foil stars of his era.  A teammate of Axelrod's at Stuyvesant Highschool, he fenced at the 1948 London Olympic Games.  His son, Rick Prokop, has given the Museum a large collection of images from his father's past including shots of many of our '48 stars on board the ship crossing the Atlantic.

Denise O'Connor, two-time Olympian, (1964, 1976), Hall of Famer who fenced in five World Championships (1965, '66, '69, '70, '75), as well as the Pan American Games of 1975 (Bronze Medal), has donated 2 parade outfits from the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Daniel Costin, (owner and Coach of Avant Garde Fencers Club) ,Romanian national saber champion and member and Coach of the Romanian National Saber Team, and coach of the US Junior Saber Team has donated his Romanian Olympic warm-up jacket from the '91 World Championships in Budapest.

Michael Marx, 5-time Olympian & 8-time US foil champion, has donated his 1992 Olympic parade uniform, his 1996 Olympic fencing uniform and a Levi's shirt autographed by the complete 1984 US Olympic Fencing Team.