The 1979 All Cals (as in, All of California) took place at the West Field House at the University of California, Santa Cruz. It was a collegiate competition for a conference that was in the process of dwindling as funding for fencing programs across the state were getting the axe in favor of… well, I’m not sure anyone could really explain where what little money went into fencing programs went after fencing teams were eliminated. By all indications, 1979 was probably one of the last All Cals of a fairly significant size.
Since all the photos here came from Charlie Selberg, there is the entirely natural occurrence that most of the photos are of the Santa Cruz contingent. However, some of the coaches in attendance also got some coverage. For instance:
Rob Handleman and Heizaburo Okawa
Zoltan Von Somogyi, the Hungarian-born coach at UC Santa Barbara. I know next to nothing about this gentleman. Anyone out there with a story or two? Drop me a note!
Charlie Selberg, rockin’ the “Geezer Power” t-shirt. His own design.
George Platt and Marlowe Hood
Marlowe Hood, Ted Clark and Ted Pryor, rockin’ the shirtless look. Added bonus, the list of schools in attendance. Thanks, chalkboard!
found a good reference to Zoltan. He was my fencing coach at UCSB in 1978. found a minor tribute to him and will paste it in. Quite a man.
To: vetvetdoug
Eastern European mid-20th century cavalrymen were men to be reckoned with, all of the jokes about charging tanks aside.
I had the honor to know, and be called a friend by, a Hungarian cavalry officer.
Quite a man. Offered his choice of being on the Hungarian Olympic team for fencing (saber) or gymnastics in 1936, he chose gymnastics because that team did not forbid him from riding, as the fencing team did. He didn’t win any medals, but did respectably (I looked him up in the ’36 results). He was also a recognized fencing master.
When the war came, he fought on the Eastern Front from ’41 until he was captured in ’45. His regiment successfully charged and overran a Russian tank battalion at rest, catching them while they were outside their tanks cooking breakfast. He spent 10 years in the Gulag, released in the Christmas amnesty of 1955. Returned to Hungary, and fled West as soon as the border was open during the Hungarian Revolt in 1956. Came to the US and was a fencing master and soccer coach, where I knew him in the early 1970s.
Now deceased, I have known no finer man than Major Baron Zoltan von Somogyi. RIP.
I actually found that same post and was able to contact the author for a bit more information that will be posted later. Thanks for looking out for us, Brian. And if you have any more photos or yearbooks from your UCSB days, I hope you will share them.
I had him as my fencing coach at UCSB in 1979.
Coach Von Somogyi was so awesome.
Truly a privilege to have learned the sport from such a great man!
I was also one of Zoltan’s fencing students in 1978, and fenced at the meet at Santa Cruz where these pictures were taken. I deeply admired him: true nineteenth-century elegance. Also a bit of a rogue.
Just a clarification the “All Cals” was/is the UC system championship. 1979 Means I was directing (remember when refs were called directors?)
I have pictures of myself running a collegiate fencing tournament from the exact same spot as the picture of Charlie Selberg.
I always looked forward to the All Cals as Heizaburo and I would have a chance to exchange lessons with each other. It was one of the highlights of the event for me. He had trained at my fencing master school in Paris and was immediately able to take the highest and most challenging lesson I could give him. Being able to take a high level lesson from him was great too.
For Zoltan Von Somogyi, an obit published in 1980
https://www.alexandria.ucsb.edu/downloads/kw52j9101
I was a UC Santa Barbara theater student in 1976 and I took his beginner class. A class act who gave clear sharp instructions to the rankest of beginners.
Its been so many years since I trained under Zoltan. From the newspaper article he died a few years after I left. Its said he was 65 when he died but the rumor was he was 70 and had this chiseled appearance. The other rumor was he had a lot of fun with the co-eds. There would be no way that man ever did something to someone they didn’t want, however I don’t believe any of that was true.
He told me many stories, much like any military person would. There was one where he was on the Guard of Honor for the King of Hungry. He said when the US President was met each one of the Guards was to look at him like one order from the King and the President was dead right there and then. This might have occurred before WWII.
He did teach Russian soldiers how to fence while he was in prison. It got his bunker extra food for the effort.
Without a doubt Zolton taught that to win you exceed your abilities and not intimidate the opponent. He told me of one story of an Olympics contest where the bout was quite even. Then one contestant called for a time out. When they re-engaged, the guy had cut a hole in his shoe over his big toe. It was a rather big and hairy big toe. So as the two stood there trying to figure out the other. The guy with the hole in his shoe would lift his big toe up and down. His opponent glanced down to see what was going on, and that was enough time for for the toe man to strike the winning touche. It did tell me that one has to expect the unexpected diversion and ignore it.
Zolton was the only man I ever considered a second father. I started out as a rather difficult person and he was able to instruct me in such a way as to calm me down. Martial Arts will do that. The discipline he taught me will last my entire life.
I remember one day some Europium guy showed up at one of our sessions. The next one he also showed up and decided to attack me one day while I was warming up. He came up from behind and tried to touch me with his saber. I was in a full lunge extension and felt someone was coming up from behind, so I rotated and pointed my saber right at his chest. He was only in my peripheral vision, but I lined up my sword right with his sternum while still in that streaked position. We never saw that guy again. Personally I think it was Zoltan dealing with that dudes conceit.
I met Zolton when I was in the eighth grade at the Desert Sun school in Idywild Ca. He taught soccer and gymnastics. I believe this was around 1963. Our soccer team was unbeaten. He told of being in a German prison camp and then a Russian. He had a family there at the school. He was admired and respected by all. Certainly a person who’s memory I will always cherish.
I met him while ar Desert Sun. I was not much of an athlete but he pushed me to get off my butt and do something.
I graduated in 1965 with the upmost respect for this man.
Hey Stefan. Joe Grauman here (Class of 66). Well as they say, it’s been a minute, right? So funny to come across your name when I was randomly thinking about and researching Zoltan. Hope you are in good health and all is well.
I took advanced fencing from Zoltan Von Somogi in the early 70s. He was rumored to have fenced for Hungary in the olympics, but I never checked this. At our final “exam” we each had to fence with the maestro. I had a good day and he asked me to come help with the team — I did not. One of his familiar phrases when hold the foil was, “remember to keep your toenail up!”