by Doug Nichols | Nov 11, 2019 | Baker, Jack, Biagini, Gerard, Blog Post, Coaches, Coaches F - J, Coaches K - O, Coaches P - T, Coaches U - Z, Fencers, Fencers A - E, Fencers K - O, Halberstadt, Hans, King, Harriet, Marki, Ferenc, McDougall, John, Mori, Torao, Nadi, Aldo, Piller, George, Visconti, Edward |
There is nothing in the world quite like Jerry Biagini’s greeting to me when I visited him about two weeks ago. Me: “Mr. Biagini, how are you?” Jerry: “I’m 90 years old and cranky!” As it turned out, he wasn’t so cranky as...
by Doug Nichols | Oct 14, 2019 | Angell, Tommy, Baker, Jack, Blog Post, Brownlee, Laurance, Coaches, Coaches A - E, Coaches F - J, Coaches P - T, D'Asaro, Michael, Fencers, Fencers A - E, Fencers K - O, Halberstadt, Hans, Mitchell, Maxine, Northern California, Pannonia Athletic Club, Piller, George, Schools/Clubs |
It’s so much fun to have your expectations and assumptions blown to bits. That happened to me this week when I had the great fortune to meet the daughter of long-time Letterman fencer Colonel Laurance Brownlee. Colonel Brownlee was a fixture of West Coast...
by Doug Nichols | Sep 30, 2019 | Baker, Jack, Biagini, Gerard, Blog Post, Coaches, Coaches A - E, Coaches F - J, Coaches K - O, Coaches P - T, D'Asaro, Michael, Fencers, Fencers A - E, Fencers K - O, Fencers P - T, Halberstadt, Hans, Lane, Arthur, Mayer, Helene, McDougall, John, Mitchell, Maxine, Moore-Selberg, Julie, Nadi, Aldo, Nottingham, Jack, Okawa, Heziburo, Piller, George, Selberg, Charles, Shurtz, Skip |
In the woods of Southern Oregon off a dirt road and across a valley from the winding I-5 was a fencing salle d’armes built by Charlie Selberg in an old barn. It was stuffed to the rafters with fencing memorabilia dating back decades. I fenced there a couple of...
by Doug Nichols | Sep 23, 2019 | Blog Post, Boyd, Andrew, Coaches, Coaches A - E, Coaches F - J, Coaches K - O, Coaches P - T, Coaches U - Z, Duff, John, Faulkner, Ralph, Fencers, Fencers A - E, Fencers K - O, Mayer, Helene, Mori, Torao, Nadi, Aldo, Piller, George, Uyttenhove, Henri |
When I have the opportunity to visit someone who has fencing memorabilia that I can scan for my collection, I often don’t get a chance to thoroughly take in the significance of everything I’m working with. I work fast, replacing one item from the flatbed...
by Doug Nichols | Jun 17, 2019 | Alpar, Julius Palffy-, Blog Post, Coaches, Coaches A - E, Coaches K - O, Coaches P - T, Fencers, Fencers K - O, Magay, Daniel, Marki, Ferenc, Piller, George |
My first introduction to Ferenc Marki was at the 1978 Junior College Championships for Northern California. Maestro Marki called us all together at the start of the Men’s Team Foil to explain the format and strip assignments. He spoke for a good 15 minutes and I...
by Doug Nichols | May 13, 2019 | Blog Post, Coaches, Coaches F - J, Coaches K - O, Coaches P - T, Craus, Polly, Domolky, George, Faulkner, Ralph, Fencers, Fencers A - E, Fencers K - O, Fencers P - T, Funke, Erich, Halberstadt, Hans, Magay, Daniel, Mayer, Helene, Nadi, Aldo, Orley, Piller, George, Shurtz, Skip |
As many times as I’ve mentioned the Halberstadt Scrapbooks on this website over the years, I was shocked to realize that I have not, until now, written a defining story about what they are and (to me, at least) their significance. Today you can stop in at just about...
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