Delmar Calvert
Born in the US but raised in France and French North Africa, Delmar Calvert followed his older brother into the French Foreign Legion when he was just 14 years old. Awarded the Croix du Guerre for blowing up German tanks prior to the French surrender, he was then assigned to train as a fencing master. He eventually surrendered to US forces, joined the OSS, parachuted behind German lines and trained French resistance fighters.
Basic hero stuff. He was allowed a choice of where to muster out of the army and chose California, where he was born. Strolling around Hollywood, he happened upon Ralph Faulkner’s Falcon Studios.
READ MORE...He walked in, took a job as an assistant to Ralph and his fencing master career began. He coached in private clubs and universities, created champions at all levels and led international squads. And also taught music. Self-effacing and a kind man, Delmar Calvert is a national treasure.
Articles
Fencing and Wine, 1982
Ever wondered who has the “fencing.com” URL? Yup, it’s the Silicon Valley original, The Fencing Center. Proximity and foresight; a powerful combination. The past two weeks of “Shelterinplace Con – 2020” have been all about San Jose’s The Fencing Center.
Multimedia and Instruction
It’s an interesting time for fencing coaches and clubs, as everyone tries to grapple with maintaining some level of instruction for their students during a global pandemic. The reach of technology in our lives today makes it easy to deliver, but that wasn’t always the case.
Women’s Foil, circa 1971
The 1971 US National Championships were held on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, commonly known as Cal. The locals did pretty well, too!
Say Goodbye, Say Hello
I drove from my Bay Area home last week to attend the memorial service for much-loved fencing master Delmar Calvert.
Delmar Calvert in Cuba
Dateline: February, 2014. My afternoon with Delmar Calvert, French-trained fencing master, winner of the French Croix de Guerre, former member of the Foreign Legion, and all around nice guy, was a wonderful experience and we’ve finally found a nice bit of the...
An Afternoon with Delmar Calvert
I spent a priceless afternoon in the company of Delmar Calvert in February of 2014 at his apartment in the lakeside town of Oswego, Oregon, but I was fortunate to get there and back.
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