Ferenc Marki
Ferenc Marki was a Hungarian trained fencing master from the Toldi-Miklos military academy, in the same graduating class as Julius Palffy-Alpar and Istvan Danosi. A native of Szeged, he established a very successful club there, training Junior World sabre champion Tom Orley and Olympic Gold Medalist Daniel Magay.
After the 1956 revolution, upon learning the news that Magay had defected to the US after the Melbourne Olympic Games, Marki got his family out of Hungary to Italy. He coached in Turin for a short time before taking an offer to head a fencing program in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Upon the death of George Piller and at the behest of Dan Magay, Marki was recruited to take over at the Pannonia Athletic Club in San Francisco.
READ MORE...He found great success at Pannonia for many years, including numerous Pacific Coast championships and National Women’s Foil Team titles in 1964 and 1966. In addition, he taught highly successful programs at San Francicso State University, San Francisco City College and Oakland’s Mills College for decades, retiring in 1987.
Articles
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.
Historical Holiday
Driving around Southern California may not seem like much of a Holiday, especially when traveling alone, but a recent weekend outmatched all my expectations. The plan was to make four different stops in hopes of collecting fencing history.
More Time with Jerry Biagini!
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!”
My Forever Summer
You don’t forget your first team, or your first teammates. The fortuitous circumstances surrounding my introduction to fencing couldn’t be more memorable; a time filled with remarkable personalities.
Road Trip!
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 didn’t understand a single word that he said.
Daniel Magay, Part 2
As a member of the Hall of Fame committee for USA Fencing, I get a chance to participate in the annual ritual of determining, in the fairest way possible, who is to be considered for inclusion into that prestigious body. But in the long run, just like every member of USA Fencing, I only get one vote.
An Abundance of Riches
These snapshots were taken at the 1963 US National Championships held at the Statler-Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. The event ran flawlessly, “…a fact that we have come to expect from Southern California and its Chairman, Fred Linkmeyer.”
One Hour
I first became aware of Mr. Biagini as a young fencer, as he would invariably show up at tournaments at the Pannonia Athletic Club, back when it was still a going concern in San Francisco.
George Piller comes to San Francisco
Gyorgy Jekelfalussy Piller has gone down in history as one of the most successful competitors and coaches. If his name is unfamiliar, let me give you a brief run-down. He competed for Hungary in the 1928 Olympics on the Foil Team and reached the semi-finals,...
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