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Club History
The Pre-Fencing Club Years: 1889-1904
Written by Cliff Iverson
The University of Minnesota Fencing Club was first organized in the fall of 1904, but fencing existed at the University many years before that. The earliest record I have found referring to organized fencing activity was from 1888-1889, with a small listing in The Gopher of six fencers. No coach was mentioned, so I do not believe lessons were formally given or received. More than likely, this was a small get-together of students who had learned to fence elsewhere.In December, 1894, the first class in fencing was formed. Actually it was a class in club swinging (singlestick), and seemed to have been a lowbrow affair. The instructor was D.F. Grass, a sophomore in the medical school. This class does not appear to have lasted past the end of winter quarter, 1895.
In February, 1897, another fencing class was organized. Again, this was a small, private undertaking, with the only connection to the University being the use of space on campus. E. Postel was hired as instructor. Postel had coached fencing at Yale during the 1893-94 season, and seems to have had a good reputation in the fencing community of that time. He was also the top rated fencer in the Twin Cities area. Unfortunately, Postel did not last very long. He died suddenly of a heart attack in early February 1898, scarcely a year after he began teaching here.
Fencing classes at the University continued after Postels death. Sometime in 1898, A.L. Queneau took over the instructors duties. Queneau was a former resident of Paris, France, and appears to have been an excellent fencer. He did not stay very long, though. Probably only to the end of the 1899 season.
The next coach who appeared on the scene was Maestro Peter Carciofini. Like his predecessors, he was hired to teach boxing and wrestling as well as fencing. Most American fencing masters of the time were also adept in these other two arts. He also appears to have been the first instructor hired by Dr. Cooke to teach University sanctioned classes. Maestro Carciofini had arrived in January 1900, and brought with him a rather impressive resume, including a three year stint as boxing and fencing instructor at West Point (1893-96).
In April, 1902, two years after he began teaching classes at the University, Maestro Carciofini was publicly challenged to a duel by one F.R. LeRoux. LeRoux had recently arrived in the Twin Cities and would eventually become the fencing master at a fencing club in Minneapolis. The challenge was, in LeRouxs words: To combat, either public or private, for money or honor, within a week or a month, rules for professionals strictly enforced. The duel was to twenty-five touches, with LeRoux spotting Carciofini six touches. According to LeRoux, his spotting those touches was to make the duel more fair, because ... the practice of boxing and wrestling greatly interferes with the finger movements of fencing. Personally, I think LeRoux was insulting Carciofinis fencing ability. As of this writing, I have not discovered the result of this duel, or whether it even took place.
It was also in the spring of 1902 that Maestro Carciofini began organizing a new athletic club for wealthy young men in Minneapolis. He left the University later that Summer to pursue this venture. Dr. Cooke hired Professor Jules Laselaby to replace him. Professor Laselaby was the first fencing instructor at the University who had the idea of fielding a team for varsity competition. Unfortunately, it does not appear he ever got a team together during his time as instructor here, although he can be credited with organizing the first womens fencing classes at the University.
In the fall of 1903, fencers at the University began to act on the idea of forming a fencing club. Such clubs were a regular feature at most east coast and some west coast colleges. When fall quarter 1904 began, the groundwork for forming a club was in place. Professor Laselaby had left the University earlier in the year, so the first coach of the new club was Roy Penwell. Penwell was a freshman student at the University, but had recently been a professional fencer in Chicago before coming to Minnesota.
He was also hired by Dr. Cooke to teach the University fencing class, and like todays class, it had nothing to do with the club. The fencing club was officially organized on Wednesday evening, October 5th, 1904. The first practice was held six days later, at four in the afternoon, in the band room at the Armory. The club was open to beginners as well as experienced fencers, and the only expense was that of personal equipment.
The fencing club seems to have been popular from the very beginning, and appears to have had a large membership. In addition to University members, fencers from other Twin Cities clubs dropped in rather regularly. University fencers themselves were popular enough to be able to display their non-fencing talents. In late January, 1905, the club put on an evening of entertainment which included vocal solos and poetry recitations (try to imagine that happening today).
This has been all of the information I have been able to dig up on the early days of the fencing club. I hope you enjoyed reading it. In the future, I will continue to write on the history of the fencing club as I uncover it.