Allan S. Kwartler (nicknamed "Doc"; September 10, 1917 – November 11, 1998), born in New York City, was an American

sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

and

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

fencer. He was Pan-American

champion, 3-time Olympian, and twice a member of sabre teams that earned 4th-place in Olympic Games (1952, 1960).

Early and personal life

He was born in New York City, later lived in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...

, and was Jewish. He attended Benjamin Franklin Junior High School and Morris High School in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. He had careers in advertising sales and insurance underwriting. In 1958 he moved to

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...

, New York.

Fencing career

Kwartler began fencing at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

under Bela de Tuscan at age 28. In 1946 he transferred to and continued fencing at Michigan State University under Charles Schmitter, while he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1948 in

bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...

. He returned to New York City in 1948, when he joined Salle Santelli, where he studied sabre under Maestro Giorgio Santelli, the Olympic fencing coach, and foil under Professor Edward F. Lucia. He was the United States' most consistent 2-weapon fencer in the 1950s and 1960s, a several-times US National Championships finalist, in saber and foil. In 1948 he won second place in the Midwest sectionals in sabre, the first undergraduate to earn a medal in Midwest Championships. In 1953 he was second in foil in the National Championships; in 1954 he was second in saber and fourth in foil; in 1956 and 1960 he placed second in saber; and in 1959 third in sabre. He was nationally ranked 17 times in either foil or saber between 1951 and 1965, and was a member of 10 US national championship teams.

Olympics

Kwartler fenced in the Olympics in 1952, 1956, and 1960. He was a member of the sabre team that placed fourth in 1956, and in individual saber he made the semi-finals that same year. In 1960 he was on the fourth place Olympic sabre team.

Pan American Games and Martini-Rossi

His best international success was winning the

1959 Pan American Games The 1959 Pan American Games were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959. Host city selection One city initially submitted a bid to host the 1959 Pan American Games that was recognized by the Pan Am ...

individual sabre title in

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. He also won saber team gold medals at the 1955 and 1959 Pan Am Games. He was a silver medalist in team foil and individual foil finalist (5th place) at the 1955 Pan American Games. Kwartler also was a finalist in the first Martini-Rossi world cup sabre event (1961).

Maccabiah Games

In 1950 and 1953 Kwartler, who was

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, was selected for the Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning the sabre championship in the 1950 Maccabiah Games (while losing in the foil gold medal bout to teammate

Daniel Bukantz Daniel Bukantz (December 4, 1917 – July 26, 2008) was an American four-time individual United States national foil fencing champion, Maccabiah Games individual foil champion, four-time Olympic fencer, fencing referee, and a dentist. He has been ...

5-4), and the foil in 1953 Maccabiah Games.

Veteran fencing

Kwartler was the veterans champion in sabre several times at the

Empire State Games The Empire State Games are a set of annual Olympic-style competitions for amateur athletes from the state of New York, encompassing several divisions and allowing athletes of all ages to compete. It was a member of the National Congress of State ...

Official and Fencing Association

He was a widely respected official, and presided at the individual sabre finals in the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Kwartler was chairman of the Amateur Fencers League of America's (AFLA) (predecessor to the current

United States Fencing Association The United States Fencing Association (USFA) is the national governing body for the sport of fencing in the United States. The USFA was founded on April 22, 1891, as the Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) by a group of 20 New York City fen ...

(USFA)) Metropolitan Division (1958–60) and AFLA national secretary (1960–63). He remained active in the affairs of the Westchester Division of the USFA and the Empire State Games.

Coaching

Kwartler was also a widely respected coach, who coached in the methods of the Italian School for sabre, foil, and épée fencing. He coached at Salle Santelli, Brooklyn Poly (1965–80), SUNY (Purchase), the US Military Academy at

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

, Rockland Center for the Arts, and the Westchester Fencing Club. He was named USFCA coach of the year in the Middle Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association in 1994.

Halls of Fame

In 1953 he was the first fencer to be elected to Michigan State University’s Hall of Fame, and in 1979 he was inducted into the Fencer’s Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, formerly known as the Helms Foundation Hall of Olympic Fame. He was also inducted into the

Hall of Fame in 1980, the Westchester Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, and the USFA Hall of Fame in 2001.

Death

Kwartler died on November 11, 1998, and was survived by his wife, Connie, his son and two daughters, and four grandchildren.

References

External links

Pan Am Game results

Allan S. Kwartler

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kwartler, Allan 1917 births 1998 deaths American male sabre fencers Jewish male sabre fencers Wayne State Warriors fencers Michigan State Spartans fencers Olympic fencers of the United States Fencers at the 1952 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Maccabiah Games medalists in fencing Maccabiah Games gold medalists for the United States Maccabiah Games silver medalists for the United States Competitors at the 1950 Maccabiah Games Competitors at the 1953 Maccabiah Games Sportspeople from New York City Polytechnic Institute of New York University faculty Jewish American sportspeople Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in fencing Fencers at the 1955 Pan American Games Fencers at the 1959 Pan American Games 20th-century American Jews American male foil fencers Jewish male foil fencers Medalists at the 1955 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games