Evelyn Florence Terhune (July 21, 1932 – June 8, 1981) was an American fencer and fencing coach who competed in the women's individual and team foil events at 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 ...

and was the long-time head coach of the women's fencing team at

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

(FDU). Terhune was a 1954 graduate of the FDU campus in Rutherford, New Jersey, where she took up fencing after being dared by a fellow student. Her second-place finish at the

Amateur Fencers League of America The Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA) was founded on April 22, 1891, in New York City by a group of fencers seeking independence from the Amateur Athletic Union. As early as 1940, the AFLA was recognized by the Fédération Internationale ...

tournament in 1960 earned her a spot on the team representing the U.S. at the

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 ...

, where she competed in the women's foil individual event and the first ever Olympic women's team event. She returned to her alma mater to coach the women's fencing team and was named as FDU's vice president of development in 1973. As the fencing coach at FDU from 1958 through 1974, her teams never had a losing season. Having often dedicated 12 hours, or more, per day as a coach while the team was in season, she had been advised to relinquish her position as fencing coach after accepting the new administrative position, but she felt that "it is not easy to give up something which you have been dedicated to for that long.""New Jersey Sports; Coach With a Point"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', June 20, 1973. Accessed February 7, 2018. "When she was appointed Fairleigh Dickinson University's vice president for development last September, Evelyn Terhune was urged by friends to quit as the women's fencing coach.... A 1954 cum laude graduate of F.D.U. she began fenc ing as a junior on a dare from a friend and eight years later compiled the best record of any American woman fencer at Rome. Her teams at F.D.U. never have had a losing season and four of her’ fencers have won national individual championships." She coached her teams to three team championships at the

National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association The National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association (NIWFA) is a women's collegiate fencing organization in the United States. The organization was founded as the IWFA in 1929 by two New York University students, Julia Jones and Dorothy Hafne ...

tournament, in 1960, 1963 and again in 1969, and coached two team members to individual NIWFA foil championships. As a member of the United States Olympic Fencing Games Committee, Terhune was part of the group responsible for selection of the individuals who would represent the nation at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

that were to be held in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. She claimed that the United States had never to that point put a gold medalist in fencing up on the awards podium at an Olympic games because "American fencers just haven't been willing to pay the price for a medal", citing the need for fencers to take on up to six hours per day of practice in order to achieve the proficiency needed to compete successfully at the international level. The foil team champion at the

's Christmas Invitational Tournament is awarded the Evelyn "Terry" Terhune Trophy, which was donated in her memory by Betty Santelli in 1981. She was inducted into the Division I Athletics Hall of Fame at Fairleigh Dickinson University as part of its inaugural induction class of 1999.FDU Hall of Fame: Evelyn Terhune

Fairleigh Dickinson Knights The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights refer to the 17 sports teams representing Fairleigh Dickinson University's Metropolitan campus in Teaneck & Hackensack, New Jersey. Fairleigh Dickinson University or (FDU) offers a variety of sports on the Divisio ...

. Accessed February 7, 2018. "An inaugural member of Fairleigh Dickinson University's Division I Athletics Hall of Fame, Evelyn Terhune '54 served as Head Fencing Coach from 1958 through 1974." Terhune had been a resident of Mahwah, New Jersey.Staff
"New Jersey Sports; En Garde! Touchez!"
''

'', April 3, 1973. Accessed February 7, 2018 ."As a result of his efforts and those of other fencing enthusiasts such as Evelyn Terhune of Mahwah, Irwin Bernstein of Westfield and Denise O'Connor of Bayonne-all top regional competitors-New Jersey now has a large number of devotees."

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Terhune, Evelyn 1932 births 1981 deaths American female foil fencers Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni Olympic fencers of the United States Fencers at the 1960 Summer Olympics People from Mahwah, New Jersey Sportspeople from Jersey City, New Jersey 20th-century American women