Fencing at Jesuit has had a long but bumpy ride. In 1956 Jesuit’s “true artists of the foil banded together under the guidance of Mr. Benjamin Wren, S. J., to form the first Jesuit Fencing Club. Since that time, members have met regularly in the basement [of Jesuit High School] for a bit of running about and sword clashing” (The Last Roundup 1958).
After this two year run, the fencing club seems to have disappeared. However, the 1986 yearbook suggests, in a profile on fencer Allen Lambright, that the club may have been active on and off when it states: “Lambright participates in a sport . . . [that] has not had any [school support] in ten years.”
The Archives does have several unidentified fencing pictures from 2000 – 2001; thus, perhaps the sport or club reemerged at this time. In 2004 the yearbook began including a team picture.
The 2007 yearbook notes: “The team competes in the United States Fencing Association, a group made up of mostly private club teams. In fact, Jesuit is one of just two North Texas schools with a team.”
Two students, Oliver Valdez ’08 and David Taken ’09, qualified for the Junior Olympics in ’07.
If you can provide any additional help or donations to the Archives regarding the history of this activity, please contact the Jesuit Archives. In addition, we would like to identify a foil, framed in a wood and glass display box, that has found its way to the Archives.
