Pre-HFC roots
• December 1871: Trinity College organizes a fencing exhibition in its gymnasium, on the land where the Connecticut State Capitol now stands in Hartford. One year later, Hartford buys the land to build the capital. This is the first documentation of college fencing in New England.
• 1878: Trinity moves to its current hilltop campus.
• 1927: Harold Wadman of the Hartford Empire Company, and a former Cornell fencer started fencing with Paul Roudakoff and Igor Gregorieff. Both young Russian immigrants from monarchist families who had fled after the Bolshevik revolution.
Mrs. King's dance studio on Asylum Street hosted this early group of fencers. Several men and women joined during this time. The group then moved to a packing room at Hartford Empire. Finally, Mrs. Arthur Shipman offered the upper floor of the Shipman barn, home of the drama society and the club was officially formed there.
• September 1928: The Hartford YMCA lists fencing Friday nights at 7:30pm as a club activity, coached by “S.G. Hunting, Jr.” A Yale graduate and fencing captain. Samuel G Huntington Jr is the correct spelling. He recruited Mary Shipman, Elizabeth Rice and Tamara Gregorieff (Igor's sister) to join fencing classes.
• 1929: A Trinity faculty member argues in the Courant for fencing as an intercollegiate sport.
Founding era (1930s–40s)
• Dec 1931: The 1932 Courant feature describes activity starting at this point. The original club had approximately 18 members and was formally organized in Dec 1931 after 5 years of informal fencing.
• Apr 10, 1932: The Courant runs “The Sport of Cavaliers Revived.” Promoting a fencing exhibition by Hartford Fencers Club. The event: 8 bouts at Town and Country Club on April 12, 1932 benefiting the Children's Museum. Featured fencers were: Henri Grosclaude (coach at Kingswood Oxford and Loomis Institute) and Harriet Grosclaude, described as a former member of a Belgian women's national foil team. Also on the card were captains of Kingswood and Loomis teams and Loomis fencers from a state interscholastic championship foil team.
This is the earliest press mention of Hartford Fencers Club.
• 1934: Irina Roudakoff wins the New England women’s foil title fencing for HFC. Sam Huntington Jr is still coaching at the Y.
• 1935: Hartford Fencers Club moves to Jewel Hall of the YMCA. William (Bill) Tetlow was the associate director, Samuel Huntington Jr remained the coach. Only young men were invited to this meeting on Oct 4th. Also that year, Trinity students are fence at the Woodbury Memorial.
• 1937: Harvard beats HFC 16–11. Although, Holcombe wins three straight foil bouts, and the Harvard Crimson reports the loss.
• 1937–38: Harold G. Holcombe steps in to coach HFC at the YMCA.
• Feb 13, 1938: The Courant runs a photo spread. Feb 15: HFC hosts Harvard at the Hotel Bond ballroom. Article feature written by Paul Roudakoff (Irina's brother and president of Hartford Fencers Club).
• Oct 1941: Dale Robinson teaches beginner foil and sabre at the YMCA Sports School.
• February 1942: Amateur Fencers League (AFLA) sponsors a fencing meet at Hall High School (now West Hartford Town Hall),with 69 fencers. This is the largest fencing tournament ever held in Connecticut. The West Hartford Fencing Club hosted, both men and women from Ct and Rhode Island entered. Robinson takes 2nd in men’s foil behind a Yale fencer. Ruth Barron wins women’s foil over Mrs. Clyde Seney. The Courant also prints her name as “Barean.” Other HFC alum taking part: Stanley Vergulto, William McGaw and Clyde Seney.
• Mar 10, 1942: Trinity beats Wesleyan 17–10.
• 1942: Pasquale Crisco takes over coaching at the Y. He is trained in all three weapons and a Yale graduate.
• 1943-1957: HFC goes quiet as World War 2 breaks out.
Post War Revival and continuity (1957–early 2000s)
Modern HFC (2026–)
• 1957: The “Greater Hartford YMCA Fencing Club” advertises itself as newly formed. Both men and women welcome. Sigried Jesswein, amateur fencing champion is named as the coach.
• 1962: Gerald Pring is named coach of Hartford Fencers Club bringing his training from Blackrock College in Dublin, Ireland.
• 1968: Pring becomes Trinity’s fencing coach. Until Pring, Trinity fencers had been searching for a coach. Captain Ray Viscidi and other experienced fencers were teaching novice "without much progress" from Viscidi's personal account. That same year, Uriah Jones becomes Team USA’s first Black Olympic fencer.
• 1972: Pring is running HFC and YMCA lessons. He leaves Trinity in the early 1970s.
• 1973–77: Ralph Spinella takes over as Trinity’s fencing coach when Pring leaves. Spinella is from a strong Italian family in Waterbury. He used to deliver bread for the bakery and per Ernie St. Louis, was never afraid to give a fencing lesson with a baguette in the bread aisle. Spinella went on to be one of the most influential coaches of recent past alongside Carmen Vigezzi and Rick Lee.
• 1977: Harold Niever is elected club president.
• 1977–early 2000s: The club continues, per Sandra Marchant’s oral history, with Spinella, Sandra, Rick Lee, Mal-Sun Marletto, Jeanette Starks-Faulkner, Liz Burnham, Ernie St. Louis, Carmen Vigezzi and others.
• Mid-1990s: Sandra traines under Spinella and wins her first gold at HFC.
• Early 2000s: The club winds down after Y programming changes and Jewell Hall is sold off. The club moves briefly to the XL center downtown before fading.
• ~June 2026: HFC incorporates as a CT nonprofit, launches its Instagram, and gets Hartford Courant coverage. Reconnections start appearing, memories are shared and HFC spirit is rekindled.
• Summer 2026: The board is seated, bylaws are adopted, and the EIN is issued. Early talks with local schools start.
• Fall 2026: The 501(c)(3) is confirmed. The Q4 seed-funding campaign launches alongside rec-center pilot talks and Economic Development site talks to return Hartford Fencers Club back to the City of Hartford.
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Sweatshirt with HFC logo designed by Carmen Vigezzi. Circa 1980s
Ralph Spinella
HISTORICAL GALLERY
Patches from Springfield Fencing Club & Hartford Fencing Club. Donated by Rick Lee
Ralph Spinella honoring Uriah Jones with a "Master of the Sword" plaque. Carmen Vigezzi in the background wearing a suit.
From left: Madison Fournier, Liz Swift, Ernie St Louis enjoying dinner at Salute
Foil fencing at Hartford Fencers Club on Jewell Street.
From left: Sandra Marchant, Madison Fournier, Liz Burnham, HOF inductee Jenette Starks-Faulkner.
Preserving Our Legacy
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