The 1940 Gala Night
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The 1940 Gala Night
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Date
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July 1940
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volume
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5
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4
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en
THE 1940 GALA NIGHT
Although fencers have assembled annually since 1891 to pay tribute to their Champions and to enjoy a social evening at the close of the active fencing season, there had been something a bit forced about the Gala Nights of the past two seasons. Perhaps that was due to the fact that fencers require some fencing to put them in the mood for gaiety and during the last two years the Gala Nights were separate social gatherings without any introduction by sword play. This year, the Gala Night, held in the New York Athletic Club Main Dining Room on May 10th, followed immediately after the Sabre Team Championships in the Gymnasium, five floors below. It proved to be a true Gala Night, a festive occasion, the finest and gayest social affair of the fencing season. Everyone, both fencers and guests alike, seemed to enter into the spirit of the occasion and enjoy themselves.
The Guest of honor was Dr. Graeme M. Hammond, founder of the A. F. L. A. in 1891 and its first president. This beloved octogenarian was the toast of three generations of American fencers that evening and appeared deeply touched when called forth later in the evening to award the new Trophy, named in his honor. Dr. Hammond had been President and Mr. W. Scott O’Connor had been Secretary during the first thirty years of the League’s existence. Together they had held the fencing League together during the difficult formative years of the organization. As the “Fathers of American Fencing”, their names were honored that evening through the creation of two new and identical Championship Trophies, the “Dr. Graeme M. Hammond Sabre Trophy” and the “W. Scott O’Connor Memorial Trophy”.
These two trophies, identical sterling silver cups suitably engraved, are to be awarded annually to the winners of the National Individual Sabre and Epee Championships. Although the cups must be returned to the League each year, its winners will be awarded silver plaques with an embossed replica of the cup as their permanent trophies.
These trophies were obtained through the personal contributions of many of the leading fencers of the past thirty years. Past President Leon M. Schoonmaker, having served as Chairman of the Trophy Committee, turned over the Trophies to Colonel Henry Breckinridge who had been the League’s President from 1926 through 1929. Colonel Breckinridge, in a speech filled with amusing and interesting references to Dr. Hammond and “Scott” O’Connor, presented the Trophies to the A. F. L. A. President Harold Van Buskirk, accepted the Trophies in behalf of the League.
Three fencing exhibitions were provided for the entertainment of those guests who were not familiar with or who had lost contact with the sport in recent years. These exhibitions, a sabre lesson by Professor George Santelli to Dr. John R. Huffman, an epee exhibition between Carlos Lamar-Schweyer and Eugenio Sardina of the Cuban delegation of fencers, and a sabre exhibition between Dr. Tibor Nyilas of Hungary and George V. Worth, Hungarian member of the Cuban delegation, were of such exceptional calibre that they held the closest attention of every fencer in the room.
President Harold Van Buskirk then awarded the many National Trophies and medals which had been won throughout the 1939-1940 season. The continuous applause as America’s leading swordsmen and swordswomen were called to the rostrum for their awards was indicative of the mutual respect and admiration the fencers held for the winners and each other during what might otherwise have proved to be a lengthy ceremony. President Van Buskirk aided and abetted the awards with jovial personal comments as “his fencers” came forward to receive their season’s awards from “Van”, President Van Buskirk then introduced the Consul-General of Cuba as a Guest of Honor and in behalf of the A. F. L. A. awarded special medals of Participation to the six fencers of Cuba who had come to the United States to participate in our National Championships. The active fencing season was then declared closed and the party continued with dancing in a grand finale until the small hours of the morning.
