My division (Gulf Coast) used to have a couple of "Memorial" tournaments that included "traveling" sabre trophies. The Franks Memorial ceased to be fenced circa 1983 and the Harold Van Buskirk Memorial only stopped being held in the last couple of years.
I am trying to locate both trophies (the actual Van Buskirk Cup also disappeared in the mid 1980s). Below is an excerpt from a local fencing history I am working on that represents the last information I received (as of about two years ago) on the Van Buskirk Cup:
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In recent years, Clarence McCraw had dominated the sabre event at the Van Buskirk. Now, however, he was moving out of state and had to part with the prized Van Buskirk Cup. McCraw remembered, “I gave it back to Roland Reed in 1984, the same year I left Houston for New Mexico. I would love to have kept the original trophy, as it meant so very much to me. I am one of the few people (maybe the only one) to have won it three times and I have the dubious honor of being the last person that Mr. Van Buskirk saw win it as he was in attendance at that tourney and he either died later that year or early the next before the next tourney. It was one of the high points of my fencing career.”
“I can't remember whether I won it in 83 or 84 or both. For a while, it seems that I was unbeatable, especially when it came to this tourney. I do remember having it for a couple of years, but, before I moved to New Mexico, Roland called me and asked me to return it. I didn't want to because all the nameplates on the trophy was full (with my name on the last two slots) and I thought they would have to buy a new trophy anyway. But at Roland's insistence, I did return the trophy to him so it could remain in the tourney as the tourney itself and Mr. Van Buskirk's memory is more important that any one fencer.”
McCraw also recalled the Franks Memorial, but not as well. “I don't remember much about the Franks except for winning it. It was not nearly as big as the Van Buskirk. I do remember it was held in
September. Once again, Roland Reed or Sonny would be your info source on this as I think the Bellaire Club (of which Roland ran) put on the tourney.”
Some twenty years later, Oscar Barrera recalled the leading sabre fencers and tournaments of this era, “I spoke with Howard Williams, who used to be a pretty serious sabre fencer in the 70's and 80's. He, Paul Anderson and Clarence McGraw used to trade out 1st place in sabre in the Texas tourneys then. He recalls that his last Van Buskirk, which was about 10 years ago, Clarence won the Van Buskirk loving cup. He also seems to have a memory of the Franks trophy being a mounted sword. He has no memory of when he last saw it, though.”
Whatever was done with the Van Buskirk Cup, it disappeared about this time. Its location remains unknown to this day.
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Before he died, Roland Reed sent me this description, "The official, original Van Buskirk Sabre Trophy, [was] a large double handled silver cup… Usually the winners were allowed to keep it for a year and Division had their names engraved on it. They also got a ‘Keeper’ trophy.”
I'm told that, if it were to be found, we'd find engraved upon it the names for the first 10-12 winners of the Van Buskirk sabre competition.
If anyone out there has any information, leads, odd ideas, stray thoughts, etc., I would be happy to receive them. I am also searching for any old photos of either the Franks or Van Buskirk Memorial trophies (My wife is a silversmith). Both the Franks and the Van Buskirk have responable chances of being revived soon. It would be nice to recover or re-create the trophies.
As stated, Mr. Reed has since passed away and I no longer have good contact infor for Mr. McCraw. There is also a very good possibility the answer lies somewhere else. A lot of folks visit this site. I'm just trying to stir up new leads...
"Sabre is Theatre. Foil is Art. Epee is Truth." - attributed to Al Peters
Is Vinnie (UT Austin) still around (or alive)? I don't know any other names from that era/area. The story's interesting - I'll pass it around to the few compadres I still have from then - although we were all foilists...
Good Luck!
I won that event a few times in the late 90s but do not recall a travelling trophy. If possible find Steve Lewis in Houston, if still there, should be. He will likely have info on it ro know where to locate it. Scott Clark may have info on it's location. He used to live outside Abeliene(sp?) but may have moved to the Austin area, he threatened to for years. Howard is a good resource. Oscar will be your best bet for finding these guys. If you have contact with him now he will likely have there current contact info.
Also, check with the Rice fencing folks, many have been around for sometime and may recall if/where there is one. I do hope it can be found.
Talk about a name from the past, Clarence McGraw. I saw some video of him and he was blinding fast. Back when running was still legal in sabre...
Oscar has been a big help. The main problem is the trophy vanished sometime in the mid-1980s. Roland Reed thought Clarence McCraw was the last person to receive it. Clarence said he returned it to Roland before moving out of state. All I can be sure of is that by the late 1980s it was out of circulation. Our division apparantly lost (if it ever kept) the records of the winners of the Van Buskirk Memorial (or any other tournaments) from the 1980s.
As to Rice fencers, the guy who teaches fencing on campus also has his own salle off campus and forwards his students there. The Rice club barely even exists on paper at this time.
So I am largely hoping to run into folks who fenced back in mid 1980s in Houston.
Speaking of Rice University and fencing in the 1980s, anyone know where Al Peters went, now that he is not at Cornell?
"Sabre is Theatre. Foil is Art. Epee is Truth." - attributed to Al Peters
I know he was but I think he may have left. Others on this board will have better info on him than me.
If you want to risk opening old wounds, literally, find Claude Ceaux(guessing on spelling of last name). He was around about the same time as Al but left the scene before Al left.
Can't remember his name but there was an older guy who ran a swimming supply store, suits not checmicals, who was involved in the Van Buskirk for a while. If I remember his name I will let you know.
You must venture into the dank sewers of Stormreach to find the sacred cup. After defeating the Kobold King, return the cup to Gaurd Jung and claim your reward.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WON'T YOU BUY MY TACTICAL WHEEL!!!????
If you want to risk opening old wounds, literally, find Claude Ceaux(guessing on spelling of last name). He was around about the same time as Al but left the scene before Al left.
...in a manner of speaking. Maitre Caux passed away in 1992 while Al Peters was teaching at Rice. Suzanne has been trying to help quite a bit. The other guy you are describing, with the swimming supply store, is Steve Farid. I am hoping to get with him in the next few weeks. (I saw him briefly at the NCAAs, but I was doing the local volunteeer number all week. I did get to speak with Arnold Mercado and Michel Sebastiani, though).
"Sabre is Theatre. Foil is Art. Epee is Truth." - attributed to Al Peters
I can provide several updates because there are some gaps in the posts I am seeing. The first is on Claude Caux. Claude committed suicide in 1992, after killing a woman in Memorial Park after having an affair. There was a suicide note in the car, and he attempted suicide there. He attempted suicide again in the hospital, and hung himself after he was indicted while at home.
Dwaine Blakeley, Nancy Sumpter, Ray French and maybe Kirby Rassenfoss were division officers in the Gulf Coast Division in 1984 - 1985, and the cup was not there then. I became chair in 1985 - 1986 and the cup never appeared again at least through 1993 when I quit for a while.
Steve Farid was and is a good friend to fencing, an excellent coach, and helped with the Van Buskirk by providing tshirts at cost and other things. He owns International Sporting Goods.
I saw the Texas Flash, Clarence McGraw, win the saber tournament when coach Van Buskirk was presenting the trophy and it was one of my first tournaments. I was more impressed with a foil finalist with one are named Al Snyder that finished 6th, (out of 50+), fencing in his 50th year of fencing. He started fencing in his early 20s or late teens at Stanford recruited from tennis.
Rice may have the trophy somewhere, but the relationship between Mauro and the Rice club is limited. The Rice club has recently been kicked off the campus to all non-Rice personnel. This is the club where Kelly Hurley walked in the walker while her sister laid on a blanket and her parents fenced.
I saw the post of the cup, and that is not the picture at Mauro's club. Mauro did not come to Houston until after the cup was missing. I am interested that Dekko won the event several times in the 90s. I have won an event at the Van Buskirk in three separate decades and the last two Van Buskirk epee events. I think the event is gone forever now.
The largest saber team event there was about 20+ 3 person teams. The largest individual tournament was 90+ foil and 60+ epee in the same weekend as the team, and that was 1989.
Some of us were thinking that the Van Buskirk name would be a good one to lend to the Gulf Coast Division's SSCC tournament each year (regardless of LOC). Normally we would have deferred to the Rice club to use the name each year, but I doubt there really is a Rice Fencing Club other than as a cyber presence. (More's the pity).
"Sabre is Theatre. Foil is Art. Epee is Truth." - attributed to Al Peters
Wow, missed that part of the memo, forgot he killed himself but knew about the rest.
It is ashame that this event has gone by the wayside and no one wants to have it anymore. This was a great event and it would be nice if it could be started again. However, I suspect with the current political strife that exists in the Houston area it will likely not happen anytime soon. Rice has a great gym to host it and with the new construction there has lots of parking for lots of people.
I do hope you can find the cup again. If you do, let us know.
The political climate in Houston has nothing to do with it. The Van B was well attended by all clubs. The Rice club is no longer functional, and nobody has stepped forward to host the tournament. Rice University is extremely non-supportive of the fencing club, taking away storage facilities for gear and not funding the program.
I'll have to go with El Caribe. Sure there are cliques with our division (show me a division that doesn't have them), but I've seen a lot of pulling together by all sides. I think a revived Van Buskirk would appeal to all. If that became the title of our SSCC tournament, then various clubs at different times would be the host.
I think there has been a real awareness of late in the division that, even if we all don't like each other, we are stronger together than separate. "A rising tide floats all ships," as El Caribe once told me.
I'd like to see the Van Buskirk Memorial return and I'd like to locate the trophy for the division as a whole.
BTW: Bill the Blade, can you put Dwayne in touch with me? Last I saw he was fencing over your way. I'd like to double check a few points. I have a gut feeling where it may be.
"Sabre is Theatre. Foil is Art. Epee is Truth." - attributed to Al Peters
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Originally Posted by dekko 
