Ferenc Marki

Ferenc Marki (7 November 1912 – 26 May 2008) was an internationally known fencing master and fencing coach.

Ferenc Marki was an internationally known fencing master and fencing coach at San Francisco State University, City College of San Francisco, Mills College, and Pannonia Athletic Club who created champion fencers at every level. He died at the age of 95 on May 26, 2008 in Boulder, Colorado.

Ferenc Marki was born on November 7, 1912 to Ferenc Marki and Etelka Pinter in Szeged, southern Hungary. After his father died as a hero in World War I, he enrolled in military school at the age 14. He did so well in his studies and excelled so quickly at learning the art of fencing foil, épée, and saber that he was selected to attend at the prestigious Toldi Miklos Royal Hungarian Sports Institute to become a fencing master.

His teacher was the legendary Maestro László Borsody, who is acknowledged in Hungary as being one of the greatest fencing masters of all time and the creator of the modern Hungarian style of saber fencing. Julius Palffy-Alpar, in his book Sword and Masque states his “ability to build an artistic compromise from the simplest movements, his personal philosophy, and his natural psychological approach caused him to admired by his students.” Maestro Borsody taught Olympic Saber Champions George György Piller, Pál Kovács, and most of the best Hungarian fencing masters. All of the great Hungarian fencers of those times were trained either by Italo Santelli or László Borsody. At Toldi Miklos, Ferenc Marki was also taught by the famous Maestro Alfred Geller (spelled Gellert in Hungarian). Palffy-Alpar identifies Borsody and Geller as being among the top fencing masters in the world during the post World War I era. (Palffy-Alpar 1967:21). He states “Geller, the master of the thrusting weapon at the same institute and a follower of the Italian school, was the author of a book with Tomanoczy in 1942 titled Vivas Kezikonyve [Fencing Handbook]." (Palffy-Alpar 1967:22).

In 1935, Ferenc Marki achieved the rank of fencing master or “maestro” when he graduated among the very best of his class and received the diploma of Maître d'Armes and Fencing Instructor.

After teaching at Toldi Miklos alongside of Maestros Borsody and Gellert until 1938, Maestro Marki entered the military and taught fencing at the Hungarian Military Academy.

...
Wikipedia