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| Born | 16 April 1952 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Fencing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Peter Jonathan Westbrook (born April 16, 1952) is an American former sabre fencing national and Pan American Games champion, Olympic bronze medalist, and founder of the Peter Westbrook Foundation (PWF), [1] [2] a 501(c)(3) non-profit that uses fencing as a vehicle for developing life and academic skills of young people from under-served communities of New York City.
Westbrook's father, Ulysses, was a G.I. stationed in Japan during the Korean War when he met Mariko, a Japanese woman. Soon after their marriage, they returned to the United States, eventually settling in Newark, New Jersey, where Peter and his younger sister Vivian were born. [3]
Peter was 4 when his father left, leaving his mother to raise the family. Raising the children Catholic, Mariko bartered with priests at the local parochial school (St. Peters/Queen of Angels) in exchange for schooling for Peter and Vivian. [4]
Westbrook attended New York University where he received a B.S. in Marketing.
Westbrook's fencing career started at Essex Catholic High School. He trained under Dr. Samuel D'ambola, a medical doctor and the founder of the Essex Catholic High School fencing program.
Westbrook received a full fencing scholarship to New York University and trained under Hugo Castello, the multi-championship-winning fencing coach.
In 1972, he began training with Csaba Elthes, a Hungarian sabreur at the New York Fencers Club, but left. In 1973, he won the NCAA sabre championship. Recognizing that his short time with Csaba had been beneficial, Westbrook returned to Csaba.[ citation needed ]
In 1974, as a college senior, Westbrook placed first at the Amateur Fencers League of America's (now known as USA Fencing) National Championships, beating fencers like Alex Orban and Paul Apostol.
Westbrook won the U.S. National Men's Sabre Championship 13 times (1974–'75, '79–'86, '88–'89 and '95). Winning the Nationals made him an internationally recognized fencer.
In 1975, Westbrook won a silver team medal and a bronze individual medal at the Pan American Games in Mexico City. In 1979, he won a silver team medal. These wins were soon accompanied by his 1983 gold individual medal and silver team medal. From 1987 to 1995, Westbrook won additional silver medals for individual performance (1987); two silver medals for team performance (1987, 1991), and gold medals for individual and team performances (1995).
In 1976, Westbrook attended his first Olympic Games and was part of every Olympic fencing team through 1996. [5] During pre-competition sparring with another European fencer at the 1976 Olympics, Westbrook tore two ligaments. He ended the competition ranked 13th among the world's best sabre fencers.
At the 1984 Olympics, Westbrook won a bronze medal and was the first American to win a fencing medal since 1960. [6]
Westbrook served as flag bearer for the closing ceremonies of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. [7]
In 2000, the Foundation was represented internationally for the first time when Ahki Spencer-el, Keeth Smart, and Keeth Smart's sister Erinn Smart qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In 2004 four of their students, Keeth Smart, Erinn Smart, Kamara James, and Ivan Lee represented the United States in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. In 2008, Keeth Smart and Erinn Smart represented the United States in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, and both returned home with silver medals.
Ivan Lee won 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008 sabre US national championships, and Keeth Smart won the 2004 and 2002 national championship titles and was ranked # 1 in the world in 2003 (the first-ever American to hold this rank). Erinn Smart won the 1998, 2002, 2004, 2007, and 2008 women's foil national championships, and Kamara James was ranked # 1 in the world in women's épée in 2004.[ citation needed ]
Other notable fencers trained by the foundation are Akhi Spencer-El, Benjamin Bratton, Ibtihaj Muhammad, and Curtis McDowald.
The Academic Enrichment Program provides one-on-one tutorial support, literacy assistance, SAT, PSAT, and specialized high school exam preparation, along with group workshops and productivity seminars on core academic skills, time management, motivational techniques, and homework habits. From October through June, students and tutors meet for 6 to 12 hours each month and receive extra academic support.
In 1997, Westbrook published his memoirs, Harnessing Anger: The Way of an American Fencer in which he describes turning his childhood experiences into a drive to succeed at his sport and the inception of the Peter Westbrook Foundation. [6]
In Harnessing Anger, Westbrook tells how he came to be the first African American to win a national gold title in sabre fencing along with reaching international levels of success. Westbrook describes how as the son of an African-American father and a Japanese mother, he was aided by his mother alone in poverty in a Newark ghetto. Becoming a fencer at an early age gave him the confidence and the discipline to use an ancient martial art to his advantage both in swordplay and when facing the vicissitudes of daily life in the inner city.
Harnessing Anger: The Way of an American Fencer (1997) was nominated by the American Library Association for its Book of the Year Award.
Westbrook was inducted into the New York University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985. [8] Westbrook was inducted into the USFA Hall of Fame in 1996. He was also inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 2002. In 2021, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame. [9]
Sada Molly Jacobson is an American Olympic fencer. She is the 2008 Olympic Individual Sabre silver medalist in women's sabre, the 2004 Olympic Individual Sabre bronze medalist in women's sabre, and the 2003 Pan American Games champion in women's sabre. In 2016, she was inducted into the United States Fencing Hall of Fame.
Keeth Thomas Smart is an American saber fencer, who was the first American to gain the sport's top ranking for males in saber. A three-time Olympian, he won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing in team sabre.
MaestroCsaba Elthes was a fencing master who emigrated to the U.S. Elthes trained many Olympic competitors in the 1960s through 1980s, including the only U.S. Olympic fencing medalist of the period, Peter Westbrook.
Allan S. Kwartler, born in New York City, was an American sabre and foil fencer. He was Pan-American sabre champion, 3-time Olympian, and twice a member of sabre teams that earned 4th-place in Olympic Games.
MaestroGiorgio Santelli was a fencer and fencing master who was part of the Italian team that won the gold medal in Men's team sabre at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was the largest mid-20th century influence in raising the quality and popularity of fencing in the United States, and creator of one of the best-known fencing equipment manufacturers.
Ivan James Lee is an American Olympic sabre fencer and coach. He was a two-time NCAA Men's Sabre Champion, a five-time national sabre champion, and was inducted into the US Fencing Association Hall of Fame. He worked as a police officer in the New York City Police Department from 2008 until 2022, and as the Women's Fencing Team Head Coach at Long Island University from 2019 until December 2023. Lee was elected Chair of the board of directors of USA Fencing in September 2023. He was suspended by USA Fencing in December 2023, for his alleged conduct that would constitute a violation of the U.S. Center for SafeSport (SafeSport) Code. Lee resigned when he was informed of his suspension. His suspension was upheld by SafeSport on January 4, 2024, lifted by SafeSport on January 16 while it continued its investigation of Lee’s conduct, and then reimposed by SafeSport in February 2024. In February 2024 Lee was arrested on charges of forcible touching, sexual abuse, and harassment.
Albert "Albie" Axelrod was an American foil fencer.
George Vitéz Worth was a Hungarian-born American sabre Olympic medalist fencer.
George Gabriel Masin is an American Olympic épée fencer who attended New York University from 1964 to 1968.
Mika'il Sankofa is a world recognized sabre fencer and coach. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics.
Erinn Smart is an American foil fencer who was a member of the United States fencing ream at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she competed in the women's individual and team foil events. Smart is 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m), weighs 125 pounds (57 kg), and is coached by Buckie Leach. Smart's brother Keeth is also a nationally ranked competitive fencer who also started fencing with the Peter Westbrook Foundation.
Benjamin Bratton is a three-time fencing all-American and a former member of the United States fencing team. As a national team member, he competed in the 2006 World Fencing Championships in Turin, Italy; the 2009 World Fencing Championships in Antalya, Turkey; the 2010 World Fencing Championships in Paris; and the 2012 World Fencing Championships in Kyiv.
Abram "Abe" DreyerCohen was an American Olympic foil, épée, and sabre fencer.
Yury Gelman is a Ukrainian-born American five-time Olympic fencing coach for the United States, National Men's Sabre Coach, and Head Fencing Coach for 2001 NCAA champion St. John's University. Gelman is a founder of the Manhattan Fencing Center in New York City and has prepared 22 students for the United States National Teams.
Steve Mormando is an American fencer. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics. He was the national champion in sabre in 1987. He is also a successful fencing coach, a career which started in 1981. He represented the United States at four Senior World Championships. Mormando's Sabre Teammates at the Olympics include Peter Westbrook, Michael Lofton, Robert “Bobby” Cottingham, Phil Reilly, Joel Glucksman, Paul Friedberg, and John Friedberg. He is also a member of the Fencers Club in New York (USA).
Daryl Homer is an American right-handed saber fencer, three-time Olympian, and 2016 individual Olympic silver medalist.
Caira Moreira-Brown is an American épée fencer who was a member of the United States fencing team for the junior Pan American Games where she took home a bronze in individuals and gold in teams in 2015 in Toronto, Canada. Moreira-Brown was born and raised in New York City. She began fencing at the age of 15 after being introduced to it by her cousins, Keeth and Erinn Smart, both Olympic Silver medalist, in different weapons. Before taking up fencing, she had taken ballet, ice skating, tennis and track. Similar to both of her cousins she began and has continued fencing at The Peter Westbrook Foundation. Whose founder, Olympic saber bronze-medalist Peter Westbrook, has been one of her mentors.
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