Jerzy Pawlowski was a polish fencer who gets mentioned in Stro:TMDS and his name came up during the research for The Last Captain. After the Hungarians, the Poles were probably the best saber fencers of the 1950s and 1960s. When the Hungarian team came apart after the defection in Melbourne in 1956, the Poles started to win all the championships. There biggest star was Pawlowski. The Hungarians would like to point out that there team was trained by a Hungarian named Janos Kevey.
Pawlowski dominated Saber fencing in the late 1960s. He won gold in 1968 in Mexico City. He won world championship fencing medals. In the Seventies, he became head of the Polish Fencing Federation. Supposedly, fencing also made him very wealthy.
In 1974, he's arrested on spying charges. He's convicted of spying for the CIA and sent to prison for 25 years. He's released after ten years because of a prisoner exchange. He's released on the Bridge of Spies in Germany, but rather than go to the US, he returns to Poland to live out his life. The Polish fencing federation wants nothing to do with him and he is barred from fencing. In prison, he takes up painting and also realizes he can heal people with his hands.
That's a pretty fascinating story, right? I decided to look into it, to see if there is some meat for the story. I send out emails to various people who knew him or of him. The response has been good.
One of those people is Ed Korfanty. Coach Korfanty coached Mariel Zagunis to Olympic Gold medals. He is head coach at the Oregon Fencing Alliance. I had completely forgotten about the email to him, but he just called me to talk about Pawlowski.
It was a very awkward start to the conversation because I didn't know who he was or why he called. In my defense, his accent was a little thick and I didn't catch his name off the bat. But it was a fun call. He told some stories. He kind of hit Pawlowski at the end of his career and right before he went to jail. The story that stands out the most is how Pawlowski healed the son of a fellow Polish Saber fencer, who currently coaches in Egypt, from Brain cancer.
So, that's how my Saturday started.
Pawlowski dominated Saber fencing in the late 1960s. He won gold in 1968 in Mexico City. He won world championship fencing medals. In the Seventies, he became head of the Polish Fencing Federation. Supposedly, fencing also made him very wealthy.
In 1974, he's arrested on spying charges. He's convicted of spying for the CIA and sent to prison for 25 years. He's released after ten years because of a prisoner exchange. He's released on the Bridge of Spies in Germany, but rather than go to the US, he returns to Poland to live out his life. The Polish fencing federation wants nothing to do with him and he is barred from fencing. In prison, he takes up painting and also realizes he can heal people with his hands.
That's a pretty fascinating story, right? I decided to look into it, to see if there is some meat for the story. I send out emails to various people who knew him or of him. The response has been good.
One of those people is Ed Korfanty. Coach Korfanty coached Mariel Zagunis to Olympic Gold medals. He is head coach at the Oregon Fencing Alliance. I had completely forgotten about the email to him, but he just called me to talk about Pawlowski.
It was a very awkward start to the conversation because I didn't know who he was or why he called. In my defense, his accent was a little thick and I didn't catch his name off the bat. But it was a fun call. He told some stories. He kind of hit Pawlowski at the end of his career and right before he went to jail. The story that stands out the most is how Pawlowski healed the son of a fellow Polish Saber fencer, who currently coaches in Egypt, from Brain cancer.
So, that's how my Saturday started.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm