Charles Schmitter first came to MSU in 1938 to coach the fencing team, and despite his 45-year tenure with the team, is not a well-known figure in the annals of MSU history.
During his time at the university, he taught many fencers, and among them was MSU fencing hall of famer Richard Berry.
Now Berry is 83, but he is still an active fencer. Although he now lives in Davis, California, Berry flew to MSU Wednesday to pay homage to Schmitter at a live fencing demonstration by the MSU Fencing Club.
“Charlie taught me a different way of thinking,” Berry said.
The event was hosted by MSU libraries in part to bring attention to “For Solider and Sport,” a fencing exhibition located on the first floor of the Main Library.
Patrick Olson, special collections librarian, organized the demonstration. He contacted the president of the MSU Fencing Club, biochemistry and molecular biology senior Laura Cheaney, who eagerly agreed.
The demonstration was a means to showcase the Charles and Ruth Schmitter Fencing Collection, which was donated to the Main Library in 1982. Since its donation, the collection has been used for research topics, a fact that Schmitter’s daughter Ruth Schmitter, said would have made him proud.
Ruth Schmitter, an MSU alumna, hopes that the event will encourage more people to use the collection. She also said the collection captures who her father was, a man with an “expansive sense of humor.”
While he would never write in the books, he would leave his notes. Which, Olson said, “makes for some fun reading.”
Olson first shared some of the history behind the collection, as well as the man who donated the collection, to an audience of mostly older alumni and community members. His address was followed by the MSU Fencing Club’s demonstration, which illustrated different fencing techniques.
Schmitter also inspired some fencers to continue with the sport after graduation.
Berry continued his training with Schmitter for at least eight years after he graduated. He stopped competing seriously in 1960, but honors Schmitter’s legacy by teaching fencing four days a week in Davis.
He wakes up each morning anxious to fence and is happy to share an activity that “stimulates the brain and the body.”
Olson said he believes Schmitter, who was also a professor of health and physical education, is one of those collectors who isn’t just known for his generous donation.
According to archival reports in the Toledo Blade, he was also an accomplished musician. In a remembrance, retired MSU fencing coach Chris Oberg, said Schmitter could speak four languages.
“Sometimes the collectors ... are just as remarkable as the books,” Olson said.
