I always expect to see your names in one of these...

[Drunk Monk]

but here's one for the PPFY

Renaissance Man
A retired San Jose State University professor's diverse interests have resulted in a colorful life and an array of books
By MICHELLE MAGHRIBI

San Jose State University professor emeritus and local author William Gaugler, 74, has dedicated a lifetime to solving historical mysteries and along the way has himself become one of our area's hidden treasures.

Gaugler's passion for history and art, including the sport of fencing, began at an early age, setting the course for what many would regard as ambitious childhood dreams.

"At the age of 6, I asked my father to take me to the Detroit Institute of Art so that I could see actual works of art," Gaugler remembers. "In the museum I took special interest in ancient Greek Sculpture, Italian Renaissance paintings and a full length portrait of a fencing master. Moreover, I determined that I would study art, learn to draw and paint, become a swordsman and visit Greece and Italy. In retrospect it is genuinely astonishing that, in fact, I eventually realized these childhood dreams."

This modern Renaissance man was born in Highland Park, Mich., during the Great Depression. His parents emigrated from Germany, eventually making their home in Detroit. He went on to earn degrees from the College for Creative studies in Detroit, Roosevelt University in Chicago, and finally his doctorate from the University of Florence, Italy.

In the process, he fell in love with his wife Gladys and with fencing. He is an honorary member of the Italian Fencing Masters Association and the Accademia Nazionale di Schermain Naples.

He is credited with launching San Jose State University's prestigious fencing masters program.

After living in Chicago, Los Angeles, Geneva, Cannes, Beausoleil, Florence, and Frankfurt-am-Main, Gaugler moved to the Bay Area in 1969 to take a teaching appointment at SJSU, taking up residence in Sunnyvale in 1976.

At SJSU, he taught classical art and archaeology and was the associate chairman for the history of art, retiring in 1996. He believes, "Education is optimism based on the notion there can be change."

In keeping with a childhood promise he'd made to himself, Gaugler first studied fencing in Los Angeles under world-renowned fencer Maestro Aldo Nadi.

Gaugler was instrumental in getting Nadi's autobiography, "The Living Sword," published in 1995, nearly three decades after Nadi's death. He wrote both the introduction and afterword to Nadi's book.

According to Gaugler, he met Nadi in 1956, after telephoning to inquire whether the maestro was taking new students.

"As the telephone rang, I thought about how my interest in studying with the maestro had been prompted by his book "On Fencing," which I had read in 1943. My reverie was interrupted by a voice with a marked British accent. It was Aldo Nadi." Gaugler wrote in his forward, "When I explained the purpose of my call there was a pause, and then, with a note of sarcasm, he asked, 'And do you plan to leave for Alaska in three weeks?' "

Somewhat puzzled Gaugler told the maestro he intended to remain in Los Angeles for some time.

According to Gaugler, Nadi replied, "Good, then perhaps you will be around long enough to learn at least the fundamentals."

Gaugler learned more than the fundamentals of fencing; in 2005 he was selected as one of only four fencing masters out of approximately 400 nationally to be come an honorary member of the Accademia Nationale di Scherma in Naples.

According to Gaugler, the others who share this great honor include the presidents of the Italian Fencing Masters Association, The Italian Fencing Federation (Olympic Organization) and the past president of the Italian and International Fencing Masters Association.

"It is a very rare and great honor, especially for a non-Italian, to be included in the membership of the oldest and most elite organization of its kind in Europe," Gaugler said.

While working and studying in Europe, Gaugler received the prestigious diploma of Fencing Master (Maestro di Scherma) from The Accademia Nazionale di Scherma in Naples.

He put his diploma to work and began teaching fencing privately to San Jose State University students in 1969.

In 1979, supported by the chairman of SJSU's Department of Military Science, Col. Robert Elder, he founded the university's Fencing Masters Program--the only one of its kind in the United States--based on the classical Italian system used by the Military Fencing Masters School in Rome.

"While I retired as director of the program in 2004, the program has continued to exist for 27 years and has produced generations of fencing teachers, including members of the United States Olympic Fencing teams," Gaugler said.

The program is currently sponsored by the Department of Theatre Arts and Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC).

The current director of the program, Maestro Ralph Sahm, speaks highly of his former art and fencing professor, noting that while many admire Gaugler for his talents as a professor, his knowledge, dedication and support of his pupils are what make him exceptional.

"He is a major historian on fencing who gave these fascinating lectures.

"No one could ever come close to what he did with the lectures; it was always something different. He made it interesting," Sahm said. "I've been in the class almost since it started and he was very special. It was a great loss when he retired."

Former student and San Jose State University faculty member Maestra Janine Monteleone Sahm was one of the first women to graduate from the Fencing Masters Program under the Gaugler's direction. She appreciates her former teacher's lust for life.

"Almost no one has lived the kind of life Maestro Gaugler has," Sahm said. "His background as an etruscologist is invaluable. While I am not a person who is all that jazzed about history, when you see someone like Maestro Gaugler who has a passion for it, it gets me excited--you kind of catch (the fever)."

In addition to catching Gaugler's enthusiasm, Sahm also credits him as an inspiration. "He expected nothing but the highest standard for me in combination with always being positive," Sahm said. "If that component wasn't there, I probably would not have finished the program. His belief in me helped build my confidence."

While teaching, Gaugler also continued to pursue his passion for archaeology and antiquity and became an expert on the elusive ancient tomb of the famous Etruscan King, Lars Porsenna. The Porsenna tomb, believed to be the largest monument in antiquity--even exceeding the height of the great pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) in Egypt--has never been found and is considered to be one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Gaugler published The Tomb of Lars Porsenna at Clusium in 2002 and it is the only book offering scientific proof for the suspected location of the tomb in the modern-day city of Chiusi, Italy, in the heart of Tuscany.

Gaugler's passion for the subject and penchant for storytelling sweeps the reader up into a mythological and historical journey.

In his book, Gaugler concludes the Etruscans could have erected a tomb of large proportions thought to be more than 600 Roman feet tall, 300 Roman feet wide and weighing approximately 800,000 metric tons, out of materials that include travertine, wood, and bronze.

Gaugler, along with colleagues Drs. William J. Venuti and Peter A. J. Englert, determined through scientific analysis that included aerial photography, soil analysis and topographical considerations, that theprobable location of the ancient monument is on Monte Martinella (Mountain of the Bells).

Gaugler believes any investigation should be non-invasive. "In my research work, I believe in non-destructive analysis," Gaugler said. Instead he prefers to use scientific instruments to locate structures and objects, with proper funding to guarantee protection of the site and preservation of the materials located during excavation.

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