George Worth

As György Woittitz, George Worth began fencing while a youth in Hungary at the Salle Santelli, the salle d’armes of Italo Santelli, the preeminent sabre coach of all-time and the father of Giorgio Santelli, five-time U.S. Olympic coach. Because of the unstable political climate in Hungary in 1937, Worth decided to emigrate to the United States but was unable to do so directly because of his Jewish faith. He spent two years in Cuba where he won the Cuban national sabre championships and fenced frequently with Commandante Ramón Fonst, the Olympic champion of 1900 and 1904.

Worth came to the US through Miami in 1940 and became a US citizen in February 1944. He was a member of the US Olympic teams in 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1960. In 1948, besides the team bronze medal, he finished fifth in the sabre individual, and this is regarded as the outstanding accomplishment of an American sabreur internationally in that era. Worth won the AFLA National Championship in sabre individual in 1954 and was a member of 14 national championship teams, representing the Salle Santelli his entire career. He was also a member of three Pan American teams, winning a gold medal for sabre team in 1951, 1955, and 1959 and a silver medal in sabre individual in 1951 as well as in 1955. At the 1959 Pan Am Games in Chicago he spoke the Oath of Participation on behalf of all athletes in both English and Spanish.

After immigrating to the United States Worth served in World War II and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he won several Bronze Stars. He later served as Captain of the South Orangetown Ambulance Corps and Chief Commissioner of the Orangeburg Fire Department