Robert Stanley Dow, 1972 Olympic Saber Fencer and Fencing Benefactor, Dies at 79
by Bryan Wendell
Dow was the son of two Olympic foil fencers but carved out his own legacy in saber — both on the strip and by giving back to the sport off it.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Robert Stanley Dow, a distinguished saber fencer who competed at the 1972 Olympic Games and later became a key supporter of U.S. fencing, died on Aug. 23. He was 79.
Born in New York City on March 8, 1945, to a family with deep Olympic roots, Dow was the son of Warren Dow, a two-time national foil champion and 1936 Olympian, and Helena Mroczkowska Dow, a four-time national champion and 1948 Olympian. (Both Warren and Helena were inducted in the USA Fencing Hall of Fame in 1978.)
Although raised in a family celebrated for its achievements in foil, Dow was initially ambivalent about continuing the family’s fencing tradition.
It wasn’t until age 13, when Dow attended the 1958 Senior World Championships in Philadelphia, that he found his own passion for the sport — though not for the weapon preferred by his parents.
“Saber looked a lot more exciting to me,” he said in a 2021 interview with American Fencing magazine. “So afterwards, I went home and said to my father, ‘Gee, you know, I wouldn’t mind trying to fence saber.’”
His enthusiasm for the more aggressive and fast-paced saber discipline led him to pursue the sport seriously at 18, an unusually late start for a future Olympian.
Dow quickly made his mark on the U.S. fencing scene, representing the United States at four Senior World Championships as a member of the Fencers Club and earning a spot on the 1972 Olympic team. While his team did not medal, Dow felt immense pride for his Olympic experience and the journey that led there.
“I was just thrilled to have made the team,” he said. “We got eliminated, but I was pleased with my personal performance.”
When Dow walked onto the fencing strip in Munich and officially became an Olympian, he made history. Most historians believe that the Dow family is the first father-mother-son trio to compete at an Olympic Games in the same sport in U.S. history, and all were proud representatives of the Fencers Club. In fact, if you walk into the Fencers Club today you’ll see a photo of Helena — in full fencing gear — with Robert as an infant.
In addition to his individual accomplishments, Dow was an essential figure in team competitions, winning multiple national team titles with the Fencers Club.
“I was always a better team fencer,” he told American Fencing, noting that he performed best when the pressure wasn’t entirely on him.
One of Dow’s closest teammates and lifelong friends was Peter Westbrook, a six-time Olympian and the first African American fencer to win an Olympic medal. Dow supported Westbrook both on and off the strip, eventually becoming the treasurer of the Peter Westbrook Foundation, which introduces fencing to underprivileged youth in New York City and beyond.
After retiring from competitive fencing in the mid-1970s, Dow shifted his focus to his professional career. While he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering, he decided the field wasn’t a good fit and pivoted to business, earning an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Thanks to a connection from the fencing community, Dow soon embarked on a 40-year career at the investment firm Lord Abbett & Co. He rose to managing partner in 1996, overseeing the firm's significant growth and retiring in 2012.
Even as his business responsibilities grew, Dow remained deeply involved in the fencing community. He was a trustee for the U.S. Fencing Foundation and contributed significant funds to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sport.
“Between my parents’ lives and my life, it’s been a long haul in fencing,” Dow said in 2021. “If people have been reasonably successful, and believe they got something out of fencing, they might want to consider helping others.”
Beyond fencing, Dow was an advocate for education, serving as a trustee for the Tuxedo Park School and treasurer of the Christina Seix Academy, a school founded by his wife to support children from single-parent families.
Robert S. Dow’s legacy in both the fencing and philanthropic communities remains — a testament to his belief in hard work, perseverance and the power of giving back.
Between my parents’ lives and my life, it’s been a long haul in fencing. If people have been reasonably successful, and believe they got something out of fencing, they might want to consider helping others.
