Julia Jones Pugliese

Who was Julia Jones Pugliese?

Julia Jones Pugliese was an American fencer. She took up fencing as a New York University student in 1927 and was the first women's US National Intercollegiate champion in 1929 and had a 60-year career as a fencing coach. Born Julia Jones, she married Anthony Pugliese. She was the first woman to coach a collegiate fencing team, leading N.Y.U. to national championships in 1933 and 1938, and coached the Hunter team to a national title in 1970. Mrs. Jones-Pugliese was the Hunter coach from 1956 until her death in 1993.

She helped found the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association. The association, whose membership grew from 4 to more than 70 colleges, conducts what is considered the oldest collegiate championship for women in any sport.