He was a 13-time national and 3-time Pan American Games saber champion, five-time Olympian, and an Olympic bronze medalist.

He founded the Peter Westbrook Foundation (PWF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit that uses fencing as a vehicle to help young people from under-served New York City communities develop life and academic skills.

[1][3] Peter was four when his father left, leaving his mother to raise the family in the Hayes Homes housing project in central Newark.

After she offered friendly advice while on a Newark bus to a 31-year-old, 200-plus pound, fellow female passenger with regard to the young child the woman was traveling with, the woman became angry at her, cursed her, told her to mind her own business, and then pummeled and kicked her to death.

[1][7] He trained under Dr. Samuel D'Ambola, a medical doctor and the founder of the school’s fencing program, winning a New Jersey state individual championship in his junior year.

Then he started hitting me in the legs with his sabre every time I made a mistake, and I was wearing short pants, too.

[1] In 1974, as a college senior, Westbrook placed first at the Amateur Fencers League of America's (now known as USA Fencing) National Championships, beating among others Olympians Alex Orban and Paul Apostol.

[16][1] During pre-competition sparring with a European fencer at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Westbrook tore two ligaments in his left ankle.

[1] Westbrook served as flag bearer for the closing ceremonies of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.

[21] Following his competitive fencing career, Westbrook founded and served as CEO of the Peter Westbrook Foundation (PWF), a non-profit that uses fencing as a vehicle to help young people from under-served New York City communities develop life and academic skills.

[1][21][22][23] Notable fencers trained by the foundation who have represented the United States at the Olympics include Akhi Spencer-El, Benjamin Bratton, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Daryl Homer, Curtis McDowald, Khalil Thompson, and Lauren Scruggs, who won a foil team gold medal and an individual silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

[1] The Peter Westbrook Foundation Academic Enrichment Program provides one-on-one tutorial support, literacy assistance, SAT, PSAT, and specialized high school exam preparation, along with group workshops and productivity seminars on core academic skills, time management, motivational techniques, and homework habits.

[20] In Harnessing Anger, Westbrook told how he came to be the first African American to win a national gold title in sabre fencing, along with his reaching international levels of success.

Becoming a fencer at an early age gave him the confidence and the discipline to use an ancient martial art to his advantage, both in swordplay and when facing the vicissitudes of daily life in the inner city.