Perhaps the biggest part of my photo collection includes pictures and momentos from my early "dance days" when I taught American and Latin style ballroom for numerous studios, including the Arthur Murray and Fred Astaire franchises, as well as my own studio. If it hadn't been for those early dance jobs, I would undoubtedly have ended up on the street. Here are just three pictures with three of my favorite students out of all the hundreds of pupils I taught to dance over the years. (I achieved, by the way, the highest rating obtainable in dance, which was the Gold Star; I also studied, taught, and competed in the extremely difficult, disciplined, rigid International Style).

Here I am pictured above taken from a newspaper article, awaiting a judge's decision following a grueling competition in which we took first place; pictured here with one of my favorite competition students and video demonstration partners, Barbara Peterson, from Nebraska. Barbara and I spent endless hours in front of the camera, in rehearsal, and in competition. In one year, we made twelve nationally marketed volumes of dance instruction for Aba Daba Productions, tapes that included various levels of Samba, Tango, Rumba, Cha Cha, Waltz, Fox Trot, Swing, Styling for Men, Styling for Women, Quickstep, etc. I don't recall EVER working so hard in my life, but it was a lot of fun! With student Evelyn Campbell on the left doing Samba

and student Jane James in rehearsal for a Tango competition

The below picture was taken of me with my mother, Edna Anne, just a few months before her death at age 67. Perhaps the last photo taken of her. I keep this picture hanging on my bedroom wall above my bed, next to a framed copy of the Lord's Prayer. I include this picture because my mother was no ordinary woman/mother. My father died two months before I was born, and my mother raised ten children all by herself, and with less than a high school education. She did an extremely good job in raising all of us, and deeply embedded in that upbringing were the importance of HARD WORK - RESPONSIBILITY - TRUST & HONESTY; family values, religion, and the love for music. Shortly after my mother's death in 1981, I began writing a book about her, and finally finished it on her birthday three years ago, entitled, "To See The Sunshine". Needless to say, when I hear of single parents today who give up their children because they say they can't raise them alone or parents who can't keep their children in line and place the blame on society, I feel nothing but anger toward that individual(s) and consider that a total "cop out". Reaction might be, for example, "well, things are much harder today and more costly than in those years long gone." Another "cop out", because things were even more rough in those days because not only were salaries more skimpy, but the world was a lot larger with less luxory-- i.e. no computers, no remote controls, no cell phones, etc. etc. etc. Indeed, we do live in a cruel, cruel world today, BUT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A CRUEL WORLD and WILL ALWAYS REMAIN SO. Thank the Lord there remains, however, GOOD PEOPLE in this world who can, at times, make a big difference in all of our lives if given the right opportunity.

...here I am in a few pics above, a real-live country boy, at home in Knoxville

Pictured left to right: Tom Woodard, Paul Mateki, Danish D.J. Rein Wortleboer & wife

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CHRISTMAS, 2000

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