We may not look it, but we have over 50 years of dancing experience - combined, that is!
We began square dancing with the Rutgers Promenaders; Helena as a undergraduate in 1975, Ken as a grad student in 1978. We have been active in the Northern NJ Square Dancers Association (NNJSDA) as club delegates, Vice Presidents for Public Relations (twice), chairmen on LUST (a mini-LEGACY), and delegates to the Square Dance Council of NJ (SDCNJ). As NNJSDA VPs, we created "A Publicity Primer," a guide for developing square dance publicity in New Jersey, which was distributed throughout New Jersey and among several LEGACY trustees. We have also given presentations about publicity and computer-related topics at Mini-LEGACYs in New Jersey.
In addition, we've been active in the NJ Square and Round Dance Convention. We served as panelists in 1986, Publicity Directors in 1989 and 1992, Program Book Chairmen in 1994, and General Chairmen of the 1990 Convention. We have also been Vice-Chairmen of SDCNJ.
We've been LEGACY trustees since 1987, and were elected to the Board in 1995. We maintained LEGACY's on-line presence on the Information Highway. The web site can still be seen. I've left it up for historical purposes. LEGACY was disolved in 2001.
You can probably find us in almost any hall at multi-level events. We enjoy all square dance programs from Basic through Challenge, as well as rounds and contras. Helena's first National Convention was in 1977 in Atlantic City. We have attended most National Conventions together; as well as every National Advanced and Challenge Convention since 1982.
Helena participated in a "Best Club Ideas" panel at the 1983 National (Lousiville). We've served on the following LEGACY panels at the National:
- Computers in Square Dancing - 1991 (Salt Lake City)
- Square Dancing for the Young and the Young at Heart - 1994 (Portland, OR - Moderators)
- Singles in a Couples Activity - 1996 (San Antonio)
We were involved in two educational programs at the 1997 National Convention in Orlando:
- On-Line With Your Club/Organization Home Page - Communicating In the High-Tech Information Age
- Computer Applications In the Square Dance Activity (LEGACY Panel)
Since Helena passed away in July, 2005, Ken has continued to participate in square dancing activities. He has been President of the Rutgers Promenaders since 1997(!), the webmaster for NNJSDA, the webmaster for the Greater Metropolitan Challenge Association, and the "Official Unofficial Photographer" or the "Unofficial Official Photographer" for the NNJSDA. You can see pictures I've taken of the NNJSDA Mini Festival since 1998.
