ABA Hall of Fame
Who’s In It And Why
Who gets into the ABA Hall of Fame and why are they chosen? The immediate answer would be that they are the best dancers. Wrong. Well, maybe it is the most popular. Wrong. Maybe they have just been around a long time. Wrong.
Picture this for a moment. You are in a smoky bar. You have waited an hour for a song to come on that you can dance to. When it finally is played, the floor is full of people free styling, with drinks in their hands, sloshing all over the floor. Some may even have a cigarette swinging about. And, of course, there is the prerequisite drunk, out there by themselves, showing off.
Who do you have to thank that you don’t have to go to places like that? Well, more than likely it is a Hall of Fame Member. The people who are elected to the ABA Hall of Fame are those members who have been nominated by their respective clubs. They are then voted on by the current Hall of Fame members. The reasons for the nominations may vary but the reason for being elected is always the same. These are the people who devoted their time and energy to promote swing dancing wherever they see the need. They teach, they recruit, they work the door, they take the money, they take it upon themselves to make sure everyone is having a good time. They do not do this for monetary gain or for fame. They do it because they love dancing and want others to enjoy it too. These are the people who attend board meetings, make decisions, decorate the clubs, contact members via newsletters. These people volunteer with dance lessons, going to nursing homes, helping the young and old learn to dance.
This year’s nominees are no exception. They are Bill and Gingy Wallace from the Derby City Bop Association, Jim and Georgia Watson from Mid-Ohio Boogie Club and Barbara Cooley from Memphis Bop Club.
Bill and Gingy are the roots and wings of DCBA and the only consistent element of the DCBA’s seventeen year history. In the mid 80’s they med a small group of people who shared their love of shag/jitterbug/bop music. This group danced together for weeks and would later become the founders of DCBA. They decided to form a club and in 1989 the first dance occurred. Years ago Bill and Gingy promised to dance the first dance of the evening with each other and then dance with others to make them feel welcome. There joy is to share the love of dance with others.
Barbara Cooley has been an extremely active member of The Memphis Bop Club since 1988. She has served on the board in nearly all the positions since 1988 and has served as Dance Instructor without a break since 1992. She currently holds the position of Dance Chairperson. She was selected as Memphis Bop Club “Member of the Year” in 2000. She was inducted into the National Fast Dance Boppers Hall of Fame in 1998. Her joy is to share the love of dance with others.
Jim and Georgia Watson took the initiative in 1999 to form the first ABA club in Columbus, Ohio – the Buckeye Bop Club. For three years Jim and Georgia served as President and Vice-President. The first Beat the Heat even was held in 2000. Jim was the key consultant, creator, and architect of the club’s dance floor. Georgia was the event coordinator. They then went on to for the second ABA club in Ohio, Mid-Ohio Boogie Club. From 2001 to 2007 Georgia has served as President and Jim as Vice President. Their joy is to share the love of dance with others.
So you see, if you want to be inducted into the ABA Hall of Fame, all you have to do is dedicate a large portion of you time and energy making sure everyone you know is having a good time dancing and you will do this because your joy is to share the love of dance with others.
