Hall of Fame Inductees
2006
The American Bop Association established the ABA Hall of Fame in 1997 to honor those individuals that belong to an ABA member club for their outstanding efforts in supporting the preservation and promotion of swing, bop, jitterbug, or shag dancing.
Each ABA regular member club may nominate one person or married couple from their club for the ABA Hall of Fame. The nomination must be submitted to the Hall of Fame Committee in writing, usually prior to April.
The Hall of Fame Committee and the living ABA Hall of Fame members review these nominations and vote on their selection.They consider noteworthy service, the number of years in the dance community, teaching efforts, offices held, and any special achievements and recognitions. The three nominees receiving the highest number of votes, provided they receive a sufficent number of votes, are then inducted into the ABA Hall of Fame.
This is a great honor bestowed on dancers by dancers.
The ABA Hall of Fame inducted three dancers into its ranks this year at the two ABA Conventions.
George and Millie Wood were inducted at Rollin’ on the River in September and Larry Fournier was inducted at Move Across the River in November.
George and Millie Wood
Memphis Bop Club - Memphis, TN
Inducted September 01, 2006
Georgie and Millie have been members of the Memphis Bop Club for over 16 years and utilized every opportunity to promote MBC and the 50s/60s style of dance known as the "Bop." They are both active members of the National Rhythm & Blues DJ Association. They have each served on many different committees in support of their club. Millie has held several MBC offices, including the office of President at the time of their nomination to the A.B.A. Hall of Fame. George does the writing for the club newsletter, enjoys teaching dance, and helps MBC's members feel at ease and at home when on the Memphis Bop Club dance floor.
Larry Fournier
Great Lakes Swing Dance Club - Grand Blanc, MI
Inducted September 01, 2006
Larry helped the Great Lakes Swing Dance Club begin in 1991 and has been a member ever since. He served as President, Vice-president, Chairmen, and Newsletter Editor over the years. He spent five years as the Editor of the American Bop Association's Newsletter. Over the years, Larry's dance skills increased and passed these skills along by teaching dance classes for the club. Larry's encouragement on the dance floor was challenging, fun, and always appreciated. He helped makes dancers shine on the dance floor and the club's members have a great respect for his efforts over the years.
“Hall of Fame Members are the back bone of our dance community”