D. B. Hendrix correspondence
A Selection from the Papers of David B. Hendrix,
Smoky Mountain Square Dance Caller
by Bob Dalsemer
In 1999 the John C. Campbell Folk School received a donation of several boxes of papers from the family of David B. Hendrix (1898-1963), a traditional square dance caller from East Tennessee. Hendrix had written one of the first widely available books on old time mountain square dancing: Smoky Mountain Square Dances (self-published, 1941) and as a result, became known as an authority on the subject to callers and folkdance leaders throughout the country. Due to work and family responsibilities, he seldom traveled outside his home region to call, but maintained a lively correspondence with some prominent callers in the burgeoning national square dance movement of the 1940’s and 1950’s and subscribed to a number of dance related periodicals. This selection includes:
• 1939 Letter to Hendrix thanking him for square dance demonstration for visitors Douglas Kennedy, Olive Campbell and Marguerite Bidstrup
• 1941 letter to Hendrix from Edwards Brothers, printer, about first edition of Smoky Mountain Square Dances
• 1942 letter to Hendrix from Louisville Division of Recreation about Ida Levin’s book
• 1945 Correspondence with Charley Thomas, New Jersey caller and first editor of American Squares magazine
• 1946 letter to Hendrix from Margot Mayo, caller and collector
• 1947 issue of Foot N’ Fiddle, Texas square dance magazine, illustrating Hendrix's awareness of square dance styles in other parts of the country
• 1949 Correspondence with Emmette Wallace, Texas contributor to American Squares
• 1951 letter from Ethel Capps, physical education teacher, Knoxville (later, Director, Berea Country Dancers)
• 1954 Correspondence with Frank Kaltman, editor, American Squares
• 1955 Letter to Ricky Holden, caller and editor, American Squares
• 1958 Letter to Rod Lafarge, caller and managing editor, American Squares
• 1961 newspaper articles about Hendrix calling a square dance by long distance telephone
Subjects: Southern / Appalachian / Big sets, Person
Tags: Charley Thomas, D. B. Hendrix, Emmette Wallace, Ethel Capps, Frank Kaltman, Margot Mayo, Rickey Holden, Rod LaFarge, Tennessee
Item Relations
| This Item | is related to | Item: Smoky Mountain Square Dances |
| This Item | is related to | Item: Smoky Mountain Square Dance Collection |
| This Item | is related to | Item: Tennessee Star - David Hendrix, 1951 |
| This Item | is related to | Item: "The Square Dance" - David Hendrix, 1951 |
| This Item | is related to | Item: A Tennessee Square Dance |
| This Item | is related to | Item: Douglas Kennedy on American dances, 1939 |
| This Item | is related to | Item: Riverside-Sendai: intercontinental square dance partners |
Citation
Dublin Core
Title
Description
A Selection from the Papers of David B. Hendrix,
Smoky Mountain Square Dance Caller
by Bob Dalsemer
In 1999 the John C. Campbell Folk School received a donation of several boxes of papers from the family of David B. Hendrix (1898-1963), a traditional square dance caller from East Tennessee. Hendrix had written one of the first widely available books on old time mountain square dancing: Smoky Mountain Square Dances (self-published, 1941) and as a result, became known as an authority on the subject to callers and folkdance leaders throughout the country. Due to work and family responsibilities, he seldom traveled outside his home region to call, but maintained a lively correspondence with some prominent callers in the burgeoning national square dance movement of the 1940’s and 1950’s and subscribed to a number of dance related periodicals. This selection includes:
• 1939 Letter to Hendrix thanking him for square dance demonstration for visitors Douglas Kennedy, Olive Campbell and Marguerite Bidstrup
• 1941 letter to Hendrix from Edwards Brothers, printer, about first edition of Smoky Mountain Square Dances
• 1942 letter to Hendrix from Louisville Division of Recreation about Ida Levin’s book
• 1945 Correspondence with Charley Thomas, New Jersey caller and first editor of American Squares magazine
• 1946 letter to Hendrix from Margot Mayo, caller and collector
• 1947 issue of Foot N’ Fiddle, Texas square dance magazine, illustrating Hendrix's awareness of square dance styles in other parts of the country
• 1949 Correspondence with Emmette Wallace, Texas contributor to American Squares
• 1951 letter from Ethel Capps, physical education teacher, Knoxville (later, Director, Berea Country Dancers)
• 1954 Correspondence with Frank Kaltman, editor, American Squares
• 1955 Letter to Ricky Holden, caller and editor, American Squares
• 1958 Letter to Rod Lafarge, caller and managing editor, American Squares
• 1961 newspaper articles about Hendrix calling a square dance by long distance telephone