Rankin418-web

In the years that followed, Gerry
would pack her station wagon with
everything she needed for teaching
dance – her dance shoes, mats,
record player, and batons. Then she
would travel to her dance classes five
days a week in a total of seventeen
different locations over the next
years, teaching literally thousands
of students. One of those students
was former Lieutenant Governor
Amy Tuck.
Ages three to “whatever” enrolled
in her classes. She charged monthly
and only went up one dollar during
all the years of dance instructions.
When student enrollment
grew in the Starkville location, she
bought a building one block from
the Mississippi State campus for
her first dance studio. Students
from the college would drop in
and introduce themselves as her
former students and enroll for
more dance lessons.
Gerry’s work ethic is outstanding.
In her 62 years of teaching, she
missed classes once with flu but
had an assistant fill in for her. Even
though she always had assistants,
she taught every class. “I would
intend to take a break and let my
assistants teach while I took care
of the music, but I couldn’t keep
my mouth shut! I would see
something that needed adjusting,
and I would jump back into my
teaching mode,” she said.
She once held five recitals in
one week, a feat seldom attempted.
Emergency hernia surgery was the
reason for her missing one recital
in her 62 years of teaching.
Gerry’s only other employment
was as a Rankin County school
employee for thirteen years. Even
then she would leave the school
at 3pm, rush home to change, and
teach dance lessons from 3:30 to
9pm, three afternoons a week. The
only day of the week she never
taught was Sunday.
Today at age 79, Gerry and her
husband, August, still enjoy active
lifestyles. She laughed when she
gave “Gutter Queen” as the title she
earned when she first enrolled in a
bowling league. The rodeo has also
been an add-on all her life. Her
love for horses was passed down
to her four children, and now the
grands are horse riders, too.
Gerry’s husband, August, is an
avid sports fan and has enlisted
Gerry in learning to play golf.
He’s been the announcer for the
Richland High School football
games for 15 years, and Gerry sits
next to him with her binoculars as
his spotter. She’s learned the
elements of football and basketball,
proving she can “balance” in more
than just ballet. In turn, she taught
August ballroom dance and the
“jitter bug.”
Richland citizens have noted
her hard work and contributions
to her hometown. The city of
Richland recognized her 60th
year of dance instruction with a
proclamation in her honor. She also
served as the grand marshal of the
2016 Christmas Parade. The Ms.
Richland Pageant, as well as Career
Day at Richland High School,
were initiated by Gerry and run
under her direction for five years.
Her official retirement came
in 2015, but eight months later she
came out of retirement at the
request of dance lovers to teach a
tap class. The “Sassy Steppers” were
off and tapping! She and August
will also teach a six-week course in
ballroom dancing this spring.
When thinking through her
lifetime of teaching dance, she
defined her love of her occupation
when she said, “I’ve never dreaded
a day of going to teach, and I can’t
think of anything I would have
changed.” Even during those winter
lessons when she would have to
arrive two hours early to get the
dance location warm for the
students, she still found joy and
delight in teaching the art of dance.
She probably believes her
lifetime accreditation membership
that she earned at the National
Association of Dance Masters
qualified her to be a dance
instructor for 62 years. Her living
legend says not so. Her love and
dedication to the art form are the
real qualifiers. Ms. Gerry was
simply born to dance. l
22 • April 2018