John Stuart
Festus, Missouri

2012 Caller / Cuer Hall of Fame

John and his taw, Beverly started square dancing in 1987 with Jefferson County Squares. Harold Rowden was their main teacher, and we also took lessons from Dean Williams in Farmington, Missouri. After 2 years of dancing, John decided it would be fun to be a caller. He took approximately 8 lessons from callers, Bob Fehrman and Mike Corns and then was told, "OK, now go out and call". At his first dance he was so nervous that the microphone kept hitting his teeth, He earned $1,00 for calling that first dance.

He calls for numerous clubs across Missouri and Illinois. He has called for three National Conventions, in Texas and Iowa. He is a member of Puxico Country Squares and Jefferson County Squares, where he is also the club caller. He is a member of the St. Louis Caller's Guild and Callerlab.

He has donated his time to call exhibitions for nursing homes, church picnics, & socials. He has called for local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts Troops, home schoolers, and taught a square of sixth-graders at a local school for their all-school play. He .has called at Shepherd of the Hills in Branson, Missouri, called for a dance between acts at a play for Jefferson College, Hillsboro, Missouri and also called a dance at the Muny Opera in St. Louis.

John and his wife have been Chairmen of the Metro St. Louis Benefit Dance, benefiting SIDS. He was Assistant to the General Chairman of the 1993 National Square Dance Convention held in St Louis and President of the Jefferson County Squares for 7 years.

John has taught square dancing to people younger than 10 to 90 years of age. He currently has a class teaching the plus level in Festus and will start a new Beginner's class in September. He certainly is and has been an asset to the "World of Square Dancing".