All 1950s Blog Posts
One, two, three o’clock, four o’clock rock,
Five, six, seven o’clock, eight o’clock rock.
Nine, ten, eleven o’clock, twelve o’clock rock,
We’re gonna rock around the clock tonight.
Rock Around The Clock, 1954 | Bill Haley
All 1950s Blog Posts
One, two, three o’clock, four o’clock rock,
Five, six, seven o’clock, eight o’clock rock.
Nine, ten, eleven o’clock, twelve o’clock rock,
We’re gonna rock around the clock tonight.
Carolyn Brown Shrewsbury: Acrobat, Majorette and Gymnastics Pioneer
Long before Carolyn Brown Shrewsbury (circa 1942-) began teaching generations of young gymnasts, she was the youngster onstage doing the things that seemed nearly impossible. Brown, who grew up in Maryland, began performing as a child in the 1950s. Photographs from...
Remembering Beverly Birkel Krysa: Pioneer Apache Belle and Longtime Texas Twirler
Mary Ann Ward and Beverly Birkel, Tyler Junior College Apache Belles, 1954Beverly Austine Birkel Krysa (1935-2026), a former University of Texas Texas Stars captain and Apache Belle, passed away in Virginia from stroke complications at the age of 91. A 1952 graduate...
Twirling Photo of the Day: Phyllis Jean Vanderkerckhove and Roland Popp (c. 1956)
Phyllis Jean Vanderkerckhove (1943-2021) and Ron Popp (1941-2019) twirled together in Rock Island, Illinois in the 1950s. Records of Popp's involvement in twirling cannot be documented beyond 1951, however, Vanderkerckhove went on to appear in Who's Who in Baton...
Billie J. Pucciarello, International Coach, Entrepreneur and USTA Leader
The baton twirling community lost one of its most influential ambassadors today with the passing of Billie J. Pucciarello (1936-2026), known to generations of students simply as “Miss Billie.” A Galveston native and graduate of Ball High School, Pucciarello built an...
Harry Blake: 1962 National Baton Champion, Basketball Standout and Texas Hall of Fame Band Director
Harry Blake, NMHU Feature Twirler, 1958-1963, performs a flying straddle split with baton toss, 1958. This signature athletic move showcased the strength and showmanship of the era's top male baton twirlers. (Photo courtesy of NMHU; restored gently with AI software.)...
Sonie (Sandra) Rogers Sloan Fisher (Miss Majorette of America 1953)
SOURCE: North Berrien Historical Museum on Facebook Sonie Rogers is pictured far left. In addition to twirling, she was a football cheerleader at Watervliet HIgh School. Sandra "Sonie" Swaim (nee Rogers) of Watervliet, Michigan, emerged as one of the nation’s leading...
Hilda-Gay Mayberry Crowned Miss Majorette of America in 1952
When Hilda-Gay Mayberry won the title of Miss Majorette of America in 1952, baton twirling was emerging as one of the nation's fastest-growing youth activities. The annual competition brought together some of the country's finest majorettes, and the winner became an...
The Heated Baton by Carter M. Hanna (1961)
In 1961, the U.S. Patent Office issued a patent for one of the more unusual inventions in baton twirling history: a heated baton. The invention, patented by Carter M. Hanna of Burbank, Ohio, was designed to help majorettes maintain finger dexterity during outdoor...
Twirlers Help Publicize Lions Club Broom Sale (1951)
Today's Vintage Baton Twirling Photo is of a Glendale Lions Club broom sale promotion, 1951. Joann Cave and Pollyann Basford, baton twirlers wearing tap shoes, pose with brooms to help publicize an upcoming Glendale Lions Club fundraiser. Lions Clubs across the...
Purdue Twirling at the Indianapolis 500
Today is the Indianapolis 500, and Purdue Twirling will be performing on the race track. Here are some wonderful historic images (negatives) of this long-standing tradition, which we discovered on an Indianapolis 500 Archive. Members of the Purdue University Marching...
1950s Gallery
This page was designed to feature all 1950s blog posts. For quick viewing of all 1950s baton twirling photographs, click the button below.
1950s Collection
Visit the 1950s collection page to view baton twirling photos from the 1950s, year by year. For example, with one click, you can pick a year, such as 1953, and view all the photographs we have published from that year.
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Photo Epigraph
Barbara Haddock, left, a baton twirler, and Janet McEntire, acrobat, 1953.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS | 1953
Barbara Haddock, left, a baton twirler, and Janet McEntire, an acrobat, were in the recreation department cast which presented a variety show at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium. Seventy-one city employees with more than 25 years of service were honored. [Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)]
Stories from the 1950s
Do you know any baton twirling stories from the 1950s? Email us at info@vintage-baton-twirler.org.
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