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 baton twirlers in...
Edward Frye, a circus fan from Minnesota and Kitty Clark, August 1941, Madison, Wisconsin (Source: Milner Library, ISU) This photo has been enhanced with AI tools and software. See original below. During the late 1930s and throughout the 1940s, Katherine “Kitty” Clark (1920-1993) was...
Xernona and Xenobia Brewster, Late 1940s | Muskogee, Oklahoma Long before one of them became a nationally honored civil rights icon with a bronze statue in downtown Atlanta, identical twins Xernona and Xenobia Brewster were known in Oklahoma as “The Brewster Twins,” a polished majorette act from...
James “J.C.” Baskett became one of the most recognizable figures in Tennessee baton twirling through his work as a collegiate performer, instructor, and co-founder of the Tennessee Twirling Institute, a program that helped shape competitive baton twirling across the Southeast during the second...
This Anaheim Halloween Parade post shares a beautiful story about majorette JoAn Burdick who was a beloved resident of Anaheim and who enjoyed a long history leading the parade. Her 1958 tarnished trophy-topper, shaped like a high-stepping majorette, was mounted to the parade’s front float...
Jimmie Lynda Justice Baskett Barton was a prominent figure in Tennessee baton twirling through her work as a performer, instructor, judge, and co-founder of the Tennessee Twirling Institute. Born in Tennessee in 1943, Barton first gained attention as a baton twirler while attending McMinnville...
Laura Solakian McKenery | Detroit Linos NFL Majorette 1970s-80s In case you missed it, WXYZ Detroit aired a feature story on the Detroit Lions baton twirlers. Click here to read the story by reporter Christiana Ford. Twirlers made their debut in Tiger Stadium in 1957. According to Ford, they...
Dorothy “Dottie” Grover, the Syracuse University Baton Girl whose performances captivated football crowds from 1949-1953, was one of the most recognizable collegiate twirlers of her era. She died just five years ago, on October 10, 2019. She was 90. For generations of Syracuse fans,...
This post is a work in progress and will be continually updated as research is completed. In 2017, Tudy Smith, a former majorette and beloved baton twirling coach, was celebrated by 70 former students during a tribute held in her honor. The Herald Tribune covered the event. Smith was 87 at the...
The following information was copied from a website that is using deprecated HTML elements. We’ve preserved it here for its historical significance. We edited the original for clarity. Victor with his daughters Vicki and Lana. Victor Faber started his baton twirling career in 1937 under the...
Robert Olmstead was a band leader and early instructor in baton twirling in the United States. Born in California in 1915, he grew up performing in vaudeville shows. He played multiple instruments and became a highly skilled twirler who twirled batons on slackwire. In college, Olmstead...
Official Obituary The Golden Girl, Mary Jane Van Duyse Sorgel, 89, passed away on Saturday, July 30, 2022 in Sturgeon Bay, WI. Mary lived a very blessed life, and her achievements were many. Mary was born on December 29, 1932 in Sturgeon Bay to Frances Lewis Van Duyse and Gertrude Josephine...
