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Dottie Dunston: A Jersey Shore Original Dorothy “Dottie” Dunston was one of the most influential baton twirling instructors on the Jersey Shore during the Golden Age of baton twirling. A performer, teacher, judge, pageant director, and school owner, Dunston spent decades introducing...
Larry Cervi, Pittsburgh State University Drum Major, 1955-57. He earned a full scholarship to the university. He was quoted saying he “started out as a twirler and became the drum major for the next three seasons.” Larry Cervi (1936-2026) Larry Cervi died on January 29, 2026, two days...
Florence Iva Begay, a Navajo baton twirler and high school valedictorian from Flagstaff, Arizona, became the subject of national attention in 1948 after an incident on a bus in the Texas Panhandle exposed the realities of segregation faced by Native Americans traveling outside the Southwest....
The former University of Oklahoma feature twirler died after a brief, but fierce battle with breast cancer at age 48. Tina Marie Ruizsoriano (nee Escamia),48, of Mission TX, passed away on 25 May 2025 in San Antonio after a brief but fierce battle with breast cancer. Tina was born in Port Lavaca,...
Students from the Diane Remy School of Dance and Baton stand in front of a wood-paneled station wagon before the Memorial Day Parade, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, 1981. Diane Remy (1938-2024) Obituary Diana Veronica Remy (Diane Remy), age 85, passed away at her home on May 3, 2024. She was born in...
Dec. 16, 1931 – Dec. 28, 2024 The world lost another angel on Saturday December 28th, as Diana B. Koczon was called back home. She was a vibrant spirit involved in several community organizations. She was named Citizen of the Year in 1991 and in 2019 by the Cheektowaga Chamber of Commerce....
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,...
The following article is reprinted with permission from the Chicago Sun Times. It was originally published on April 22, 2015. Before World War II, baton twirling was dominated by men. And Gene Shea was one of the best. He twirled across the nation and in Canada, Ireland, Korea and Japan. He met...
Peggy Jo Smith Dodson, 92, passed away October 22, 2023, at Ridgecrest Retirement and Nursing facility. She was born in Amarillo, Texas, on December 16, 1930, to George Garland Smith and Orpah Alice Cayton Smith. She grew up in Plainview, Texas, where she attended the schools and church. She was...
During the 1953-54 school year, freshman Neota Moad was a “purple majorette” at Texas Christian University. In high school, she played the cornet in her high school band in Cisco, Texas. She was also a majorette. Sadly, in 1963, she was brutally bludgeoned in her Fort Worth home. While...
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...
