Looking back on fond career of teaching children to dance

Lynn (Golden, Ferrel) Haugh poses alongside her long-time friend and fellow dance instructor, Ann Schneider Lear. Contributed photo.

MARY LOU MONTGOMERY

After a career spent perpetually shining the spotlight on the talents of Hannibal’s youth, Lynn Haugh, at the age of 81, can now relax within the confines of her Hannibal hilltop home and reflect upon the years devoted to dance.

A daughter of Hannibal, Lynn was born to Larry R. Golden, a railroad brakeman, and his wife, Marguerite. She was the second-oldest of five children - four of them girls, Suzanne, Lynn, Lisa and Manette, interspersed with one brother, Travis.

Lynn fell in love with dance at a young age, while studying under the tutelage of Dorothy E. (Fender) Smith, who was the local queen of dance instruction during her era. In 1950, Mrs. Smith, wife of a railroad engineer, operated a private dance studio at 301 Grand, and by the end of the decade she had relocated her studio to 214 S. Main. This building was just to the south of the ever-bustling business hub, the Mark Twain Hotel.

Both as a student and later as a young instructor, Lynn took her dance commitment to heart.

In June 1951, Joan Farrell and Lynn Golden, students of Mrs. Smith, performed during the Blessed Sacrament Women’s Club meeting. They presented a tap dancing routine.

In 1956, as part of a civic engagement, Lynn Golden and Connie Bowers performed as a Rock & Roll Team during the “Laff-O-Rama” presented at the Hannibal High School stadium, on Friday, Aug. 10. Mayor John R. Schroder served as announcer for the “Hometown Circus.”

By 1962, Lynn was co-teaching with Mrs. Smith, as the pair led ballroom dancing during a series of adult education courses at Hannibal’s YMCA, which was then located at Fifth and Center. Also featured at that meeting was a square dancing presentation, with music furnished by Al Swigert and his band.

Lynn would travel to Shelbina in order to teach on Mrs. Smith’s behalf. Her mother drove, because Lynn wasn’t yet old enough.

“I have a lot of great memories” of those days in Shelbina, Lynn said.

When Mrs. Smith retired in the early 1960s, Lynn stepped up, opening her own studio to fill the void of Mrs. Smith’s departure. She operated out of the same building, at 214 S. Main.

Fond memories 

Lynn tried to pick out music that the children would enjoy, then she choreographed the dance moves to accompany the music. “I tried to pick out music the kids could identify with, so that they liked it and practiced it.

She taught so many students over the years that today, she has trouble putting together the names and faces.

“I still run into” former students, Lynn said, “Someone, just the other day, said,  ‘Hi, do you remember me? I took dance from you for three years, when I was young.’”

“I hadn’t seen her in years, but it was nice to talk to her.

“It is fun to run into people I haven’t seen in years that want to share memories. i just hope they’re not upset if I don’t remember.”

Costume choices

She always tried to pick out recital costumes that were dainty and appropriate.

She measured the children and custom ordered the recital costumes, working with vendors who could be considerate of last-minute changes. Then she stayed up all night sorting costumes, having them ready for picture day.

Her goal was to get all the children dressed alike and having the same color ribbons in their shoes.

Something always happened, she said. A child that didn’t stand out in the studio, fell or lost a shoe. “I have good memories of watching those children.”

“It was fun to watch the kids try on their costumes; how excited they would get. I was always worried they would be playing in the costumes before the recital.

“Back then, parents wanted their children to be good dancers, so the parents went along with what I taught,” Lynn said.

Flood zone

Her studio, before she moved to 309 Broadway to make way for the construction of the flood wall in the early 1990s, was located in Hannibal’s prime flood zone. 

“Floods in the spring. We’d have to empty the studio, that was a disaster. Easter morning, they called to say the water was coming up.”

Lynn called upon her long-time teaching assistant, friend, and former student, Ann Schneider Lear, for assistance. “She called me and we went down there and started unloading,” Ann said. “We took everything to her basement on St. Mary’s. We did it all in the morning. Her dad was there. Insurance wouldn’t cover anything you could transport, so we moved chairs, records, record players, the desk, boxes of shoes, coats.”

“The building flooded; three feet of water in it. We parked under the viaduct and walked down in waders,” Lynn said.

Family

Lynn and her former husband, Dr. Richard Ferrel, had two children; Richie Ferrel was the first-born, and he died of cancer just before turning 12. Her daughter is Camilla Ferrel, who in addition to her role of wife and mother, and her career as a school teacher, also taught dance at her mother’s studio.

“I babysat for Lynn’s kids,” Ann Lear said. “Richard was perfect; there are not a lot of kids I would say that about.” And then she added, with a giggle, “Camilla was not.”

Lynn and her husband, Lew Haugh, live in a bungalow atop the Summer Street hill. She loves the house, and hopes she can live there the rest of her life. “I’ve had a good life, basically a healthy life. I’ll be 82 next month, I couldn’t be happier.”

If she could change her life course, would she do it again? “Definitely. It was happy. There were days when I didn’t want to go to work, but once I got there, something usually happened, sometimes happy, sometimes not, but always memorable.”

Ann Lear said that Lynn has a lot of gratitude. 

“When I think of Lynn and the esteem I hold her in, the biggest thing is how she valued her family and her faith. Dance was such a big part of her life, but nothing was as big as her family or her faith.”

Stamina

“One day i was teaching at Stowell School and Lynn called,” Ann Lear said.

Ann went to the phone to return Lynn’s call, and Lynn said: “I got up and I parboiled some ribs and I cleaned the bathroom and sewed buttons on Richard’s shirt and got Camilla off to school. I feel terrible, can you come in and teach?